If you were like me last night, you were at intervals arguing at your television. As I watched the State of the Union address, I was angered. The reason that I was angry was that there was no way that the President believed his own speech, but I knew that much of America would. So what are my points of contention?
Mainly what I would like to point out is where the President’s numbers and facts were used to paint a prettier picture than reality. We find no place more skewed than in the area of economic recovery. Obama claims a thriving economy. Though this is an optimistic representation, what’s worse is the fact that he wants to take credit for the upswing.
The President said: “At this moment – with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry and booming energy production – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth.”
Though there has been a rise in jobs, most of these jobs have been lower paying or part-time. This means that, though people are going back to work, they are doing so at a lower wage. So then, we have to understand that those who lost higher paying industrial and construction jobs are now taking lower paying retail or restaurant jobs.
Part-time employment has risen. These are lower-paying and less promising jobs. Though this counts as jobs, it does not encourage the hope that causes these people to make new investments, such as houses and vehicles. These kind of purchases are what drives true economic growth and put people back to work.
AP’s fact checker tells us this trend: ” . . . has left the income of the typical household below its pre-recession
level. Inflation-adjusted median household income reached $53,880 in November 2014, according to an analysis of government data by Sentier Research. That is about 4 percent higher than when it bottomed out in 2011. But it is still 4.5 percent lower than the $56,447 median income in December 2007, the month the recession began.”
This means that though things seem to be getting better, we find that we still have not recovered to the point we were when the wheels began to come off. We also need to ask; what exactly has the government done to encourage these modestly slow gains? The answer is nothing unless you count the bailout of the auto industry. Which I believe actually encouraged bad business practices. What does Obama want to do next to continue this growth?
He wants to raise taxes on the people who are going to do the hiring of the middle class. As I recently reported, Obama’s big plan includes $320 Billion in tax hikes on the rich. Most of the people effected are small business owners who file as individuals. Meaning they will have to raise their prices, hold raises for current employees, or not hire new employees.
There is also the fact that Obama is bent on raising the minimum wage. Again, such a move would prove to be disastrous.
Remember that gain in employment of part-time workers we spoke of earlier? If Obama gets this wage hike, you can kiss those jobs good-by. Oh yeah, and the idea of fast food will stop being so fast. How about McDonalds having a $20 menu instead of a dollar menu. What about waiting twenty minutes for a Big Mack and fries. Thanks, Obama!
The President also sought to take credit for the upsurge in energy production in America. This is classic political pandering. Obama had nothing to do with fracking, the real cause for the rise in oil production. In fact, if he were interested in energy independence in America, he would sign the bill on the pipe-line. But, as we heard, he has moved his agenda to the far left. This makes the pipeline less likely.
We in America should be use to politicians taking credit for what happened while they were in office. It is disconcerting though that in one minute he tells of the gains and then in the next how he is going to kill them. A sad example of leadership.
http://freedomforce.com/1101/obama-fudges-economic-growth/
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