State of The Union Fantasy

The fantasy was delivered Tuesday night. The speaker was trying mightily to project strength, honor, integrity..... He failed miserably, coming across as what he truly is – lacking of vision, lacking of empathy, and lacking a true connection with the country. His entreaties to “work together” were so disingenuous, they turned stomachs. He is a very little man - unfit for his job.

No truths were spoken nor any statements made reflecting reality. He gave America spin. The truth is during Bush's presidency the US has experienced the slowest job creation on record (going back to 1939). During the past five years private business has added only 958,000 net new jobs to the economy (mostly waitresses, bartenders, and health care workers), while the government sector has added 1.1 million jobs.

During the past five years of Bush's presidency the US has lost 16.5% of its manufacturing jobs. The hardest hit are clothes manufacturers, textile mills, communications equipment, and semiconductors. Workforces in these industries shrunk by 37 to 46 percent.

Median household income has fallen for a record fifth year in succession.

Growth in consumer spending has resulted from households spending their savings and equity in their homes. In 2005 for the first time since the Depression in the 1930s, Americans spent more than they earned, and the government budget deficit was larger than all business savings combined.

American households are paying a record share of their disposable income to service their debts.

Every industry that faces foreign outsourcing or import competition is losing jobs.

Globalization is wiping out the American middle class and terminating jobs for university graduates.

Americans did not hear from Bush that a new Wal-Mart just opened near Chicago and 25,000 people applied for 325 jobs (Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 26), or that 11,000 people applied for a few Wal-Mart jobs in Oakland, California.
Posted on The Human Stain