Tomorrow night, President Obama will deliver his sixth State of the Union address. The Constitution says the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." While the concept may be noble in theory, in reality, the annual address has devolved into nothing more than a campaign stump speech filled with empty promises.
On radio this morning, Glenn previewed President Obama’s remarks. You can guarantee the election-year themes of ‘income inequality’ and ‘change we can believe in’ will be on full display as President Obama promises to level the playing field by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. There is no question Americans are hungry for change, and President Obama will promise to right some of the wrongs and change the course of the country. But as Glenn explained, the change Americans seek can never come from Washington. We the people must be willing to fight for the change we wish to see.
Tomorrow night the President is going to give his State of the Union address before Congress and the American people. Well, actually, let me rephrase that first before we go on. Tomorrow night the President's going to give a campaign speech full of misleading data, some outright lies, some good sounding platitudes, and none of it will mean anything. And instead it will become a circus. And the only ones that will really watch it are those who are part of the circus – the media and those who are somehow or another involved in the parties. I don't think the American people are there anymore.
The President tomorrow will use the Second Amendment again to divide us, to talk about inequality and how the game is rigged and how it is so unfair. He's not going to mention those things like a good education, experience [that] will actually help you find things that are fair – that in the end… kind of equal out. Those with little education and not much experience will learn that those things… are the great equalizers.
But this society now is a society that doesn't like to work, doesn't want to do the hard things. We are being pitted against each other and envy is our real enemy now. But there is some luck involved. Corporate cronyism is a disease that is spreading, but by and large you still reap what you sow in this country. But that's not going to be good enough for the President or, quite honestly, those on the other side of the aisle, either, because they're all there to help you. It doesn't give them power, you see, if they actually tell the truth that you can make it, that this is a country still with the greatest opportunity on planet Earth, but it's fading fast.
So he wants to take from those who are educated, either in school or on their own, who have worked hard for years for the people who have taken risks that are now successful. They want to take it from them and give it to those who didn't do any of those things because, in their world, that is the definition of fairness. In my world that's robbery. But the good news is most Americans won't even watch or listen because it's not the America that we want.
Why have we allowed this to happen and go on year after year after year? Why are we doing that? Why do we just accept it? We've been asleep. Are we still asleep? We've had our heads down and we've become part of the herd instead of being heard. Look at the people around you. Next time you go to the airport, look around you. As people wind through the maze at airport security, heads down, following the winding path, oblivious to what's going on. If somebody in that line looked up and said, "Good morning," would you smile and respond, or would you think that they were some sort of crazy person? "What the hell's wrong with that person?"
Go to New York City and stand by the doors of Grand Central Station in the afternoon as commuters head home and head for their trains, their heads down in a trance, not paying any attention to those around them. What if you stopped somebody on the street or stopped somebody at Grand Central Station and said, "Excuse me, do you know of a good restaurant nearby?" How many would even slow down now…
That's the nation we used to be. And the good news is I think we still have that within our grasp. I think we're starting to realize who we were and what we've allowed ourselves to become, and we don't like what we see and so change is in the air. We want to change it. But know this: The change isn't going to come from the President tomorrow night. The change we actually seek is not coming from anybody who says "Vote for me and I'll change it." Oh, they'll change things, but the change you seek is not coming from Washington. The change will happen when we all start to look up. The change will happen when we take the time to connect with the stranger next to us, or when we take the time to connect to the strange news that we're hearing.
The big bank HSBC has restricted people from taking $10,000 or more out of their bank accounts without a note, I think from their mom, explaining what exactly they're doing with that money. "Why are you taking the money out?" Excuse me. It's my money. I'm taking my money out… The change will come when we stand at the teller of the bank and we look them in the eye and we say, "Excuse me. That's my money. If I want to take it all out, I'm going to take it all out.” "Well, sir, for your own safety, we are concerned when you leave the bank." And I want to take my own out and I walk out into the chat R into the street and I want to throw it out in the air, I have a right to do it. It's my money.
Things will change when we start looking up and connecting, connecting to what is really happening and then connecting with each other. There's a video up on TheBlaze that we watched this weekend… Just the greatest videos. Go watch it… Such a great video of hope. It's a little ripple, one kind moment, one kind gesture that will lead to another. Common sense, common values, common courtesy. And none of these are on display in Washington. So let's display them ourselves. We the people, three words that are self-evident. It's up to us. It always has been up to us. We the people.
Tomorrow night will be about manipulation and power and greed, envy, but we're so much better than that. The greatest presidents we've ever had have always been those presidents that made us want to reach inside of ourself and be better because all of us know we are better than this. We are the people.
I said to my wife, because I've been having some back problems, Pat has been having some back problems. And I said to my wife this weekend, "I am so sick of being sick. I'm so sick of feeling like crap." Don't you feel this way as an American? Aren't you sick of feeling this way? Aren't you sick of being less than we are? I know I'm not the only one. We're so much better than this! And nobody else is going to demand it of us, nor should they demand it. I don't want a president demanding, "Oh, I'll tell you this. You'll not be who you think you are. You're going to be better than…" What? We have to demand it of ourselves. We're awake. Finally we're awake and we're looking up.
The best days of this country, the best days of humankind are still ahead of us, and don't you ever believe otherwise. Don't you ever listen to anybody else tell you differently. Something those who want power, those who want you to consume something, buy something, they will always tell you: Well, you'll be so much better if you have X, Y or Z. Well, I'm a guy who has a lot of stuff for you to buy. I got a lot of books for you to buy. I've got a lot of tickets that I'd like you to buy. I've got a lot of news stories I'd like you to read. I'd like you to go to the advertisers on this radio station and buy some of their stuff if that's what you need. But I'm telling you right now, I don't need you to buy anything. You will not be better if you're listening to this program. You will not be stronger. You don't need me. You need to know the truth, and the truth is you were born with everything that you need. You're smart enough. I'm cobbling the stuff together that we're finding. You can do the same thing. Don't you ever believe anybody who says "Without me, you're nothing. Without this system, you won't be able to make it."
Washington wants you to believe that without them we are doomed. Well, let's flip the tables, shall we? Let's make sure that they clearly understand: "We the people. Without us, they're doomed."
