Facing the State of the Union

America is a nation that conceives many odd inventions for getting somewhere but it can think of nothing to do once it gets there.  ~ Will Rogers

After listening to President Obama's words last night and a few of the comments by various pundits and talking heads, I have concluded that at this moment the United States is far from a perfect Union but it ain't nearly as bad as it has been or could be.

For example...

• after the worst recession in decades, we see an economy growing again., 
• after two years of job losses, we've added private-sector jobs for 12 straight months, more than 1 million in all.
• after over twelve years of war in the Middle East we are basically not in combat in Iraq and (I see) a light at the end of the tunnel in Afghanistan
• the big Civil War ended in 1865 
• time after time, when our resolve has been tested, we, as a nation, have always prevailed.

I agree with President Obama that overcoming the challenges of today requires a new vision for tomorrow--a vision toward which we Americans will move together, or not at all. Yes,  challenges we face are much bigger than partisan politics can handle.

You know, folks, there ain't nothing new about any of this. As a nation, we have been in the situation before. Even the political nastiness ain't new: from my viewpoint (I've not heard any pundit say this) today's Republicans are like the 1860 Southern Democrats, who ran Kentuckian John C. Breckinridge against Abe Lincoln and the then new Republican party; the Tea Party has all of the absurd stupidity of George Wallace’s American Independent Party.

Of course, that's my viewpoint. If you happen to be a right-wing Republican or Tea Partiest, I'm sure you disagree. That's OK with me and I pray you allow me to have my views. We really do need to pull together if our ship of state is go anywhere.

As I look to the future, I so wish we hand fewer nasty political pundits and more humorous ones, such as Will Rogers:

• "There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."
• "It's not what we don't know that hurts. It's what we know that ain't so."
• "The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other."
• "Ten men (all Republicans) in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can't buy enough to eat."
• "A fool and his money are soon elected."  
• "If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can't get us out."
• "The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets."
• "The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office."
• "Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it's not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago."
• "Democrats never agree on anything, that's why they're Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they would be Republicans."
• "Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated."
• "I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat."
• "Never miss a good chance to shut up."

I think that I shall now shut up.

: