State of the Union

So what did you think of it? It seemed mostly sensible to me, but I doubt that any of it's going to make it through congress.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

The Republican response seemed like a pretty absolute rejection of Obama and everything he proposes, so the address is pretty meaningless. A few budget cuts will be passed, but not much else will be changed.

What will happen?

• DADT will stay down. Even the Republicans mostly stood for that one.

• Earmarks, lobbying, etc. will probably be reduced.

• He will manage to push through most of the reforms he wants, they'll just be woefully underfunded.

• We're not leaving Afghanistan anytime soon.

Sorry, I'm having trouble focusing right now. I'm not sure if I missed anything, but that was the impression I walked away with.

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.

Empty promises everywhere.

It was mostly pretty sensible and level-headed, which means he'll end up getting rolled for it.

Democracy is the process in which we determine the government that we deserve

I've just been reading around a bit for this one, let me ask this:

The USA subsidies oil? Oil? The biggest industry in the world? Buh?

I've heard it's even worse at the state level. Apparently, politics in Louisiana is basically just a giant contest of who can give away the most to the oil industry (in between stuffing their freezers full of cash). That's part of why New Orleans was so unprepared for a hurricane.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Correct. Obama was totally right on that one, and I don't think the Republicans even mentioned it.

edited 25th Jan '11 9:07:45 PM by Ultrayellow

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.

I agree with almost all of the above.

The tea party speech seemed like that, but the official Republican response was more concilatory - but basically it still amounted to, "the stuff we stood up for, we'll cooperate. The rest...."

Government stupidity knows no limits.

• The state of Indiana almost passed a law requiring the state to use an official approximation of Pi... that was wrong.
• In Denver, the city discovered that local regulations required the city to tax people who let their neighbors horses wander onto their land as farmland.
• Why the [expletive deleted] do we give rich people medicare and social security?

I have zero confidence any progress will be made on entitlements, meaning the deficit will still be out of control no matter what else is done.

You're right. They didn't reject the side of the compromise that benefits them.

Related note: What did you guys think about the mixed seating?

edited 25th Jan '11 9:32:53 PM by Ultrayellow

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.

We give rich people Medicare and Social Security because, if these programs were only available to the poor, they would be cut immediately.

That's not quite correct. The bill was mostly about squaring the circle.

edited 25th Jan '11 9:50:38 PM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

I didn't watch much of it, but apparently Obama wants to take loopholes out of the tax code? That seems, uh, ambitious.

I thought it was silly, since they still did the clapping thing, only it partly looked like there was wider support, possibly. Just a stunt.

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.

@Story: Ooh, someone's from Indiana.

Edit: This is a joke.

@Tze: Yeah, that was one of the minor parts of his plan. The Republicans didn't even bother to clap for that bit.

edited 25th Jan '11 9:57:19 PM by Ultrayellow

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.

No, I'm not actually. I just get bugged by people spreading incorrect facts. The bill doesn't even mention pi, let alone give "an official approximation".

edited 25th Jan '11 9:54:38 PM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Easy to make fun of. And I doubt he'll be able to pull that off.

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.

Best of luck with that. Really.

Fight smart, not fair.

Obama wants to fix a lot of things.

The Republicans want things to stay broken and derail his 2012 chances.

The question is whether or not the public will let them get away with it.

—R.J.

Agreed. If that happens, it'll have been worth it.

FWIW I remember noticing that Boehner didn't clap when Obama talked about cutting subsidies to oil companies. Though I only looked for a moment.

That said, I generally liked this SOTU speech. And the audience reaction too. Usually the clapping annoys me. This time it didn't, somehow.

edited 26th Jan '11 1:21:13 AM by GlennMagusHarvey

Well aside from the very wide array of promises I do appreciate the fact that Obama, unlike previous leaders, was pulling specific aspects of foreign nations that he thought did something well and wanted it in America to make it compete better internationally. This is unlike previous leaders whose myopic view of the world included only America and thought problems must be solved solely by Americans without considering if the same issues were already resolved elsewhere.

I'd also appreciate it if congress didn't devolve into a bitter battle of over healthcare repeals in the next two years.

^ History is not kind to those who put other nations on a pedestal in the US. Jimmy Carter was that way and you're hard pressed to find a positive opinion of him doing so.

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."

Stop saying that Republicans are the party of no. :V

That said I didn't bother to listen to it since I didn't vote for him and I doubt he will stay consistent on it. Meaning that regardless of what he says, it wont be what he does.

edited 26th Jan '11 8:45:32 AM by saladofstones

Well he's talking about WWII when the Chinese bomb pearl harbor and they commuted suicide by running their planes into the ship.

Well he's tried to do most of his previous promises, but Congress has decided otherwise, even the Democrats.

edited 26th Jan '11 8:50:17 AM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

I liked the speech, actually - but I only caught about half of it. I'd be estatic even if only half of what he said actually comes to fruition. But he has a point; we need a goal as a nation aside from invading people.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.