President Obama is rushing to accomplish his objectives in his last term. His last State of the Union Address he outlined what he wants to see happen in congress and the path the US should take. The president preached a message of unity and inclusion. The country is more divided than ever and it should be clear it will tear itself apart. The speech was like any State of the Union Address. It failed to address the major problems in American society and gave unrealistic assessments. The union is at a fragile point. There are people who are not psychologically prepared to accept the gradual decline of the United States. President Obama does not want to accept the world has a multipolar world power structure. Russia and China are rising world powers again. Demonizing them will be counterproductive. He stated that "the world does not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead, but America ." US foreign policy has made the country internationally unpopular. The United States will basically become more isolated. While the President Obama acknowledged that military intervention is not the solution to international problems, he refuses to relinquish American exceptionalism. The economic situation continues to deteriorate, but the President claims the outlook is positive. The decline in oil prices and fluctuating stock market indicate that the market is slipping into instability. President Obama only briefly discussed environmental issues. There will be no improvement in that regard, because it is already too late. Climate shift is gradually increasing the sea levels. Natural disasters will become more common place. President Obama's State of the Union Address demonstrated how most leaders of the US are oblivious to the world and there own community.
President Obama believes in a US that is a hegemonic leader, but not a policemen. This means that he will still have imperial behavior as part of US foreign policy, but it will be paternalistic in nature. This role is masking the brutality that the US inflicts on various countries. Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria continue to suffer under the oppression of US military strikes. These countries are not eager for American world leadership. The concept that President Obama articulated is a version of American style imperialism. That word has a negative connotation to the public, so it must be repackaged. Claiming these acts of aggression are humanitarian, the US can gain support from its citizens. President Obama then made the accusation that Ukraine and Syria are Russian clients.Indirectly he was saying that Russia and China should be attacked or contained. The justification for that is Syria and Ukraine are being dominated by these powers. These are myths. While the President acknowledged "there are no longer evil empires," he contradicts himself. He attempts to blame all the world problems on two nations. The world has been torn apart by instability , ethnic hatred, and economic decline. The world is moving toward a multipolar political system. The US must adjust to this or else face a possible long term isolation or major defeat. It is true for now, the US is the most powerful nation. This will not always be so. The President boastfully proclaimed that we spend an immense amount of funds on our military. He lauded the US military as being the best fighting force on the globe. Yet, this great force has failed to defeat ISIS, the Taliban, or stop the rise of China or Russia. When the President said "we did not learn the lessons of Vietnam" apparently he did not either. The US continues to attack Iraq inducing more refugee migration to Europe. This desire to maintain sole superpower status has caused more geopolitical disaster. When a nation becomes powerful hubris often guides its judgments. The United States has fallen into this mode of thinking. If this mindset is to continue there will be more conflict and many more military defeats for the United States.
The economic status of the country is troubling. Although thousands of jobs have been added, wages are still low. A majority of the jobs are in the service sector while other sectors seem to be shrinking. Our physical economy has detracted in regards to factories and automobiles. The President acknowledged that wages are too small to keep the economy stable. He did not provide a solution to this. Instead he said that workers must adjust to a fast paced economy. The reality is many have adjusted and life remains a struggle. Higher education was once the key to maintaining economic security. The skills learned would translate to higher paying occupations in the workforce. Now, this is no longer true. Students are leaving universities with more debt from loans. Corporations are unwilling to pay highly skilled workers higher wages or choose to outsource labor. The President has said "that the driving force of the economy is the private sector." The reason there are so many struggles with American society is that the public sector has been ignored. Sometimes the government must take the initiative to push for economic development. If NASA was not developed, there is no telling where the aeronautical engineering industry would be today. A strong public and private sector can bring about a functioning economy. Neoliberal capitalism has caused major sociological and political damage, which some may never recover from. President Obama's version of capitalism is designed to work for the middle class, while excluding the nation's poor. Supply side economics has never worked and attempting to use it on a class that is rapidly disappearing demonstrates decline.President Obama refuses to acknowledge that the neoliberal capitalist system is fundamentally flawed. If this class conflict is not addressed, it is only a matter of time before mass civil rebellion.
Environmental issues were not given much attention in the State of the Union Address. While there have been international agreements to limit carbon emissions, the US has not made any binding commitments.The President has explored options of solar and wind technologies as energy alternatives. He has been supportive of clean coal technology, which raises questions. Coal is not by nature environmentally friendly when put to use for industrial purposes. Clean coal technology is an oxymoron, if one is seriously wanting to explore alternative energy. Time may have already run out. Floods and hurricanes are indications of dramatic climate shift. There are possibilities of more extreme weather on the horizon. Pakistan, India, South Africa, and China could see more floods as sea levels rise. The Pacific islands may experience more hurricanes or tsunamis. If climate change is going to be addressed it must be done in a fair and organized matter. Developing nations should not be blamed for increase of industrial development and rising populations. The developed nations are the main culprits, because they have more of the modern technology to cause more environmental damage. President Obama also has not challenged groups who claim that climate change is a myth.They are Republicans who have significant investment in fossil fuels and hold an abnormal amount of influence over the business community. These members of congress and the senate will eventually have to be removed, if substantial change is to happen. If not, the Earth will continue to accumulate more environmental destruction.
The President avoided the more controversial matters occurring domestically. Police brutality, the reduction of basic rights in the name of fighting terrorism, xenophobia, and racism were topics that deliberately omitted. President Obama articulated the notion that we are all Americans and ethnic distinctions should not matter. They do matter, because it determines what kind of life you will live in this country. African Americans are facing persecution at the hands of law enforcement. Muslims, Sikhs, and Arabs have been victims of ever increasing hate crimes. Immigrants and refugees are demonized and xenophobic attitudes are becoming politically mainstream. White America is on a war path. Non-whites are finding themselves either discriminated against, killed, or excluded from American society.President Obama did not make any mention of criminal police activity or the fact most police departments refuse to report police killings of civilians to the FBI or the Department of Justice. The law enforcement institution is corrupt and its employees criminal. There will not be cation from the government on this matter. President Obama's general lack of concern reveals this fact. If the police continue to murder, at some point citizens will have to take matters into their own hands. The government continues to conduct surveillance of its own citizens. This is done through e-mails and social media accounts. There has been no significant revision in programs even when Eric Snowden exposed misconduct in the National Security Agency. Whistle blowers have been treated horribly under this administration. They have been victim to legal action, media distortion, and death threats. Basic civil liberties and civil rights are being undermined by anti-terrorism laws. Spying on citizens is not protection it is control. The US is gradually becoming a giant prison. The President will not say these programs are unethical, but continues to expand them.
President Obama's last State of the Union Address represents an America that can no longer function in reality. Gun violence continues to escalate, while inaction stifles the White House. The two dominant political parties cannot reach consensus. The President if he wanted to be effective should have used more of his executive order powers sooner. As time runs out it is unclear who his successor will be. The hope is that the next president will be a Democrat, who will continue his policies. Even if the next president is a Democrat, his policies will either be altered or phased out. A Republican victory will be a return to staunch conservatism, which means major reduction in social programs. This speech, like other presidents have delivered is not an accurate assessment of the general health of the United States. There is very little President Obama can accomplish now. Certain objectives will not be completed. Closing Guantanamo Bay detention centers, enacting gun control laws, and fighting police brutality are lost causes. The horrible aspect of the speech is that President Obama in one statement praised police officers as "heroes." Violence escalates at alarming levels in the US and economic uncertainty adds to the rise of political extremism. Armed ranchers have seized federal land in Oregon and there has been no action. The nation will soon be engulfed by armed gangs that will rip it apart. Racial hatred and economic decline will serve as a catalyst for armed conflict. The President does not want to face this emerging crisis: instead he rather discuss how diversity is strength. White America does not want diversity and it would rather destroy the country than co-exist with African Americans, Latinos, or Asians. The State of the Union became a way for the President to justify his ethically questionable actions and erase his failures. The state of the country is in rapid decline, but US leaders are unwilling to accept it.
The economic status of the country is troubling. Although thousands of jobs have been added, wages are still low. A majority of the jobs are in the service sector while other sectors seem to be shrinking. Our physical economy has detracted in regards to factories and automobiles. The President acknowledged that wages are too small to keep the economy stable. He did not provide a solution to this. Instead he said that workers must adjust to a fast paced economy. The reality is many have adjusted and life remains a struggle. Higher education was once the key to maintaining economic security. The skills learned would translate to higher paying occupations in the workforce. Now, this is no longer true. Students are leaving universities with more debt from loans. Corporations are unwilling to pay highly skilled workers higher wages or choose to outsource labor. The President has said "that the driving force of the economy is the private sector." The reason there are so many struggles with American society is that the public sector has been ignored. Sometimes the government must take the initiative to push for economic development. If NASA was not developed, there is no telling where the aeronautical engineering industry would be today. A strong public and private sector can bring about a functioning economy. Neoliberal capitalism has caused major sociological and political damage, which some may never recover from. President Obama's version of capitalism is designed to work for the middle class, while excluding the nation's poor. Supply side economics has never worked and attempting to use it on a class that is rapidly disappearing demonstrates decline.President Obama refuses to acknowledge that the neoliberal capitalist system is fundamentally flawed. If this class conflict is not addressed, it is only a matter of time before mass civil rebellion.
Environmental issues were not given much attention in the State of the Union Address. While there have been international agreements to limit carbon emissions, the US has not made any binding commitments.The President has explored options of solar and wind technologies as energy alternatives. He has been supportive of clean coal technology, which raises questions. Coal is not by nature environmentally friendly when put to use for industrial purposes. Clean coal technology is an oxymoron, if one is seriously wanting to explore alternative energy. Time may have already run out. Floods and hurricanes are indications of dramatic climate shift. There are possibilities of more extreme weather on the horizon. Pakistan, India, South Africa, and China could see more floods as sea levels rise. The Pacific islands may experience more hurricanes or tsunamis. If climate change is going to be addressed it must be done in a fair and organized matter. Developing nations should not be blamed for increase of industrial development and rising populations. The developed nations are the main culprits, because they have more of the modern technology to cause more environmental damage. President Obama also has not challenged groups who claim that climate change is a myth.They are Republicans who have significant investment in fossil fuels and hold an abnormal amount of influence over the business community. These members of congress and the senate will eventually have to be removed, if substantial change is to happen. If not, the Earth will continue to accumulate more environmental destruction.
The President avoided the more controversial matters occurring domestically. Police brutality, the reduction of basic rights in the name of fighting terrorism, xenophobia, and racism were topics that deliberately omitted. President Obama articulated the notion that we are all Americans and ethnic distinctions should not matter. They do matter, because it determines what kind of life you will live in this country. African Americans are facing persecution at the hands of law enforcement. Muslims, Sikhs, and Arabs have been victims of ever increasing hate crimes. Immigrants and refugees are demonized and xenophobic attitudes are becoming politically mainstream. White America is on a war path. Non-whites are finding themselves either discriminated against, killed, or excluded from American society.President Obama did not make any mention of criminal police activity or the fact most police departments refuse to report police killings of civilians to the FBI or the Department of Justice. The law enforcement institution is corrupt and its employees criminal. There will not be cation from the government on this matter. President Obama's general lack of concern reveals this fact. If the police continue to murder, at some point citizens will have to take matters into their own hands. The government continues to conduct surveillance of its own citizens. This is done through e-mails and social media accounts. There has been no significant revision in programs even when Eric Snowden exposed misconduct in the National Security Agency. Whistle blowers have been treated horribly under this administration. They have been victim to legal action, media distortion, and death threats. Basic civil liberties and civil rights are being undermined by anti-terrorism laws. Spying on citizens is not protection it is control. The US is gradually becoming a giant prison. The President will not say these programs are unethical, but continues to expand them.
President Obama's last State of the Union Address represents an America that can no longer function in reality. Gun violence continues to escalate, while inaction stifles the White House. The two dominant political parties cannot reach consensus. The President if he wanted to be effective should have used more of his executive order powers sooner. As time runs out it is unclear who his successor will be. The hope is that the next president will be a Democrat, who will continue his policies. Even if the next president is a Democrat, his policies will either be altered or phased out. A Republican victory will be a return to staunch conservatism, which means major reduction in social programs. This speech, like other presidents have delivered is not an accurate assessment of the general health of the United States. There is very little President Obama can accomplish now. Certain objectives will not be completed. Closing Guantanamo Bay detention centers, enacting gun control laws, and fighting police brutality are lost causes. The horrible aspect of the speech is that President Obama in one statement praised police officers as "heroes." Violence escalates at alarming levels in the US and economic uncertainty adds to the rise of political extremism. Armed ranchers have seized federal land in Oregon and there has been no action. The nation will soon be engulfed by armed gangs that will rip it apart. Racial hatred and economic decline will serve as a catalyst for armed conflict. The President does not want to face this emerging crisis: instead he rather discuss how diversity is strength. White America does not want diversity and it would rather destroy the country than co-exist with African Americans, Latinos, or Asians. The State of the Union became a way for the President to justify his ethically questionable actions and erase his failures. The state of the country is in rapid decline, but US leaders are unwilling to accept it.
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