Freedom Action State of the Union shows President Obama is still clueless about restoring economic growth

President Obama's Policies are the Biggest Obstacle to Restoring Prosperity and Creating Jobs

Washington, January 24, 2012--Freedom Action President Myron Ebell made the following statement about President Barack Obama's speech to Congress on the state of the Union:

After killing the Keystone Pipeline project last week, President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech provided further evidence that his policies are the biggest obstacle to restoring the United States economy to a path of long-term, robust growth. After three years, the President seems to have learned nothing from his mistakes. In particular, President Obama remains clueless about the disastrous impact of the long list of his policies and new EPA regulations that are raising energy prices and thereby making consumers poorer, scaring away investment, and killing jobs. On top of all of his regulations designed to raise energy prices, he now proposes to impose a "Clean Energy Standard" that will make gasoline and electricity even more expensive.

President Obama claimed in his speech to Congress that he approved fewer new regulations in the first three years of his term than did President George W. Bush in his first three years. While the Bush years were not an era of light-handed regulation, President Obama's statement is spectacularly false. The Obama Administration has finalized more than four times as many major regulations (those with an economic impact of more than $100 million annually) in its first three years as the Bush Administration did during its full eight years. The costs of President Obama's regulatory onslaught on the private sector are colossal. To get the economy going again, the Congress must halt and overturn the Obama Administration's avalanche of job-killing regulations.

CEI on Obama SOTU Address

OBAMA SOTU - ECONOMY & JOBS - HANS BADER

Examiner.com: 5 Million Missing Jobs Haunt President Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama will reportedly push for more green-energy subsidies at taxpayer expense in the name of job creation: “With a Solyndra-scandal-be-damned attitude, President Obama is expected to revive his push for new green fuel sources in Tuesday’s State of the Union address, claiming that they will boost jobs.”  But these impractical proposals are haunted by the utter failure of Obama’s existing green-energy programs to produce economically-viable jobs or fuel.

There are only 140,000 jobs in the renewable-energy sector, which illustrates the absurdity of Obama’s unrealistic 2008 promise “to create 5 million new green jobs.” Most of America’s existing green jobs predate the Obama Administration, which did not create them: “from 2003-2010, the rate of growth for clean jobs was 3.4 percent.”  By contrast, Obama wiped out 20,000 jobs recently just by blocking the Keystone XL Pipeline, and recent EPA rules will wipe out at least 800,000 more.>Read the full commentary on Examiner.com

> Read more by Hans Bader

OBAMA SOTU - REGULATION - WAYNE CREWS Forbes.com: President Obama's State of the Union? Hyper-Regulated Basically, the President cannot be expected to pledge to roll back government in any way whatsoever tonight, a stance that helps account for the state of our union. Even the easy targets like the Federal Communications Commission’s Internet “net neutrality” regulations, opposed in bipartisan fashion and never authorized by Congress, are safe. At least the administration says it won’t regulate farm dust or something. The January 24, 2012 State of the Union Address will highlight manufacturing—but not in the ways that involve stepping out of manufacturers’ way. There’ll be something about fairness and equality, and about rewarding hard work–but in ways that involve spending and redistribution rather than fostering the conditions of liberty so all may pursue them.>Read more at Forbes.com. > Read more by Wayne Crews

OBAMA SOTU - GOV'T SCIENCE - GREGORY CONKO Openmarket.org:Obama, Scientific Integrity, and the State of the Union With the State of the Union coming up, I’ve been wondering whether, or how, President Obama might address the Plan B fiasco I blogged about here. After all, Obama has addressed science issues in his previous State of the Union addresses. And, in his inaugural address, he pledged to “restore science to its rightful place.” More importantly, he entered office promising the most transparent administration in history and vowing that, unlike previous administrations, he and his appointees would “not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions” for political gain. But those promises were forgotten or ignored as soon as they were made. > View the full commentary on Openmarket.org > Read more by Gregory Conko, CEI Senior Fellow

View CEI Expert Commentary on President Obama's State of the Union Address

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.

Crossroads takes a red pen to Obama's SOTU excerpts

 

In short, this is what the SOTU might sound like if Obama were being honest about the State of the Union instead of kicking off his re-election campaign:

 

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

 

Office of the Press Secretary

 

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00PM ET

 

January 24, 2012

 

 

 

EMBARGOED: Excerpts of the President’s State of the Union Address

 

 

“Think about the America within our reach: A country where college graduates can't find jobs A country that leads the world in educating its people.  An America with 769,000 fewer manufacturing jobs An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs.  A future where we veto real, accessible sources of energy within our own continent A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.  An economy in decline, where unemployment has been above 8% for nearly 36 months, and influence gets you stimulus money An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded. “

 

…

 

“….The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive.  No challenge is more urgent.  No debate is more important.  We can either settle for a country where the middle class has been in decline over the last three years, while bureaucrats are getting fatter salaries and benefits packages We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by.  Or we can restore an economy where everyone pays higher taxes, there are fewer jobs, less innovation and the government distributes wealth through crony Keynesianism. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.  What’s at stake is the future of my campaign. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values.  We have to reclaim them.” 

 

…

 

“As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum as long as this requires no actual meetings.  But I intend to shred the constitution fight obstruction with action, and I will blame the current situation on my predecessor oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

 

…

 

Instead we will continue on a path where the government chooses winners and losers, and usually chooses poorly. No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits.  Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to fail last – an economy built on Chinese American manufacturing, foreign American energy, unemployment skills for American workers, and a decline renewal of American standing in the world values.”

 

…

 

“Let’s never forget:  Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day are unemployed in record numbers, to the point that they’re dropping out of the labor force deserve a government and a financial system that does the same.  It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom:  No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. [Pause for laughter.] An Administration America seeking to perpetuate its power built to last relies upon insists on empty rhetoric and lofty speeches to manufacture hope while failing to deliver change responsibility from everybody.”

US Rep Bass Statement on President's State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) issued the following statement this evening following the President’s State of the Union Address.

Bass said:

“Like any State of the Union Address, the President’s message on policy matters affecting our nation deserves a thorough review by Congress and the American people.  Regrettably, it seems like this year’s address is more of a campaign stump speech than a policy directive.

“It’s important for us to look beyond the political rhetoric and take a hard look at the President’s record and his plans for the future.  Just look at where things stand today compared to three years ago: almost two million more Americans are out of work and more than $4.6 trillion has been added to the national debt since the President took office. 

“The President’s disastrous policies of more spending, higher taxes, and bigger government will not jumpstart our economy or protect hardworking taxpayers.  This House has made job creation its number one priority.  But the President and the Democrats in the Senate don’t seem to share that commitment – there are 27 jobs bills awaiting action in the Senate, and it has been 1,000 days since the Senate even passed a budget.

“Less spending, lower taxes, and less government regulation are the keys to getting our economy back on track and stopping the high debt and deficits plaguing our children and grandchildren’s futures.  Unfortunately, I didn’t hear much of that in the President’s speech tonight.  There are numerous areas in which both sides of the aisle can come together and work on solving our nation’s problems, whether it’s on certain tax reform measures, spending cuts, or other policies.  I believe we can find common ground on addressing the challenges facing our nation and I stand ready to work with any of my colleagues on these issues.”

http://bass.house.gov

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta statement on State of the Union Address

(Washington, DC – January 24, 2012)    Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) issued the following statement after tonight’s State of the Union Address:

“I was disappointed in tonight’s speech.  Instead of bringing Americans together, President Obama chose to be divisive and pitted one group of people against another.  That’s not what a leader does; a leader unites people and inspires them to work toward a common goal.  Rather than abandoning the policies that are hindering our economy, he promised more of the same.  Tonight’s address was a missed opportunity.”