He didn't move back to the middle at all. It's far left agenda full steam ahead! He spoke well again with his teleprompters and some will be sold by his personality but the substance was missing again. It was just defiance against conservatives and moderates. I have to think this will help shift the balance in the Senate and House back to the middle or right.
I have never enjoyed any "state of the union" address from any president, so it was unlikely I would enjoy this either. But I have to admit, his defiant tone in the face of an awakened electorate is stunning. I have always thought he regarded himself highly, but when dems are retiring left and right as a result of the political fallout, including losing the kennedy seat to the republicans, you would think he might notice he is on shaky ground. Bill proved he was far more pragmatic in '95. Obama obviously doesn't know how and will not learn fast enough to save himself. I thought dems blasted Bush for "staying the course" in the face of public opinion?? Voting him and the worthless dems out is a start. But it will have to be followed by voting out worthless republicans also. If the electorate doesn't stay awake, vigilant, and continue to seek accountability, then we will fall in to similar crap with the next candidate - regardless of what letter comes after their name.
pretty much this. except it needs to be done at the same time. otherwise it will just shift to the arrogance of the other extreme.
the government enforces a monopoly which makes it literally illegal for the other carriers to send what are effectively first class mail letters and this skews the infrastructure. the post office is not magic, they are not doing things below the cost of the other carriers.
i never said they were magic. i said that for small boxes they are cheaper. i didnt say ALL boxes. when you get above 3 pounds or the 12x12x12 box they are ridiculously high. and their rates for international are cheaper, and they dont charge the receiver end fee for "customs paperwork" that the other carriers charge. because with the receiving country through the post office, the receiving govt simply holds the parcel and says "we dont give it to you till you pay the duties and taxes". there is less bureaucracy for international shipping through the postal service than ups or fedex. which i find amazing. i was simply relating that right now, for me, they are giving me options on shipping.
This country desperately needs a viable third party. Otherwise it's like a "good cop-bad cop" routine. You may dislike one more than the other but they are both out to get you.
He did not take the turn toward the middle that he needed. The tenor of his speech was "stay the course." Also, he continues to blame Bush for all his troubles. That is getting real tiresome. If he keeps it up he will lose what little credibility he has left. He just does not seem to get it. His idea of forgiving loans to students makes no sense. One of the responsibilities of getting a loan is paying it back. Also, I did not like his idea of giving a bigger break to students who enter public service over those who enter the market place. That idea is grounded in the Democrat's mistaken belief that it is the government that drives the economy rather than the market place. We should be encouraging students to enter the market place rather than government service. But there were some things that should get bipartisan support like ending capital gains for small businesses and drilling offshore - both ideas Republicans have been pushing for a long time. His decision to end "Don't ask, don't tell" is long overdue. Gays are American citizens who should be allowed to serve their country in the military if they wish. They have served with honor and distinction in the armed forces since before the American Revolution. Getting a handle on earmarks is a good idea, but simply putting them on the web will not do it. I would have been more impressed had he outlined standards that earmarks must meet if they are to be signed into law. Talking about how he saved 2 million jobs is a joke. First, it is virtually impossible to count a job that was not lost. Secondly, during the same period the nation lost 4 million jobs. He spoke of a spending freeze but in the same breath spoke of a jobs bill that could run as high as 82 million. Hmmmmm. He never even mentioned giving terrorists the same rights as Americans or trying them in the U.S. Nor did he mention Gitmo. Interesting. But the most disturbing thing of his entire speech was when he criticized the Supreme Court in front of both houses of Congress. Unbeliveable! No president has ever done that. It appeared that the Executive Branch was trying to intimidate the Judicial Branch. That is very very disturbing. Not good.
they are cheaper because the competition is literally legally restricted from competing. on some items the government even mandates that the competitors have to charge at least 2x as much as the post office.
I disagree. They have never served "openly" with honor and distinction. There is a difference. It will cause a mountain of problems in the ranks and serves no purpose other than to advance political correctness. They are not being discriminated against. They can serve if they want. No one needs to know another's sexual preference. It isn't something that they can not hide. Every other sexual perversion has probably served with honor and distinction but no one ever knew, or had a reason to know. Homosexuality goes against the moral fabric of the Marine Corps and the two could never coexist openly. Have there been gay Marines? Of course, but no one ever had a reason to know. Allowing gays to serve openly will compromise unit cohesion and be a detriment to military order. In no way can this be compared to discrimination against blacks, women, hispanics, etc.
1. moral fabric? what? 2. you would rather the gays be secretly gay than know who was gay and who wasnt?