The STFU Address

Last night, Barack Obama decided to skip the SOTU Address and give instead the STFU Address. He told the American people in essence to stfu, that everything he's been doing the past year is the right thing, and then some, and that anybody who disagrees is an obstructionist, opposed to what's best for Americans.

Ignoring polls, election results, a plethora of economic data, and even common sense, the Pretender-in-Chief unsurprisingly chose to double down on his drive to enslave America in Progressive chains. Rather than humbly admit that everything he's advocated and done the last year has had results the exact opposite of what any reasonable person could conclude was a success, he simply declared them so and that anyone who believes otherwise should... well, you know.

Harsh words, to be sure, but justified.

What more stfu statement could there be than his reaction to the Supreme Court decision affirming a First Amendment right for all Americans, including those who happen to run a business? Obama snidely slammed the court, lying about turning over 100 years of legal decisions, while all but Justice Alito sat unmoving. Hero-of-the-hour Alito chose to mouth the words "not true." Truer words were never not spoken.

But the centerpiece of Obama's delusion — or Big Lie, if you prefer — was yet to come in the form of his unqualified praise for the wholly destructive and laughably named Recovery Act.

Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. [Note the lack of reference to the role the Feds played.] It was not easy to do. And if there’s one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, it’s that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal.

But when I ran for President, I promised I wouldn’t just do what was popular – I would do what was necessary. And if we had allowed the meltdown of the financial system, unemployment might be double what it is today. More businesses would certainly have closed. More homes would have surely been lost.

An outrageous and, as he well knows, wholly unsupportable, not to say unverifiable, projection.

Later, he asserted: "Because of the steps we took, there are about two million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed."

According to the CBO, "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."

Far worse is this claim: "And we are on track to add another one and a half million jobs to this total by the end of the year."

Even if that absurd lie were true, why in hell is the Federal government even attempting to 'add' jobs? That's the business of business. The business of the government is to protect rights by following the Constitution. To believe otherwise is to adopt the fascist model of governance.

The balderdash continues:

So I supported the last administration’s efforts to create the financial rescue program. And when we took the program over, we made it more transparent and accountable. As a result, the markets are now stabilized, and we have recovered most of the money we spent on the banks.

More transparent? One news report after the next states no one knows know where the money went. Moreover, "as a result" implies cause and effect. The only effect of the so-called Stimulus bill has been to slow the recovery that would have occurred more rapidly in its absence. Unlike the claim about jobs that would have been lost, that assertion can actually be verified by looking at the history of recessions from the past 150 years. Finally, anybody who believes markets have been stable the past year simply hasn't been watching or simply attaches no meaning to words.

As usual, Obama — like any Progressive — tries to have it both ways. He acknowledges,

Now, the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America’s businesses. But government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.

True, so far as it goes. What he doesn't acknowledge is that his huge and unprecedented deficit spending, nationalizing of auto companies, creation of market uncertainty by continual demonizing of "fat cats," attempt to fascize the health insurance sector, and dozens more anti-business policy decisions — not least the Recovery Act itself — are the very opposite of those conditions.

All the conditions that would actually help — lowering spending, lowering taxes, removing regulations, closing off the fiat money creation spigot, and in general reducing the reach and strength of Federal tentacles — are actions Obama would never even consider.

Then comes the payoff, literally. To address the "anger and frustration" of the American people, he proposes to use $30 billion in repaid TARP money to fund community bank loans for small businesses. He does actually make a sensible suggestion:

While we’re at it, let’s also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment; and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment.

However, it's a transparent sop and will never make it through Congress this year, but at least he's been forced into a corner where he has to say it.

Still, once again we have to ask, why is the Federal government once again using tax policy for social engineering (this time in economic form)? As judges on TV are wont to say, "Asked and answered. Move on."

So, let's move on. He goes on to suggest a number of very reasonable sounding proposals, such as building many new nuclear power plants or providing a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college. But they all suffer from the same basic perspective: that the Federal government is and should be the driver, manager, and controller of what will or won't be pursued. That fascist vision is at the core of everything that is wrong with the government today.

Of course, that attitude isn't exclusive to or new with Obama or the current Congress. It's been going on for 100 years, with increasing fervor the past 40. He is simply the most consistent and committed in that respect. So, with that in mind, I suggest to Barack Obama that he and his Congressional cronies be the ones to stfu and let Americans get on with their lives unfettered by his 'help'.


Update: CATO, with more patience than I possess, fact checks a few more of the Pretender-In-Chief's claims. [Via Not PC.]

Update II: I don't know who writes Sarah Palin's material - it might be her, but it doesn't sound like her when she speaks. But whoever gets the credit, her Facebook post is superb from beginning to end.