State of the Union Address: President Promotes More Government to 'Win the Future'

By Keith A. Fournier
1/26/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening

President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, January 25, 2011. He called Americans to "Win the future" with the assistance of Government. The Republican response from Paul Ryan laid out a very different governing vision.

President Obama addressing both Houses of Congress in the 2011 State of the Union Address

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, January 25, 2011. He called Americans to "Win the future" with the assistance of Government. The speech was 62 minutes long and met with predictably partisan reaction. After congratulating the 112th Congress and the New Speaker of the House, he honored missing member Gabby Giffords which brought a warm and sustained response from the floor of the chamber.

After claiming that the Nation was "poised for progress", the stock market was "roaring back" and the "back of the recession had been broken" he called the Nation to "win the future" through innovation, education and the rebuilding of our infrastructure. In the first half of the speech he also outlined a governing approach to accomplishing these policy goals which positioned federal funding and federal assistance as making it possible for us to "reinvent ourselves."

The President told both chambers of Congress that we could be in our "Sputnik moment" explaining, "Our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. But because it's not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout history our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That's what planted the seeds for the Internet. That's what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS.

"Just think of all the good jobs - from manufacturing to retail - that have come from those breakthroughs. Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik� we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation's Sputnik moment."

His largest and most sustained applause came when he paid tribute to our troops and when he ended his address by pointing to examples of American innovation such as Brandon Fisher who was in the assembly. Mr. Fisher's company, Center Rock, designed and built the machine which helped to rescue the Chilean miners. The president proclaimed "We do big things. From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That's how we win the future.

"We are a nation that says, "I might not have a lot of money, but I have this great idea for a new company. I might not come from a family of college graduates, but I will be the first to get my degree. I might not know those people in trouble, but I think I can help them, and I need to try. I'm not sure how we'll reach that better place beyond the horizon, but I know we'll get there. I know we will."

Throughout the speech he called for the Nation to out innovate, out educate and out build the rest of the world. However, from the first half of the speech it appears that these big things will require Big Government.

The Republican response was given by Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee Chairman. While showing respect to the President, he laid out a very different governing vision stating, "We believe government's role is both vital and limited - to defend the nation from attack and provide for the common defense . to secure our borders. to protect innocent life. to uphold our laws and Constitutional rights . to ensure domestic tranquility and equal opportunity . and to help provide a safety net for those who cannot provide for themselves.

"We believe that the government has an important role to create the conditions that promote entrepreneurship, upward mobility, and individual responsibility. We believe, as our founders did, that 'the pursuit of happiness' depends upon individual liberty; and individual liberty requires limited government. Limited government also means effective government. When government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn't do any of them very well. It's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high."

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: State of the Union, president Obama, Paul Ryan, Government, Win the future

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1 - 10 of 31 Comments

Rob
2 years ago
Celia, we are in debt because we have yet to force our politicians to pay our bills. We vote for things but are never expected to pay for anything. It's political suicide to cut spending too deeply and it's also political suicide to raise taxes. So if we really can't cut spending and we can't raise revenue, well seems to me that debt is the only way out. And it works for a time but we are fast approaching a fiscal place where this rosy view of the world (cutting spending will solve all our problems or we never, ever have to raise taxes) will slowly disapate as reality starts to set in.
Celia
2 years ago

Does anybody know why we're always in debt? Why are we slaves of the system not only in the USA but world wide. Check out this site!

Zeitgeist Addendum - Modern Money Mechanics
Rob
2 years ago
I'm not saying that at all. But vance your positions are such that you don't recognize that the other guys aren't doing you any favors either. Actions speak louder than words and the GOP has lacked action to support the rhetoric. It's easy to talk a talk when you have no power to govern. And now that they do, it seems they are more interesting in political posturing than doing anything serious. Never mind I have no expectations they will do anything more than window dressing for pro-life issues, but even on fiscal issues they are afraid to confront the real issues affecting our long-term fiscal health. The lack of real honesty in our finances is shocking. Do I expect the Dems to do anything about it? Of course I don't. But I do expect the party who touts they are going to right the fiscal ship. But when their plan appears like a cherry picking of low hanging fruit without any real courage to begin tackling the big issues, I can't respect that. Because this is the guy who is still using the blow torch on your house but has convinced you that it won't burn. It is the reason that while I'm still a registered republican, I consider myself mostly independent. I'm not interesting in throwing stones at the other guy. I want MY party to do what they say they are going to do. I don't think that is too much to ask.
vance
2 years ago
Rob, so what you are saying then is that you will just stand there and let the guy burn your house down because the guy with the hose is doing nothing. That doesn't sound smart to me.
Rob
2 years ago
In this situation, they both are holding matches. When one party says they have a hose to put the fire out but has yet to show it, sort of makes it hard to pick.
vance
2 years ago
Rob, You have a guy who lights your house on fire and another guy who says he will put the fire out. Who do you throw stones at???
Rob
2 years ago
vance, do you expend this much energy holding your own party accountable? Instead of dropping the same old bomb all the time, don't you think that energy should be spent on the party that promises to rid the world of these things?
vance
2 years ago
Cyril, thank you for coming on this website. You are a friendly reminder of what's wrong with this country. It's people like you who are voting to keep abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, homosexual marriage alive and well. Thank you for Bankrupting our country and sending millions to the unemployment line. And thank you for voting to shut down our Oil and Coal production which Jacks up the price of gas at the pumps, food at the market, durable goods, clothing, our Heating and Electric Bills, and the price of services. This is the subtotal of what your Dear Leader and the Democrat Party that you obediently follow has accomplished. So, thank you Cyril. You are a genius.
Cyril J. Carroll
2 years ago
As usual this site gave the regular conservative, catholic, republican response to anything that the President says or tries to do. I agree with the few enlightened responders to this article who supported what the President is trying to do to get the country out of this terrible economic situation. The republicans got this country into two wars which have taken too many lives both our soldiers and the people in those countries and have not solved anything. I will continue to pray for our country and President Obama to survive the "slings and arrows" of the conservative, catholic, republicans and the "tea party" crowd.
Rob
2 years ago
Cmon Vance, we aren't talking about the speech and whether anyone felt entertained. Of course it was boring and uninspiring and this was also the case with the responses. I for one and sick of their words. Time for action and honesty. Both parties are still playing the same game. How can we look conservative or appear serious about the deficit without asking anyone to pay or not touch the majority of the budget? I suspect in all of our homes we don't pretend our debt is there, why do we insist on doing the same with our government? Unless you believe that we don't owe the debt?

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