State Of Confusion

by Garry Terry

When a president gives an address to the nation, it should be inspiring and make everyone proud to be an American, regardless of how they voted.

However, instead of instilling hope, President Obama continued with the same old rhetoric that has divided the nation since he began campaigning for office. You can’t continue to blame former President Bush for everything wrong. When Bush left office, gasoline was $1.87 per gallon.

Regardless of what was said during the State of the Union address, energy policy of the Obama Administration has failed. The Keystone Pipeline, for example would have brought oil and tens of thousands of jobs to America. Solar and wind are not dependable.

The rhetoric in the SOTU speech only furthers the partisan divide. If you don’t agree with them, they viciously attack you. Mr. President, I don’t need you or Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid calling me names because I disagree with some of your policies. I and many others proudly stood on the lawn of the US Capitol a number of times protesting your health-care bill and other issues, but your party leaders called us disgusting names, ranging from Nazis to racists to hate-mongers, but not a word about the “Occupy” protesters who destroy public and private property and trash wherever they go, not to mention the costs to tax payers.

Although it was a well delivered speech, not much was said about his signature legislation, the health care bill. I don’t believe that the Constitution grants the government the authority to make me buy anything just to be an American citizen. The President also stated that he wants “an economy built on American manufacturing…” Yet his EPA is destroying the coal industry, our number one provider of cheap and reliable electricity and they continually issue new regulations that threaten industry and dampen the free enterprise spirit.

Class warfare rhetoric really confuses me. Why is poverty still an issue? The problem of poverty is a great example of noble goals getting sidetracked with politics. Let’s be clear about who has controlled tax money in North Carolina. Until the Republican victories of 2010, the NC Legislature has been largely controlled by Democrats since 1870. So, why do we still have poverty? And nationally, out of the last 78 years, Republicans have controlled the US House of Representatives and the US Senate for a combined total of only 14 years. Don’t waste your time blaming Republicans for poverty.

The war on poverty needs to be fought starting at home with a solid loving family, but our area continues to elect politicians who support abortion and same sex marriage.

The most predictable and certain catastrophe in the history of mankind is unfolding before our eyes. The great beacon of hope and freedom is being undermined by Marxist politicians that have as their agenda the radical transformation of America into a European style socialist state.

The State of the Union Address was disingenuous and filled with partisan rhetoric, not solutions to our problems.

It was a State of Confusion.

Who's On First?

by Anonymous

Abbott and Costello Explain Unemployment Rate vs. Out of Work

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good "subject". Terrible "times". It's about 9%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO: You just said 9%.

ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 16% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that's 9%...

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?

ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.

COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, you can't count the "Out of Work" as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: But ... they are out of work!

ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn't look for work, can't be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.

COSTELLO: To who?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work . . . Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you're off the unemployment roles, that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don't look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That's how you get to 9%. Otherwise it ould be 16%. You don't want to read about 16% unemployment do ya?

COSTELLO: That would be frightening.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means they're two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like an economist.

COSTELLO: I don't even know what the hell I just said!

Despite the obvious intelligence of the assessment above, the majority of Americans are perfectly okay with the simplistic belief that unemployed is different than out of work. Just how stupid has America become?