State of the Union address 2014

Author’s Introduction

Below is what I wish the President will say on Tuesday night in his State of the Union message. He might raise some of the issues mentioned below, but he won’t do it with specifics and conviction. He won’t chastise Congress nor will he risk alienating the wealthy benefactors who have supported his two election efforts and other Democrats.

The political reality is that most politicians-Republicans and Democrats- are beholden to donors. Republicans are mostly beholden to right wing radical money from the Koch brothers, Waltons, Art Popes and too many others to mention. The Democrats are answerable to more socially liberal wealthy corporate types. None of this is good for American.

Many other issues that are very important could have been mentioned in the draft speech below. Their exclusion should not be interpreted to mean they aren’t very important. Climate change, immigration, woman’s rights, the surveillance state, the wasteful military budget and overreliance on military force as a diplomatic tool, the lack of anti trust enforcement, the deterioration of pro worker legislation, privatization, non GMO food and GMO labeling, pesticide and antibiotic free food,  and fracking are just some of the issues.

We are living in a world with limited resources. We cannot continue to deplete these resources and risk destroying our environment. Our lives depend on us being custodians on the world we live in. To do so, we need to be exceptional. To be exceptional we need to have a democracy that is vibrant and places the health, safety, and welfare of all citizens above the desires of a few.

State of the Union Speech 2014

By Barak H. Obama

I come before you tonight to address what I believe are the most pressing issues that challenge our great Country at this time. Even though the stock market has hit record highs and we have made some attempts to right our economy, we are a long way from bringing America back to its past greatness. The economic recovery has been unequaled for the wealthiest among us. The Federal Government bailed out and saved the Financial Industry titans. We now must ensure that the recovery is as successful for all those who are not the wealthiest.

Over the last several decades and in particular the years since the financial meltdown in 2007 the wealthiest 1% of Americans have seen their wealth grow several times over. Since 1975, the wealthiest 1% saw their incomes rise 275%. The 400 wealthiest families own as much wealth as 150 million people in America. The rest of our citizens, the middle class and poor have seen their share of the wealth and their income actually fall, with modest growth for some. America today has the greatest income disparity and wealth inequality in its history. America ranks as the most economically unequal society among all industrial nations. We have to address this grave situation. Inequality threatens to tear apart our democracy.

We can take effective action to turn the ship around. We must take effective action. But it will take our Congress and Senate to act. Congress cannot act like it did in 2013 when it did almost nothing except to gain the distinction of being the most unproductive Congress in the history of America.

Economic inequality must be addressed head on.  Sweet sounding policies are not enough. We must rebalance our tax policies and address the influence of special interest money in our political system and everyday lives. It is no mystery to pinpoint some of what must be done. As a beginning, we need to change our tax code.

1. We should treat all income the same. Capital gains and carried over interest tax rates should be the same as the rates for people who go to work every day. This proposed change will not hurt investments. Investors will always invest in the best ways they believe will obtain a good rate of return. By treating all income the same, working Americans will not be subsidizing a tax break for those who have investment income.

2. The tax tables should contain more brackets at the upper end. New tax brackets should be at the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range, over $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, and over $1,500,000. These tax rates should be progressive, increasing to 60%, a rate that is lower than rates in the 50s and early 60s.

3. Corporate tax laws need to eliminate a host of gimmicks that have been inserted by our elected officials to subsidize large national and global companies. The reality is that the tax system is rigged for the rich and powerful. Congress should cease enacting bills that give favored treatment to corporate sectors of the business community and all corporate welfare should cease. Ronald Reagan used to say that the welfare queens in America were all those single black woman on welfare. Well, large and global corporations are the welfare queens today, and they have lobbied their way to receive a million times more dollars than the welfare queens of yesterday year even dreamed of.

Companies should not be able to ‘hold profits’ offshore to avoid taxation under the Internal Revenue Code. Corporations should pay an alternative minimum. It is no longer acceptable that companies like General Electric pay an effective tax rate of under 2% a year over the last decade. GE, like all the other big corporations, have lobbied each and every Senator and Congress person in this room to obtain special tax treatment.  This phenomenon is common practice in D.C. today. This system must stop.

4. There is should a transaction tax on the sale of all securities. Americans pay sales tax on purchases. Why is it not fare to levy a small tax on financial transactions so the wealthy will pay their share of the cost to regulate their complicated financial gimmicks and stock purchases.

Our democracy needs to bring back free and fair elections that are not taken hostage by those who have the most money.

1.Whether you agree with Citizens United or not, it has monetized elections to a level never before seen in America. Congress should cease its delay tactics and present a constitutional amendment that overturns Citizens United. Elections should not be determined by who has or what party has raised the biggest war chest. Campaign donations should not be treated as ‘free speech’. No individual should be allowed to donate more than $5000.00 to a campaign, candidate, or PAC, or other supposedly non profit group that disseminates election.

I do not agree that corporations are persons as the Supreme Court has said. The constitutional amendment should make it clear that corporations are not persons and are not entitled to the protections of the Bill of Rights.  Corporations should be limited to a donation of no more than $2500 per election.

2. Congress should immediately pass simple and clear disclosure laws. No loopholes and no exceptions. This is extremely important while America awaits a chance to enact an amendment to the Constitution to address Citizens United. The donors to all campaigns, s to any group, PAC, candidate, political party, or any organization that acts directly or indirectly in elections should be disclosed. Donors should likewise have to report any donations or expenditure made related to elections. It’s time to pull the curtain of secrecy up so the voters can see who is behind the money that has a candidate.

3. Voting rights legislation, even stronger than the provisions that the Supreme Court recently struck down need to be re enacted. It was no surprise that Texas, North Carolina, and other States controlled by Republicans have rushed to pass every regulation possible to deny Americans the chance to vote. Their pretenses and explanations range from the ridiculous to the silly. Americans are no longer free to vote. It is time we made the right to vote a protected Constitutional right and until we do so this Congress ought to stop playing political games and pass legislation that codifies a right to vote for all American citizens.

This legislation should also provide that early voting be at least two weeks, same day registration be allowed, voting polls be staffed so people in urban areas or college areas are treated the same as the suburbs, election day be a two day period with a right for voters to take off at least ½ day to be able to vote, and that all voting be done on verifiable paper ballots.

There are many other important issues that could be addressed tonight. But none are as important as tax fairness and election reform that guarantees the elections are freely conducted and that guarantee that all citizens can vote.

But this is only the beginning of our road to a better America. After we have taken on inequality, tax fairness, and election reform, Congress must stop hiding behind its rules to avoid bringing an up or down vote on issues. Among the many other issues that Congress needs to pay attention to are two more that I will mention tonight.

1.The Federal minimum wage should be increased to over $10.00 an hour and indexed for inflation. As the Country’s chief executive, I will now require that Federal contracts only be entered into with companies that agree to pay not just a specified minimum wage, but a prevailing wage. Congress needs to catch up and guarantee to all American workers a minimum wage that prevents corporations from paying below poverty level wages.

2. After a lengthy rethinking, I have decided to reverse my support for a fast track approval of any trade treaty. It is clear that treaties, such as NAFTA, have resulted in hardships on small farmers and other small business owners. For the last three years a treaty known as the Trans Pacific Partnership has been in the drafting stage. The process has been only open to representatives and lobbyists of 600 corporations. Neither the public nor members of Congress have been privy to these negotiations. The drafts to date are a wish list of what any corporation covets. Now the public should have its fair chance to weigh in. Extensive public hearings should be held in Congress.

I could list many more very important matters, but enough has been said to occupy a hard working Congress. I wish to say a few final to the voters in America.

If members of the Senate and Congress fail to address these issues, you should vote them out of office. Inequality and tax fairness should be cornerstones of our democracy’s foundation. America will cease to be a democracy unless our citizens have a right to vote at all elections. Recent studies have concluded that the members of the Senate and Congress are the wealthiest group assembled to date in this country. Most are millionaires; few will leave their offices without a ticket to further wealth. Our elected officials do not deserve your vote unless they take seriously their obligation to protect the general health, safety, and welfare of all Americans, not just their wealthy benefactors as is now the case.

I wish you good night and God bless us and help us recreate a vibrant democracy.