State of the Numbers

Jeff and Sara make interesting points about the first couple bits in the State of the Union address. My question: What was President Bush trying to do by sending Sacheen Littlefeather up to deliver the speech for him?

I was pretty excited by the first couple minutes of the speech, all of which had to do with cutting taxes. But what's up with all these Great Society schemes to build the hydrogen car, fight AIDS around the world, and leave no American unemployed. And that's not getting to the war stuff, which covered about the last half of the speech. Hey, Mr. Prez, why not throw in the National Health Care Card while you're at it? I know I'll be called a commie for pointing this out, but I believe you'd have to go back to the Johnson Administration to find such a Big State SOTU speech.

Comments

[Charles Hueter]

I agree. I like so much of the things he says in his speechs, there's always the statism he can't let go. He's got great stuff on smaller government and how to lessen the burden for the economy to grow on it's own. But the billions he just announced he wants to spend on these social programs don't advance the cause of limited government. He's throwing a bone to the critics to shut them up, and that kind of politics is the most creepingly destructive.

It's so hard to support him. But it's much harder to support the Democratic opposition. Listening to Gary Locke's (cruel irony in that name) opposing speech makes me twice as sick.

[John K.]

Call me a cynic.

I'm betting these new initiatives on fuel-cell technology and AIDS help for Africa are less about throwing a bone to his critics and more about throwing some cash to some of his "supporters."