Long List of Issues for State of the Union 2015

President Obama staff sent me an email to address one of the topics listed as the “priority” - unfortunately ALL the topics listed were priority – and was incomplete, as the Daily Signal demonstrated. If he is truly going to address problems/issues that he has neglected for two terms, some being caused by himself and his administration, it will be a long State of the Union address. Of course, with all the smoke-and-mirror policies and such a long list, plus his inflated ego with nothing to back it up and denial – the list of 33 items in the list at Daily Signal will never be addressed much less solved. 

To see the full list visit that website, but here is a brief rundown …

1. Economy – Obama and company has had since 2009 to address this problem that he inherited from the GW Bush administration and RINOs in Congress.
2. Trade and Prosperity – Trade agreements need reduced barriers and encourage investments and trade agreements should promote economic freedom and sovereignty, not big government and give-aways.
3. Small and Start-Up Business – The backbone of the country, small businesses are and have been struggling to survive under a myriad of stifling regulations and taxation. It is the kick back from big government operations and an unconstitutional government that does not limit its power to what is prescribed. Government does not create jobs directly, unless it is a government that is increasing in power and scope and needing to hire more employees at taxpayer expense and a heavy national debt.
4. Federal Housing Administration, bailed out with $2 billion in 2012, the Obama administration last week announced it will reduce fees charged to insure mortgages. Seven years has gone by since the financial institution bailouts and policies that bankrupted companies are still in place. The Federal Reserve is the major problem with no transparency or proper government direction. Federal housing policy has failed and time to eliminate Fannie and Freddie if they cannot conduct lucrative business.
5. Business Tax Reform – American families are struggling to get ahead while the federal government gets deeper in debt. History shows that income and wealth redistribution courtesy of big welfare state government does not work and never will. Business tax reform is the answer. It will happen only if the president makes it a priority to Congress and sets a deadline for a plan to arrive on his desk – especially with the GOP in majority.
6. Consumer Credit – the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law gave unlimited authority for every form of consumer credit, the result is higher cost to banking and financial services customers and less available to Americans. That means Obama needs to act if he truly cares about the “middle class” as he has previously stated since 2009.
7. End Export Subsidies – multinational corporations benefit from millions of dollars in export subsidies and taxpayers foot the bill. Crony politics at its worst.
8. Regulatory Excess – Congress should be encouraged demanded that they address the issue of how they cause regulatory duress. All new major regulations should be required to be approved by Congress and congressional members ensure that those passed are in tune with limitations prescribed by the US Constitution. The US Supreme Court Justices are responsible to ensure that it happens. Quality of legislation should be key, not the quantity. Useless and overbearing legislation already passed should be rewritten or deleted.
9. Environmental Agency Overreach – the EPA has become an American Gestapo like the IRS and it has proposed a rule that would allow the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers regulate all bodies of water across the nation, federally owned or not. More power for entity that already surpasses constitutional limitations. The EPA has a rightful reputation of not using common sense. Everyone wants clean air and water, as well as protection of natural beauty of the land – but politics has taken over and the federal government misuses its authority and surpasses prescribed limitations. Most of the policy is based upon junk science and regulations not properly though out and researched. Ethanol for example. The only benefit is for the farmers selling corn to ethanol producers and profits made by ethanol manufacturers, which brings corn as a food prices sky high – and all for naught because ethanol has proved to be harmful to engines, does not raise the antipollution factor, and certainly does not help gas mileage – all promised would happen.
10. Domestic and Foreign Markets – the United States is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, but the federal government is not wanting to reap the benefits of domestic production protecting our sovereignty; mostly tied in with #9 on the list, the EPA – causing more damage than they fix, that department needs to be put on the chopping block. Free trade is imperative to a free society – something Americans have been proud of since creation of the United States. Obama should address and encourage the Department of Energy and Congress to promote more free trade and allow US producers to export energy by producing the bounty that our lands possess.
11. Misusing Taxpayer Funds for Department of Energy – the Department of Energy has used taxpayer money to drive technology to the market – not a job of the federal government, at least constitutionally. It ends up circumventing the tried-and-proven competitive process in an open market. Research that has a commercial application will attract investors, tax dollars should not be used to commercialize government policy (against limited government). A definite change needs to be made; Democrats and Republicans are equally to be blamed. Obama promised “Change” - but voters did not bother with the details of his idea of what changes are required – they just heard about what the opposition politicians were doing wrong and promise of 'free stuff'.
12. Cutback on Expensive, Draconian Regulation – the federal government is totally guilty with the EPA leading in wasting tax dollars. Greenhouse gas emission has been so critical that new coal-fired power plants, who already soaked millions into clean-air smokestacks that energy has risen in cost making it more and more unaffordable to consumers – We the People. Getting a handle on pollution is important and vast improvements have been made since the 1970s; but the EPA exaggerates, uses junk scientists, and allows environmental mentally challenged promoters and their money hungry organizations to raise the cost of energy and harass American people for no justifiable reason.
13. Combat Islamist Fascist Jihadists – The president must urge NATO to stand up to Moscow and make it clear the alliance will fight to defend any member attacked by Russia. Generally speaking, the US cannot fight a war, and neither can our allies, if they will not admit who exactly the enemy is. The United Nations is a useless organization where many members are either Islamic Fascist states or supporters of those who commit crimes against humanity, genocide. Political correctness does not belong in foreign policy, especially when it comes to policy against enemies of the free world like Islamic-Fascist Jihadists. How is it that the Islamic Jihadists have declared a religious war against the free world (and among themselves) - but leadership of the so-called Free Nations, including (and especially) the United States refuses to acknowledge for what it is? It is like changing descriptive words: global warming to climate change (sometimes global is added), and illegal immigrant aliens (technically invaders) to undocumented immigrants. Does changing descriptions from truth in the name of political correctness change the reality?
    Egypt's president knows what its all about, why does our leadership not? ...
    

    That thinking – I am not saying ‘religion’ but ‘thinking’ – that corpus of texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the years, to the point that departing from them has become almost impossible, is antagonizing the entire world. It’s antagonizing the entire world!
    Is it possible that 1.6 billion [Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants – that is 7 billion – so that they themselves may live? Impossible! . . . I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move … because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost — and it is being lost by our own hands.

    The United States and many European nations have traditional exercised tolerance, but when faced with an intolerant religion whose doctrine and agenda is violent and murderous with an agenda of conquest - all bets are off. That means that Islamic Fascists who defy the tolerance of the First Amendment are not protected by it because of their intolerant and violent actions and agenda.
14. Need to Fund Defense of the United States – according to the federal government, they have the funds to defend other nations and rebelling factions, but not our own defense system. Too much resource, time and money has been spent for other nations while our southern border remains unsecure and a threat, as well as not keeping up with aggressive nations like China, North Korea, and now Russia with Putin in charge. It has been normal to find Russian strategic bombers performing operations in US/Canada air space. This has occurred and continues since 2013. North Korea has planned attacks for our nuclear plants and has recently committed cyberwarfare. The Chinese recently tested an ICBM with multiple warheads and they also use cyberwarfare for stealing technology and disrupting others. A new Russian cruise missile violates the 1987 nuclear treaty, forcing re-deployment of nuclear cruise missiles in Europe.
15. Obamacare is a Policy Failure – Obama and friends need to admit that. Republicans in Congress need to address this issue. Health care should be based upon patient choice and competition.
16. Strengthen Social Security – the 2015 fiscal budget does not reflect the projection that the so-called trust fund will be exhausted in 2016. Result will be a 19% indiscriminate cut.
17. No Gas Tax Increase – the executive branch (and Congress) require a sensible budget, not looking for increasing revenue. Funds are funneled away from highway and bridge maintenance to pet projects like the $1 million Arlington, Virginia super bus stop.
18. No National Infrastructure Bank – this Obama idea will end up a big mistake like the Federal Reserve.
19. Encourage Work Through Welfare Reform – Self-sufficiency is the key to individual success and helps to ensure welfare assistance goes to those truly in need.
20. Marriage Crisis – this should not be addressed or be a part of the federal government. Marriage licenses are issued by the state government, not the federal government. Marital breakdown has increased and more children are born out of wedlock. College educated women that are born to married parents are more likely to be successful, by 90%. There is nothing to address by the federal government because it is not their business.
21. Protect Unborn Children and Women from Late-Term Abortion – self explanatory. Obama has threatened to veto legislation that would limit dangerous late-term abortions after 20 weeks.
22. End Taxpayer Subsidies to Obamacare Plans Covering Elective Abortions – again, self explanatory. The GAO has identified more than 1,000 Obamacare exchange plans that cover elective abortion.
23. Lift the Union Seniority Ceiling – Federal law allows union members to accept a pay increase only if their union approves it. The RAISE Act will solve this problem.
24. End Discrimination Against Non-Union Members – self explanatory. It costs people their jobs and people have the right to work and decide whether they want to pay dues to a private sector entity headed by organized crime and socialists who spend billions of dollars on politics. Unions should not be allowed to oversee and control government employment. That is the job of Congress.
    25. Immigration - executive orders to bypass Congress who refuses to agree with Obama policies. US has ignored that the Mexican government is part of the problem and not recognizing that the same government is authorizing an invasion of the United States via "undocumented workers". 

There are more to this list, like Repeal the 16^th Amendment and replace income tax with consumption tax at a flat rate. Make April 15^th just another day. The GOP provided lip service in dealing with the issue – but have taken no action despite an alternative plan established in 2000 and repeatedly in every Congress since then. President GW Bush stated “he would look into it” and eight years went by with not a word from him or any action to encourage Congress to do so.

Another issue to address is congressional tenure limits, like that imposed upon the executive branch, as well as discontinuing congressional retirement plans – let Congress use the Social Security system and private investments like the rest of us. Elected officials should NOT have such benefits.