Good evening, America. Did you watch the State of the Union address? If you skimmed my Riffing on Ukraine post, it's time for another "eight billion opinions." Of course, Maybe only a billion or two really have an opinion on the Ukraine or the State of the Union, but here in my corner, I will briefly recant my completely biased, personal opinion.
Finger wagging Putin
First, I felt the verbal attack on Putin was cheap and childish. I don't agree with what Putin is doing, but I also don't think the truth behind it has been honestly illuminated by anyone. I don't agree with the suffering Putin has inflicted upon so many Ukrainians. I don't agree with all the deaths accumulating over an invisible agenda - and that includes Putin sending his soldiers to die. Sending his own people back to their families in a body bag. For what? If not us, don't they deserve the truth that cost them their lives?
Next, I don't hold it as a wise move to wag a finger at a nuclear super power, and then basically incentivize him further. Let me explain: President Biden basically said that the United States would only send troops into battle if Putin conquered Ukraine and then attempted to conquer countries beyond Ukraine. Again, Idunno Putin, but that statement kinda reads as, "You don't get United States street cred until you take out Poland." It also reads as, "Welcome to NATO, Ukraine, but your membership is probationary and doesn't include the perks we offer to every other nation in NATO."
And we are still paying for our Oil & Gas. I heard a rumor the UK might lose their tea privileges.
Covid is old news
It's magically well-timed, right? Look at John Hopkins' data for the United States:
Magically it's gone (just like, magically, Putin attacks Ukraine). Huh. What. A. Coincidence.
There's nothing really to say, it's all in the data.
Printing money
The next 30 minutes was about printing funny money. And it was funny how many of the ideas echoed Trump's agenda. He couldn't say "Make America Great Again" - that's already word-marked. So, he had a different brand name for it. He must have listed 10 or 12 bills he wanted brought to him for approval, all of which sound wonderful (they really do), but we know a few things to be true:
- Our National Debt has topped a mind-staggering 30T and nothing he talked about addressed it
- He talked in terms of Federal Deficit, which ignores the 30T elephant in the room. That's thirty trillion dollars - way more than Dr. Evil can even imagine.
- Our nation is bankrupt. Bankrupt. And he thinks printing more money is the answer. Maybe we should start asking Zimbabwe how well that works out.
- Did I hear right? He wants to print money to give to people to curb inflation? Please tell me I heard that wrong.
On top of that, we all know how bills work. If not, I highly recommend Schoolhouse Rock's Video. Anyway there will be lots of other stuff in those bills - important, gritty details.
My ideas
President Biden manages a machine that employs 7 digits worth of personnel. I've called this out before and I will say it again, using language like, "My ideas", "my legislation", it misleads the American people who need to understand one person doesn't make the ideas. The position of President, although powerful, is not a unilateral authority. By design, it takes a lot of debate and scrutiny to make things happen, but it is misleading when one person running for President claims they are going to single-handedly fix this system. It's not going to happen that way. The "me me me" thing is a real personal hot button. I hope I can always remain grounded enough to admit that not a thing you read on my blog is created by me in a vacuum. I'm a sum of many, many minds.
Things are awesome
Finally, a person in President Biden's position probably shouldn't say "things are terrible and we are screwed." Nor would I want to hear that. I want people to stay positive, I desire a positive outcome. I do like the idea of a self-sufficient America. That is something the last couple Presidents have said. Let's see that. But the State of the Union, for all that got said, didn't address the National Debt, and ultimately the approach doesn't sound sustainable.