The State Of Disunion

The President of the United States stood before the nation, goaded the opposition party, told untruths, and further divided the American people. 

Some said they had better things to do; others said, “why waste my time?” I did, however, watch the State of the Union Address, and had I known then what I know now, can say with all candor and objectivity, it was a waste of time and there were better things to do. For about 73 minutes, the president’s message to the nation on the progress we’ve thus far achieved the past two years, and expectations for the future, was anything but realistic. What we were witness to was nothing more than the ravings of a cranky recalcitrant octogenarian, and a petulant scold acting the part of the president.  

President Biden stood before the American people and the assemblage of senators and representatives and was loose with the truth and in some cases outright lied. He created what can be described as a raucous and intemperate atmosphere in the chamber; it was boisterous, uncivil and disorderly, and unbefitting the Congress and the office of president. There were cheers and jeers; one voice could be heard shouting above the fray, “Lies, Lies,” in response to Mr. Biden’s inference that “Republicans want Social Security and Medicare to sunset,” which is in fact untrue. 

Many of the president’s supporters among Democrats and the mainstream media denounced the rude, unruly behavior of the Republicans, complaining of the disrespect they showed Mr. Biden. Perhaps they forgot the actions of former Speaker Pelosi when she unceremoniously tore up former President Trump’s State of the Union speech at the end of his Address in 2019. 

It was apparent to most who watched the address that Mr. Biden’s words were intentionally meant to stir up the crowd and provoke negative reactions; his chicanery did not go unnoticed. He wanted to embarrass Republicans and have them on record that they will not touch Social Security and Medicare, which again was never their intent. This proves that this was not your conventional address, but was more a prelude to his announcement of running for the presidency in 2024.

The president skirted over important issues, such as the humanitarian disaster and crisis at the southern border, fentanyl deaths, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the recent downing of China’s aerial spy balloon. He neglected to mention the attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers, which of course was intentional. He did make it a point to mention his obsession with abortion and LGBTQ transgender rights. 

The policies and agenda as laid out by Mr. Biden included a cornucopia of goodies for the left-wing and socialists in his party. Aside from Social Security and Medicare, these were some of his claims:

* He has created over 12 million jobs.

The jobs consisted of those that were lost during the Pandemic and lockdowns. Businesses began rehiring workers when Mr. Biden took office.

* Inflation was increasing when he took office and was felt worldwide.

When Mr. Biden took office in 2021, inflation was at 1.4%. After uncontrolled exorbitant spending since he took office in 2021, it increased to 7.0%. It has been decreasing and as of the year ending December 2022, is at 6.5%.

* The wealthy, especially billionaires, should not pay a lower tax rate than a firefighter or school teacher. 

The wealthy paid over 43% of all federal taxes in 2022, and 22 to 25% of all income taxes, far more than a firefighter or school teacher.

* In the last two years, his administration reduced the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion, the largest deficit reduction in American history.

The deficit dropped when Covid stimulus spending lapsed. According to the Congressional Research Service, the national debt was $27.75 trillion when Biden took office, now it stands at $31.43 trillion. The deficit grew by more than $3.6 trillion under the Biden administration. 

* The president stated, “Public safety depends on public trust. But too often that trust is violated. Imagine what it’s like to lose a child at the hands of the law.”

The number of people killed by the police in any given year is minimal, and most of them deal with perpetrators who are armed. What this president, his party, the media, and activists fail to deal with, and speak out against, is young black men killed by gang violence in inner cities. 

* The president stated, “Since we launched our new border plan last month (January), unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has come down 97%. This was a sleight of hand move, as this figure represents a one-week period after the New Year. Furthermore, it is estimated that upwards of 5 million migrants have entered the U.S. since Biden took office, the most in recorded history.

These are but a few of the claims made by the president, but one thing is certain, there was no common ground achieved in this State of the Union address. As far as I could determine, the president was addressing his party, the far left, and supporters in the media. Republicans and anyone else should just listen; this is the way things are, accept it and move on. But Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, and Mr. Biden’s and the Democrats' radical agenda will be challenged and hopefully thwarted.