Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call to meet at the club, here on Base. A good friend was in need of advice. She desired the point of view from a man, only because she was having “man” troubles. She is a good friend and present for me, when I needed somebody, so it was easy to accommodate since she only wanted my mind. (hehe)

I write this, to explain my tardiness for the President’s State of the Union address. Unfortunately, I missed some of it, but not all of it. Additionally, I paid particular attention to the “experts” summing up with their impressions of what the President had to say. Now, it does not matter if another person votes Republican, Democrat or Independent, just vote or understand your Rights to participate in the Voting process. Please understand your Rights and utilize them with responsibility. These are the people, who hold my respect. I would also like to point out my respect for those, who hold public office. They worked hard for these positions and deserve our respect. If we do not appreciate their points of view, we have processes in place to inform them; then, they can make the appropriate determination on the directions of their decisions. I think this is more than fair and respectful of all those who matter. This goes both ways. While we the citizens should be respectful of those in office, those in office should (at least) show us, the citizens, respect. Those in public office are making decisions that govern our every day way of life. Just think about this. If they are in control, and we placed them in power, should they not have our best interests at the foremost of their mind when making such decisions?
I am not going to jump on any “Band Wagons” by pointing fingers and making statements of my beliefs and testifying to the validity, accurate or not. There are plenty of people already doing this on the net.
Here are my observations of last nights State of the Union address. Please, keep in mind this is only to ask the question, “Why”?
Applause count- Most comments, by the President, received an undivided standing Ovation, except the following:

Oil! He declared that America must break its long dependence on Mideast oil. He said, “America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.” Nevertheless, hampered by big budget deficits, he offered a modest program that called for ways to more efficiently produce ethanol, not just from corn but also from wood-chips or grasses. He set a six-year goal for making this alternative fuel practical and competitive.
The Democrat’s demonstrated their approval with less than 5 standing! This tells me that they are not completely interested in power reform.

Social Security! Democrats stood in unison to cheer the president’s acknowledgment of congressional inaction on his proposal to add private investment accounts to the government retirement program — an idea nearly universally opposed by Democrats.
Why would the Democrats display the disrespect, when any one person would attempt to better a program for the populace? The President specifically stated he wished to work with the Democrats for success, and they continued to sit, without applause. A clear sign of defiance.

These were only a couple examples and one may think, “This guy is an outspoken Republican because of the issues raised.” This is not the truth. The truth is about general respect and the original question of “why” we can not work together with a goal of success.
I commend all in attendance, at the very least, the room applauded after the President stated “God Bless America”, which is directly opposed to the Supreme Court’s ruling, concerning the separation of Church and State. Also, I am not an overly religious individual, who desires forced religion. This, historically, was not successful; however, freedom remains historically with success.
Your response is welcomed.

Reach is off of the “Soap Box”