State of the Union 2004

(by Kempion)

Terrorism

As President Bush said, it has been 28 months since the attacks of September 11th, 2001. And there have been no further attacks on American soil. There is no doubt to the accurracy of this statement and there is no question that this is a major accomplishment. There was a period of uncertainty, albeit short lived, that this situation was very much undecided. In the days following the attacks of September 11th, none of us knew what was to come. Would there be follow-up attacks? Would there be bigger attacks with greater loss of life? Were there any weapons of mass murder hidden in the U.S. waiting to be unleashed upon us? We didn't know.

In the eerie calm that followed the devastation of September 11th, our national defense and intelligence agencies lept from their decade long slumber and began to look for answers. As they looked outward they were inevitably drawn back to themselves. Could these tragedies have been avoided? The deeper we looked as a nation, as a people, the clearer the picture became. We failed to recognize the warning signs and failed to identify the threat.

All throughout the 90's we were learning about this band of fanatics called al Qeda. We suffered attacks at home in 1993 at the World Trade Center and abroad in locations as exotic as the attacks made on them. The attacks on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen, at Kobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the attacks at the U.S. embassies in East Africa should have alerted us to the pending threat but we didn't listen. We were given an opportunity to learn more about al Qeda from the fiasco that was the raid in Somalia. We didn't.

In the time since the attacks of September 11th, we haven't been attacked on U.S. soil, however, our interests abroad have come under fire. To me, this is an attack on the U.S. I have to disagree with Preesidnet Bush's implicatoin that "we" haven't suffered any attacks. While I strongly support our president and his policies abroad, I think we should take a long hard look at the trends laid out before us. Something that we should have done all throughout the 90's.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Afganistan, Bali, Indonesia, and Iraq have all seen an influx of Islamic fanatics. Our allies, more specifically, their support for our war on terror have become the real target of those forces seeking to destroy civilization. I believe this played a role in why some of our long-time allies didn't want to go along with us, they knew if they did tthat they may very well become targets as well. This is no excuse and I don't make apologies for our former allies, however, they witnessed the attacks that shook the most powerful nation on Earth. Could any other nation survive such a trying time? I seriously doubt it. The fundamentalist nutcases know that if they can undermine American efforts overseas to push back the tide of destrustion, then they will be able to build their resources, arm their zealots and wage world wide war on us, our allies and the western world. They have several excellent case studies to back up this belief. First, under the Clinton administration, the U.S. never retaliated when attacked. And, second, the U.N. has yet to show any resolve to denounce terroristism, their violent ways or stand up agaisnt it.

Even the American "will to fight for what is right" has come under attack from both the Islamic jihadists and anti-American activists.

The Islmaic fundamentalist threat is perhaps the more obvious of the two because they come right out and say that they want to destroy the United States. The lesser known anti-American organizations are driven primarily by the World Worker's Party (WWP) which is made up, in part, by the remanents of the former communist party and KGB agents of the now defunct Soviet Union. This organization has managed to stay hidden for so long for two reasons. First, they have the resources. It is estimated that they embezzled and stole from the former Soviet states more than 100 billion dollars in cash and gold and possibly valuable artifacts. With this ill-gotten loot they have built a network that employs anti-western factions ranging from environmentalist fringe groups to terrorists organizations. The WWP promotes its agenda thru these satellite organizations. The riots that follow the World Trade Organization are but one example of the WWP's sphere of influence. Terrorists attacks in Russia and Chechnya are financed by the WWP. Their purpose is to destabilize an already unstable situation in Russia. They agenda is clear: if they can regain control of Russia, then they will become a major force in world politics. There are so many corrupt officials in the former Soviet states that there is little doubt the WPP's chaotic influence is present.

Additionally, there is little doubt in my mind that the WWP is also funding homicide attacks in Turkey and in Isreal.

Al Qeda remains a top priority of our intelligence communities, however, the WWP is not even on their radar. I believe this will prove to be a major mistake in the years to come. In a few very short years to be more precise. The only way I know of to address the threat of the WWP is to back the Russian government in its fight to quell the violence in Chechnya and within Russia itself. This will deplete the WWP's resources and render it useless. Then, when the leaders of this rogue operation stick their heads up to make a run for freedom, snipe them... turn their heads into pink mist before they get another chance to stir the pot.

Until the WWP is addressed, ther will never be resolution to our war on terror.

Iraq

With a free Islamic and democratic Iraqi republic, stability will be forced onto a region of the world that has never know stabillity.

The middle east has long been a hotbed of malcontents. Terror in the name of Islam has long been accepted preactice in countries where the societies went from being nomadic tribes to have massive wealth thrust upon them. The combination of a barbaric mindset and the material wealth that these nations now possess, is a recipe for disaster. However, now that Iraq is free from tyranny and on the road to democracy, the balance of the middle eastern society is shifting from extremism to what will hopefully become stability for the entire region.

The cost of freedom is blood. To many people today have lost sight of this reality. Just as our founders shed their blood for the goal of liberating the Colonies from British domination, so too are our brave fighting men and women fighting in Iraq for the freedom of a long oppressed people. For those critics of the war, I can only say that it is unfortunate that you do not understand the most very basic equation of life, freedom has a price, blood. As much as we in modern civilization detest war, we are still aware that, from time to time, it is necessary. War is always the last resort.

There are those that say that we should have continued on with sanctions, that sanctions could have worked. They seem to forget that Castro is still in charge in Cuba. Castro is not a threat. Sodom was. Had we continued to do nothing, Sodom would have procured the ability and the means to rain terror down on not only the middle east but Europe, Asia and Africa as well. That is almost certain. Was Sodom a direct threat to the United States? No, not if you are thinking in terms of American soil, however, America is so dependent on other regions of the world that, yes, Sodom was a threat to our way of life. We need only look back to the early 1970's when the US was crippled by a gasoline shortage because a few nations in OPEC wanted to attack the U.S. and they knew where our weakest spot was... foreign dependency on fuel.

A stable, free and democratic Republic of Iraq will act as a buffer in the region, as well as, bastoin of freedom for those in the middle east that yearn for self-rule and self-determination.

The Economy

Beginning in March of 2000, at a time when the U.S. economy was supposedly creating a "surplus", the first indications came to light that the bloom was off of the economy. Companies begane to report that earnings were down and P/E ratios soon followed. By the end of 2000, the economy was in a mild recession. This is of no real concern, right? After all, the U.S. economy has never stayed stagnant for very long, a mild recession wouldn't hurt. Companies could use this time to reinvest the wealth that they accumulated during the 90's. Or so went the general belief in economic circles. In the summer of 2001 the economy seemed to be pulling out of its doldrums. Then, it happened.

Like many people the world over, I sat transfixed by the images on my television. The world changed forever right before our eyes.

The devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, sent shock waves around the world and, in turn, markets took massive hits. The U.S. markets were closed briefly, however, when they did re-open it was wholesale carnage. Even the most steadfast and reliable of companies were brought to their knees. Many companies didn't survive the sell-off.

As if THAT weren't enough, the uncertain prospects of war loomed over us. A war came that ended the reign of the Taliban and saw American and Coalition forces enter active combat for the first time in over a decade. The markets strained under this additional burden.

Back at home, a destructive wave of corporate scandals hit the U.S. economy. Companies that had done well all thru the 90's and had their fortunes squandered in the blood-letting of the markets, were shown to have committed one violation after another of fair accounting practices. Companies like Enron and WorldComm disappeared from existence in the wake of what would become the most wasteful abuse of accounting trust to have ever been committed. Our markets trembled and lost footing and nearly crumbled. We were closer to the brink of a complete collapse than most Americans realize. However, something or someone picked up the burden that the markets could no longer carry. That figure was that of the American consumer. We saved our markets. With a tax rebate in hand and the will to defy all who would attack us, we stood up as one and declared that we may be down but we are far from being out.

We the Consumers are the economy. We the Consumers dictate the trends. The markets don't make any moves without our approval. From a child buying candy to the truck driver fueling his semi, we all contribute to the economy directly. There are nearly 300 million of us, does anyone really think the markets are independent of our desires? Why is there a Consumer Confidence Index? Why does the market make major moves based solely on consumer data? Obviously, We the Consumers are fully in control of the economy. This is as it should be. When the economy tanks, we have no one to blame but ourselves. When the markets surge forward, its not because of shrew business decisions, its because We the Consumers make demands of the markets and push those numbers higher.

With this in mind, let's take a look at the forecast for the markets. The future looks great! Of course, this is completely dependent on We the Consumers and our confidence in ourselves to meet any challenges that may come our way. We live in a time of incredible advancements and even more incredible potential.

The next major market worth trillions of dollars in growth potential is the final frontier, space. Im not talking about just explortation here. There's no profit in exploration, howwever, we need exploration in order to advacne to the next level, space oriented commerce. This is everything from space planes that carry passengers and cargo to remote mining operatoins in the asteroid belt beyond Mars. This is all attainnable in the near future IF we focus our efforts on getting off of this rock and out there.

In the interests of salvaging our economy, tens of thousands of jobs and fighting back foreign incursions into traditionally American held markets, I feel it is necessary to subsidize critical areas of our economy. For far to long our manufacturing base has been assailed by foreign governments. They fully subsidize their industries because they know that most independent American companies cannot compete directly with nations. Every raw material resource from farming to mining needs an infuson of assistance. Grants and greater access to resources controlled by our federal government given to established companies and potential new companies that offer competetion to the old guard should be given freely but cautiously. With reduced cost for resources, processing and distribution we will all benefit by lower prices in almost every area of life. This is only logical and practical for that matter.

Taxes and the budget

There are som many different taxes and so many wasteful programs out there that the task of reeling them in seems impossible. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And so, I would propose a 25% across the board reduction in federal expenses. This will force those wasteful programs to shutdown and will get spending under control in one fell swoop.

I would exempt the defense budget because we are at war and cutting the defense budget now would be pure idiocy. Also, I would exempt the funds used for space exploration because, the truth be known, the space program is the ONLY program that has ever paid dividends on our investments. And, our future of our economy and Humanity lies out there. I would actually like to see a dramatic increase of expenditures on space related programs such as something on the order of 500% because that has always been money well spent. And, we cannot afford to give up our advantage in space. The space shuttel program and the international space station have been nothing more than a complete waste of funds in as much as they were and are very inefficient modes for exploration.

I would also proposed that the current tax code be scrapped. It has proven itself flawed and utterly useless on to many occasions. Massive loopholes permiate the current tax code which results in billions of dollars in lost revenues.

I support a Constitutional flat tax of 20% this is both non-refundable and unavoidable. As a Constitutional Amendment, this flat tax would grant the Federal government 15%, state govenrments 2% and local governments 3% as a tax of all income without any exceptions. This serves many purposes. First, it would return siginifcantly more revenue to where it is needed most, the local level. Second, it would reduced the budget for wasteful programs at the federal level and, thereby, reduce the size of the Federal government. Third, with the reduction of the availability of government funds, special intertests would be forced to find other income, meaning they would have to solicit the general public directly. In turn, this would all but eliminate stupid special interests that no one wants around in the first place. If there is no support for it, then it will die. Right, however, these idiotic programs continue to linger on by sucking at the teets of the federal sow.

Money talks, bullshit walks.

Education

Our education system is failing. There can be no argument about it. While there are gains made in one direction, there still more losses in others.

There are many reasons why our educational infrastructure cannot meet the demands of modern day society. Everything from parents not being involved to teachers unions resisting every attempt made to evaluate teachers are to blame. However, there is a more basic issue that has yet to be addressed. Our educational institutions are based on an agrarian society. This means that we are still in the mindset that every growing season our chilkdren should be out of school and working in the fields. This philosophy was fine for the 18th and 19th centuries but it didnt apply in the 20th century and id certainly does not apply today. The very basic structure underlying the foundation of our educational infrastructure is no longer relevant. What does this say about the structure itself?

Imagine you have a one room farm house with a basement. When it comes time to build an addition and another and another and then you add on a second story. This is the problem with our educational infrastructure, its overworked and it lacks support. We have a multi-story house with a partial basement. It is simply illogical to think that a partial basement can support multiple levels without significnat reinforcement. Over time this "house" will warp and sag and eventually fall in upon itself. Even with regular maintenance, this structure is doomed. Let's not kid ourselves or deny our kids a real education any longer.

Uniformity and constant exposure are the keys to learning. Without uniformity, there cannot be focus. Without constant exposure there cannot be familiarity. Leraning comes from focus and familiarity.

While some opposed a school dress code and decry that it doesn't allow students to be indidviduals, I see that a lack of a dress code promotes socio-economic barriers. If the students who cannot afford to dress as nicely and those that can afford to dress the nicest are put on the same playing field as all the rest, then there is greater opportunity for all to experience more socio-economic lifestyles and the barriers of finance are eliminated.

Becoming familiar with other socio-economic lifestyles and experiencing people as people and not as the "haves" and "have nots" students will become more conscientious of others. This goes far beyond anything a civics class can teach. As we all know, experinece is the best teacher.

Schools should operate all year. This furthers students' opportunities to take more and varied courses.

I would like to see "continuous improvement". This simply means quality control. If one thing works and works well, expand upon it. If something isn't working, fix it. If it can't be fixed, then scrap it. Students and teachers alike should be evaluated regularly not just to find out how we are doing overall but to help guide both students and teachers in directions where they need improvement and where they may be better suited to pursue their academic careers. For example, a student may have trouble in math but is good with mechanical skills. The trained observer here will see that mechanical skills are based on an understanding of math. This student isn't a poor math student. They simply lack focus and are not being taught in a way that they can learn the curriculum.

Further, we are experiencing an unhealthy growth in our youth. Our children are getting fatter! I would like the see not only continuous physical education throughout our childrens academic lives but also a requirement that they participate in physcial extra-curricular activities.

Summary

The state of the union is promising. Like the sunrise of the first day of spring, we are poised for another wondrous period of growth, advancement and innovation. The potential we have is simply awe-inspiring. There are many pitfalls on the journey ahead of us but we will meet them all head on. Never wavering and always... always believing that the best is yet to come.

Ever forward, my friends.