State of the Union: NPR WANTS YOUR VIEW

Okay... I erased it...

Interesting that they come here. I just read that a new Zogby poll found 100% of African Americans opposed to the war in Iraq.

Anyway, I think Bush ought to be impeached. Tried and found guilty for treason. Then publicly executed. A fitting end for an aspiring dictator. The man is a disgrace.

Well, we're clearly much worse off than we were before. Unemployment is up. Wages don't cover the same standard of living for most people anymore, but you're putting in longer hours at the office/on the field. Social programs are being cut. Public broadcasting is actually being threatened if they don't air programs favorable to the administration. Protests and outrage are useless as we have officials who pay no attention to that and follow their own agenda, so people have become apathetic. The country is deeply divided in every way possible: along gender lines, race lines, citizenship lines, party lines, you name it.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchy:
Well, we're clearly much worse off than we were before. Unemployment is up. Wages don't cover the same standard of living for most people anymore, but you're putting in longer hours at the office/on the field. Social programs are being cut. Public broadcasting is actually being threatened if they don't air programs favorable to the administration. Protests and outrage are useless as we have officials who pay no attention to that and follow their own agenda, so people have become apathetic. The country is deeply divided in every way possible: along gender lines, race lines, citizenship lines, party lines, you name it.

Speak for yourself.

"Worse off before" what?

In the past 5 years I have had 2 children, gotten a new job with a 5 figure raise, paid off the majority of my debt and gotten more spiritually focused.

Maybe rather than looking to what the GOD-verment can distribute to you it is time to look for another more effective source for grace?

The United States might be facing more challenges as other powers around the world rise up from the previos period of colonialism and players in the big battle between the US and the USSR but I believe that people inside of this container called the USA have a tremendous amount of opportunity to succeed and live a good life.

Some of you focus on your own decline in relative terms but you still can't project your relative wealth as compared to the human beings in the Sudan, Pakistan, Haiti or Honduras.

quote:

Some of you focus on your own decline in relative terms but you still can't project your relative wealth as compared to the human beings in the Sudan, Pakistan, Haiti or Honduras.

ALL of the places named are IRRELEVANT!!

All the more reason for people with some sense not to "project" or make such asinine comparisons. The question is about the US State of ITS Union. The only comparisons are those INTERNAL (that's a term you claim to like) to the US.

Why are you going OUTSIDE of the US in your "focus"??

STILL GOT YOUR WOLF TICKETS!!

I got neighbors, relatives, etc. that have been hurt by this "decline." I could give a damn whether it's attributed to Bush or not. The truth is both your personal experience and those of everyone else are THE TRUTH ABOUT AMERICA. Yours doesn't trumps anyone else's. And yours only speaks about yours. Period.

The State of the Union is bleak, and our future without change does not look much better.

We are witnessing crisis in terms of our constitutional democratic republic that is presently going unchallenged. We suffer a Machiavellian administration that believes that we are a nation of men; rather than a nation of laws. An administration whose mission is not to protect the Constitution; but rather, to enrich its friends and punish its detractors. An administration that would dishonor the deaths of those killed in the 9/11 attacks by manipulating fear and uncertainty to attack constitutionally guaranteed rights. An administration that lied to prosecute a war that only benefits administration friends.

We suffer a congress that, recent events show, is bought and paid for on the right and agenda-less on the left, both of which are cowardly in the face of an unconstitutional "imperial", "unitary" executive.

We suffer a Supreme Court that is exemplified in the person of a candidate that, while assailing "judicial activism", pronounces that he will approach settled law "with an open mind."

We suffer a corporate news media that is, in the interest of being "fair and balanced, alternates between serving as the marketing arm of the Republican National Committee, and a digital version of "People Magazine", more focused on the image of celebrity than reporting on uncomfortable truths.

But worst, we have been reduced to a nation of people that appear all to willing to allow these threats to our way of life to go unchecked, as evidenced by the deafening silence to allegations [but no investigation into], not one but two fraudulent presidential elections.

The State of the Union is bleak, and our future without change does not look much better.

quote:

Originally posted by Constructive Feedback:
Speak for yourself.

"Worse off before" what?

In the past 5 years I have had 2 children, gotten a new job with a 5 figure raise, paid off the majority of my debt and gotten more spiritually focused.

Maybe rather than looking to what the GOD-verment can distribute to you it is time to look for another more effective source for grace?

One measure of a mature intellect is the ability to look outside of one's particular personal circumstances before one makes a judgement of a general nature...

Judging by MY personal circumstances, I am much better off as an individual than I was 5 years ago. But the question is not about the state of CF or the state of HB. The question is about the state of the Union.

I have a friend who was somewhat of a ne'er do well. He worked in the food industry for a long time bartending or waiting tables. Then he decided to get his stuff together. He went back to college, graduated, and went on to earn his Masters degree. His goal was to become a computer programmmer/software designer and he put a lot into acquiring the necesary high level skills. He put in the hours - with tons of overtime. For awhile he was getting better and better jobs. Earning more money with his advanced skills and paying off his debts. But when the bottom fell out a few years ago, he hasn't had a programming job since. He wound up bartending again. That's true for a number of Americans. His case was not atypical. I also know of a Ph.D. in computer science with 10+ years industry experience who can't find employment in his field now.

So what was his problem, CF? Did he not work hard enough? Was he looking to God-vernment to solve his problems?

It's funny, CF, how you seem to think it's OK for big business to look to God-vernment to make it easier to export jobs to India.

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Some of you focus on your own decline in relative terms but you still can't project your relative wealth as compared to the human beings in the Sudan, Pakistan, Haiti or Honduras.

Again, the question wasn't about Pakistan or Haiti...

And even beyond economic issues, the President of the United States has declared himself above the law. I guess if you're comparing us to Pakistan that's not a problem. But if we're talking about the state of the Union this is a problem of fantastic proportions.

The issue that I have is our country is in trouble with the economy. Underemployment is up as well as the chronically unemployed. Neither of these groups are being counted in unemployment statistics. If you don't file for unemployment, you are also not counted in unemployment statistics.
Gasoline is almost $3 a gallon in some places, home heating costs have gone through the roof, which has made things from electricity and goods more costly. So the economic outlook of the common man is bleak. You're lucky if you have a job vs. having a decent job. You're lucky if you aren't laid off, and lucky if you're still making money. The cost of goods and services is rising, except for the service of American workers in civil service and corporate jobs.

quote:

Originally posted by MBM:
I've been asked by a National Public Radio affiliate to poll AA.org members about their perceptions of the current 'state of the union' in anticipation of the president's speech tommorow night. If you will, please share your thoughts about where we are as a country; your sense of 'how we're doing', etc. I think it's safe to say that they are seeking the "African American perspective" (whatever that is).

Our responses will be published on an NPR site/blog begining tomorrow night. Let's give them our best!!!

BTW - here's the text of the email request for additional context. If you'd like to post your response directly there on the site, please feel free to do so.

In honor of Dubya's SOTU address Tuesday evening, we are presenting our
own BOTU: the blogging of the union. Tomorrow, Jan 31, 7 to 8, ET.

The assignment is simple enough: assemble your usual speechwriters and
compose a post on the State of your Union, describing how America looks
to you.

Details here: http://www.radioopensource.org/blogs-of-the-union/

I like the observation that the only serious greeting among adults who
dare is: what are you going through? So... what are we Americans going
through? On the farm, on the job, in the battalion, on your page, in
your email?

What the ....?
According to the link you provided, we are supposed to come up with a state of the union address without using the following words:

quote:

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WRITE OR PHONE IT IN, WHEN COMPOSING YOUR STATE OF THE UNION YOU MAY NOT USE THE FOLLOWING WORDS OR PHRASES.

Words and phrases you may not use
Bush, Administration, Iraq, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Republican, Democrat, FISA, Abramoff, Culture of Corruption, Culture of Life, Cultural Inheritance, Inheritance Tax, Treason, Kerry, Rove, Israel, Palestine, Sunni, Shia, Kurd, Shari'a, Gore, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, MSM, CIA, FBI, Dean, James Frey, Kanye West, Katrina, Fox, Liberal Bias, Mehlman, Delay, Unemployment, Interest Rates, Housing Starts, Schwarzenegger, Kennedy, Adjustable-Rate Mortgage, Red State, Blue State, Shriver, Darwin, Cindy Sheehan, Freedom on the March, Cut and Run, Boots on the Ground, Michelle Malkin, Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Flyover States, East-Coast Elite, Middle America, the American People or Synergy.

CF.....don't get too comfortable....IT can be here today and gone tomorrow..jobs that used to pay allot can be devalued with a new development.....trust me...I was an engineer in the middle of ray-guns bullshit where the feds cut all social programs and spent the money on defense...while I was working there...i knew many people who dropped out of college because of cuts....should I always look to myself as an example of how things are going....hell i'm teaching, consulting and have a full time career...but that does not change high unemployment and the growing number of people added to the poverty rolls....GM and Ford are both laying off 30,000 people....who is to say you're not next? Let the economy tank and anything related to sales will tank with it....

quote:

Originally posted by kresge:

quote:

Originally posted by MBM:
I've been asked by a National Public Radio affiliate to poll AA.org members about their perceptions of the current 'state of the union' in anticipation of the president's speech tommorow night. If you will, please share your thoughts about where we are as a country; your sense of 'how we're doing', etc. I think it's safe to say that they are seeking the "African American perspective" (whatever that is).

Our responses will be published on an NPR site/blog begining tomorrow night. Let's give them our best!!!

BTW - here's the text of the email request for additional context. If you'd like to post your response directly there on the site, please feel free to do so.

In honor of Dubya's SOTU address Tuesday evening, we are presenting our
own BOTU: the blogging of the union. Tomorrow, Jan 31, 7 to 8, ET.

The assignment is simple enough: assemble your usual speechwriters and
compose a post on the State of your Union, describing how America looks
to you.

Details here: http://www.radioopensource.org/blogs-of-the-union/

I like the observation that the only serious greeting among adults who
dare is: what are you going through? So... what are we Americans going
through? On the farm, on the job, in the battalion, on your page, in
your email?

What the ....?
According to the link you provided, we are supposed to come up with a state of the union address without using the following words:

quote:

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WRITE OR PHONE IT IN, WHEN COMPOSING YOUR STATE OF THE UNION YOU MAY NOT USE THE FOLLOWING WORDS OR PHRASES.

Words and phrases you may not use
Bush, Administration, Iraq, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Republican, Democrat, FISA, Abramoff, Culture of Corruption, Culture of Life, Cultural Inheritance, Inheritance Tax, Treason, Kerry, Rove, Israel, Palestine, Sunni, Shia, Kurd, Shari'a, Gore, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, MSM, CIA, FBI, Dean, James Frey, Kanye West, Katrina, Fox, Liberal Bias, Mehlman, Delay, Unemployment, Interest Rates, Housing Starts, Schwarzenegger, Kennedy, Adjustable-Rate Mortgage, Red State, Blue State, Shriver, Darwin, Cindy Sheehan, Freedom on the March, Cut and Run, Boots on the Ground, Michelle Malkin, Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Flyover States, East-Coast Elite, Middle America, the American People or Synergy.

You know, I didn't go to the link. But what we have here, I think, is a tongue in cheek, kinda thing. The prohibited words make up the essence of everything Bush.

And the Democratic response to the State of the Union Address should be the prohibited list with conjections and connectors inserted, where appropriate.

quote:

Originally posted by HonestBrother:
Interesting that they come here. I just read that a new Zogby poll found 100% of African Americans opposed to the war in Iraq.

Anyway, I think Bush ought to be impeached. Tried and found guilty for treason. Then publicly executed. A fitting end for an aspiring dictator. The man is a disgrace.

Although found guilty for war crimes and impeachment is deservingly so, I'm afraid that execution would be bad, simple for the fact that way too many Republicans and CONservatives will make him into a martyr. Then some neo-con sicko like Hannity or Limbaugh will try to have him canonized into St. George W...the patron saint of drunken good ol' boys, neocons and overprivileged dumbasses.

It is SIMPLY AMAZING TO ME that the very same people who CHEERLEAD for Hugo Chavez, Castro and Mugabe AGAINST the United States are now BYTCHING about the economic state of THEIR COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*This country who's LAND IS STOLEN.
*This country who's wage rates were estabished via IMPERIALISM where it suppressed the development of other nations so that it's core industries (steel, manufacturing, mining) could be built up.
*This country which made use of PROTECTIONIST trade policies that kept the goods produced by poor farmers and other individuals around the world from having a fair shot on the American market because this country wanted to protect the incomes of American farmers.
*This country who steals oil from around the world by proping up corrupt dictatorships
*This country who has about 4% fo the world's population but produces about 25% of the world's pollution
*This country which has 2 million people imprisoned as a means of population control, and reducing the unemployment rate and of course because of RACISM

Yes sir THIS COUNTRY IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE.

quote:

Originally posted by Constructive Feedback:

*This country who's LAND IS STOLEN.
*This country who's wage rates were estabished via IMPERIALISM where it suppressed the development of other nations so that it's core industries (steel, manufacturing, mining) could be built up.
*This country which made use of PROTECTIONIST trade policies that kept the goods produced by poor farmers and other individuals around the world from having a fair shot on the American market because this country wanted to protect the incomes of American farmers.
*This country who steals oil from around the world by propping up corrupt dictatorships
*This country who has about 4% fo the world's population but produces about 25% of the world's pollution
*This country which has 2 million people imprisoned as a means of population control, and reducing the unemployment rate and of course because of RACISM

Yes sir THIS COUNTRY IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE.

Will wonders ever cease? He's seen the light

wait til they tell him they are laying his ass off.....and the less qualified white guys get to stay.....he'll be wearing dashiki's like many other converted house negroes who got a blatant taste of racism....I guess he is a negro who does not make waves...and will accept anything as long as he can forge a meager existence out of the situation...fuck everyone else.....too bad the collective efforts of others helped the door open for his azz.....ole status quo defending azz negro...

quote:

Originally posted by Constructive Feedback:
It is SIMPLY AMAZING TO ME that the very same people who CHEERLEAD for Hugo Chavez, Castro and Mugabe AGAINST the United States are now BYTCHING about the economic state of THEIR COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*This country who's LAND IS STOLEN.
*This country who's wage rates were estabished via IMPERIALISM where it suppressed the development of other nations so that it's core industries (steel, manufacturing, mining) could be built up.
*This country which made use of PROTECTIONIST trade policies that kept the goods produced by poor farmers and other individuals around the world from having a fair shot on the American market because this country wanted to protect the incomes of American farmers.
*This country who steals oil from around the world by proping up corrupt dictatorships
*This country who has about 4% fo the world's population but produces about 25% of the world's pollution
*This country which has 2 million people imprisoned as a means of population control, and reducing the unemployment rate and of course because of RACISM

Yes sir THIS COUNTRY IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE.

"Now Buck. Why you complainin. Massa feeds us. Massa give us dese good clothes. He even let us sleep in on christmas. Why you gonna go complainin. It betta den bein treated like da white folk. Sho dey kin come n go as dey pleez. Sho dey kin be dumb as a rock an still git along. But wez jus gotta werk on ourselfs an let Massa be."

quote:

Originally posted by Kweli4Real:

quote:

Originally posted by Constructive Feedback:
It is SIMPLY AMAZING TO ME that the very same people who CHEERLEAD for Hugo Chavez, Castro and Mugabe AGAINST the United States are now BYTCHING about the economic state of THEIR COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*This country who's LAND IS STOLEN.
*This country who's wage rates were estabished via IMPERIALISM where it suppressed the development of other nations so that it's core industries (steel, manufacturing, mining) could be built up.
*This country which made use of PROTECTIONIST trade policies that kept the goods produced by poor farmers and other individuals around the world from having a fair shot on the American market because this country wanted to protect the incomes of American farmers.
*This country who steals oil from around the world by proping up corrupt dictatorships
*This country who has about 4% fo the world's population but produces about 25% of the world's pollution
*This country which has 2 million people imprisoned as a means of population control, and reducing the unemployment rate and of course because of RACISM

Yes sir THIS COUNTRY IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE.

"Now Buck. Why you complainin. Massa feeds us. Massa give us dese good clothes. He even let us sleep in on christmas. Why you gonna go complainin. It betta den bein treated like da white folk. Sho dey kin come n go as dey pleez. Sho dey kin be dumb as a rock an still git along. But wez jus gotta werk on ourselfs an let Massa be."

Damn, that Uncle Ruckus is something else.

I kind of resent the fact that African-Americans (on an African-American discussion board) cannot contribute any critical comments about our government without someone accusing us of excessive reliance and dependency, on the government. I viewed Bush's State of the Union address on television yesterday. And as expected, his only objective was to emphasize to the public his reasons for why he refuses to backdown from his mission. Throughout his speech, all that I kept hearing was "I'm the President, I'm in charge, so this is what we are going to do! If you don't like it, then go f-k yourselves." So what was the point of him even addressing the public and/or feigning as if he cares about the opinions and concerns of the general public?