Hello again, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of Freedom's Creed. Now, I often say this a lot, it seems, but it's so true, and I don't want it to sound trivial, but I have a lot on my mind today, and I've got to get to it. We often hear politicians these days talk about the importance of saving or rescuing the country, you know, saving the Constitution. What are they really saying? What threats to our way of life are they referring to? Or is it more for them, saving them in the next election? You be the judge. I know where I stand. Look at the way some of these elected people conduct themselves. Many, if not all of them, get outraged about the January 6th, 2021 so-called insurrection. Yet many of those same people didn't bat an eye during the terrible destruction, murder, and mayhem of the summer of 2020. I don't get it. They feigned outrage as something that resulted in no injuries or deaths among the people's representatives, only the shooting of a military veteran who was a threat to no one. We know that there were some deaths subsequent to January 6th, but not on January 6th. In fact, if you want to look at the property damage that resulted in a January 6th thing, and compare that to the summer of 2020, and there is no comparison. The amount of people who were allegedly destroying property and people's businesses, the lives that were lost, the violent attacks and shootings on and on and on. Where were all the gun control activists during that time? Do they demand stricter gun control measures? Not that I'm aware of. So I think overall, the decay in our society is really to me sad to see. Our system of government has decayed into something that I think is most often difficult to recognize. In fact, the founders in the Declaration said the history, and I'm quoting here, of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over the states. There you go. Tyranny. Is this where we're headed in our country with the leaders in our government? It's a scary proposition, and I certainly hope it never gets to that point. One thing is certain though, ladies and gentlemen, everyone can have their own viewpoint or opinion, that's true. But when it comes to this current administration and other politicians, they seem to think that giving a good speech is all it takes to chastise the other party for not wanting to unite the country. And in the State of the Union speech that Biden gave, he accused Republicans of wanting to do away with Social Security. I'll talk a little bit more about that in a minute. Yet he's on record as saying that the very thing that he's accusing the Republicans of doing back in the day when he was a senator. So you'll have to make that decision for yourself if he's really genuinely concerned about his fellow citizens. I have my doubts. In fact, I have my doubts about a lot of politicians, not just Biden, that's for sure. You see, when many politicians get off the stump and talk about the day-to-day affairs of the country, they are the biggest dividers you will ever find. And I don't mean biggest in physical stature. I mean they are the worst of the worst when it comes to dividing other people. Making a speech, ladies and gentlemen, doesn't fix a thing. Making a speech doesn't necessarily lend truth to reality. Making a speech has little to do with leadership. The actions of a leader, I think, that's what should be considered far and away above any speech that a so-called leader would give. However, in Biden's case, when it comes to being a leader, he's one, neither a good speaker when he's actually speaking, and two, his actions completely beguile the words he uses. And three, he seems to have no real core principles that would lead any of us to think, hmm, I can really get behind this guy. He's good for the country. No, no one thinks that about Joe Biden. Now look, I don't necessarily enjoy saying these things about another human being, but he is the president of the United States. He put himself there by the people, evidently. And his predecessor Trump, I I've said this to a lot of people. I didn't care for his personality. I didn't care for a lot of the things that he did, but you know what? Results were what I cared about. And it seemed as though the results that the four years of the Trump presidency produced were far and away, greater than any other president, probably going back to Ronald Reagan. In any case, I'm not going to spend my time talking about the distant past. I'm going to spend the rest of this episode talking about the State of the Union speech that the president gave the other night. Personally, I didn't spend my time or even waste my time listening to this speech because to me, it's just that a speech. It means nothing to me. And I think a lot of people probably have that sentiment or share that sentiment. But in a lot of cases, as I said before, a lot of politicians seem to think that giving a speech is somehow all you gotta do. Give a great speech or even a mediocre speech in this case, and everything's gonna be okay. People will just forget about the problems that they're having or the challenges that they're seeing with the economy and inflation and high gas prices and a host of other things. But no, that that's not the case. People don't forget. So what I will be doing for the balance of this episode is pulling out some nuggets of his speech, and believe me, there were a bunch of them. So I'm doing this so you don't have to. So you are welcome. He said this very early on in the speech. Quote, two years ago, the economy was reeling. I stand here tonight after we've created, with the help of many people in this room, twelve million new jobs. More jobs created in two years than any president has created in four years. Listen here. Presidents don't create jobs. Okay? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It's such a dumb thing to say. And not just Biden have said this, other presidents have said it, regardless of party. It's ridiculous, it's untrue, and it's something that I hope most people understand. I'm fired up already. Let's see, just off the top of my head, in the last administration, unemployment was the lowest that it had ever been for any demographic. Employment was off the charts. People's retirement and savings were higher than they had been in a very long time. Just the overall sentiment in the country was positive. We had energy independence. There were a lot of things that were really good about the last administration that this president inherited. Now, I love it when the Obama administration always talked about how they inherited crap from the George W. Bush administration. You know what? Whatever you so-called inherited, it doesn't matter. You're the president. Be a leader, show people that you care about them, and do something good for others. Quit blaming your pathetic results on other people. It's disgusting. Biden also said this, quote, and two years ago our democracy faced its greatest threat since the civil war. End of quote. Not World War II, not the civil rights movement or the attack on our country on nine eleven oh one. January sixth, twenty twenty one was the greatest threat to our democracy since the Civil War. Speeches. Wow, this guy is unbelievable. Now, to clarify, he didn't actually say January sixth was the greatest threat to our democracy. But let's see. Two years ago, from February eighth, twenty twenty-three, was really close to January sixth, twenty twenty one. You go be the judge. I'm pretty sure we all know what he was talking about. In the speech, he talks about coming together as Democrats and Republicans. It's okay for him to say it, I guess, in the State of the Union, but every other time throughout the year, eh, screw it. I don't need to talk about coming together with Democrats and Republicans. They're liars and cheats, and we're the greatest things in sliced bread, is what he's probably thinking. I don't know. I don't want to get in his head. Yeah, anyway. He went on to say that uh his vision for the country, like many of ours, is to quote, restore the soul of this nation, to rebuild the backbone of America, America's middle class, and to unite the country. End of quote. You know what, Joe? Making a speech doesn't make it so. You actually got to do something. You gotta actually show that you can unite people and not divide people. And so far, in the last two years, that's pretty much all any of us have seen. Division. And in fact, if I remember correctly, he said in his inauguration speech that he was going to be a guy who was gonna bring people together and not be a president over a divided America, or words to that effect. I'm not seeing it right now, folks. I'm just not. And I'm a pretty optimistic person. The glass is always half full. But if it's half empty, I want to know who drank half of my drink. You know what I'm saying? He goes on, quote, too many good pain manufacturing jobs moved overseas, factories closed down, end of quote. Well, why? Why did that happen? I don't know. High taxes imposed by a government who everybody knows or seems to know that corporations don't pay federal taxes, they just pass it on to consumers. Well, they have to pay taxes of some kind, people. Come on. But with respect to the automobile industry, the unions are, I think, responsible for driving up the cost of automobiles because they wanted and they held hostage many of the car manufacturers with pensions and a lot of other things that healthcare that made it almost impossible for the car manufacturers to not raise the price of a car, which led to manufacturing happening outside of the United States. Look at Detroit, Michigan. That's a good example. Any business's bottom line is to try to save where they can, and if they can get cheap labor, whether it's Mexico or Vietnam or any other country, China, then that's what they're going to do. So congratulations, government. Jerks. Mr. Biden said, quote, I ran for president to fundamentally change things. End of quote. Now, where have we heard that before? Think, think, think, think, think. Oh yeah. Mr. Obama said that he was going to fundamentally transform America, and boy, did he ever. Biden said, quote, to make sure the economy works for everyone so we can all feel the pride in what we do. End of quote. Again, presidents don't create jobs. They have very little to do with the economy. What they can do, however, is use that bully pulpit to be a positive speaker and a positive example for other people to encourage other people to succeed in whatever it is they do. That's what a president can do. Start doing that, Joe Biden. He talked a lot about jobs in this speech, creating them and all of this other nonsense. He said, quote, we've created with your help 800,000 good paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in forty years. End of quote. I don't think they created any jobs, but the jobs that were so-called created, most of them were created, or shall we say, restored post-COVID. In other words, most of these were jobs that were simply given back to either the people who had them before, or the employer simply hired other people to take the place of the people who lost their jobs during the COVID shutdown. He went on to say, quote, for too many decades we imported projects and exported jobs. Now, thanks to what you've all done, we're exporting American products and creating American jobs, close quote. Really? How come every time I go to any store practically or buy something online, it still has these three words made in China. There is a lot of work to be done, that's for sure. And Biden in his speech often said, We're not finished, blah, blah, blah. Well, guess what? Something needs to be done to truly bring back manufacturing to the United States. And so far, I haven't seen it. Not from this administration, and not enough from the past administration. And certainly going back in time to whoever you want to go back to, it's not being done. Jobs and manufacturing jobs particularly are not being brought back to this country like the president says they are. He said, quote, I promised I'd be a president for all Americans, close quote. Well, how's that working out? I don't think it's working out too well. He says, quote, we're making sure that every community in America has access to affordable high-speed internet, end of quote. How in the world is anyone in government making this happen? I don't know. I really don't know. How are they making that possible? Are they paying the tech companies or whomever it is that makes high-speed internet possible? Are they getting out and digging the trenches and the ditches, installing fiber optic cables in the ground so that people can have access to high-speed internet? Please. He later says that he gets criticized about these projects and bringing manufacturing back to America and that, quote, we're going to buy American closed, quote. Well, maybe, but they're just not going to buy American oil because they shut down the Keystone Pipeline, which would have bought a lot of oil from Canada and which also would have restored a lot of good-paying jobs for people to work in this economy and kept us energy independent, all while, guess what? Looking at opportunities for alternative energy, something that in some way and partially can perhaps replace oil or gas. It's not going to be a hundred percent. No way. Not ever, not know how. Okay? But yes, looking for alternative forms of energy is a smart thing to do. Why not? But it ain't gonna happen tomorrow. So why didn't he just keep those things going so that we could maintain some energy independence and not have to rely on countries like Venezuela or somebody in the Middle East? Come on, man. And yes, y'all know why I said that. It needs no explanation. He said this also, quote, I'm also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. Made in America. I mean it, close quote. Why does he always include this kind of emphasis about I'm serious, or I mean it, or it's almost like he knows that people know how he is, and so they naturally don't believe him. You know, it's like the the consummate liar, the person who can't ever tell the truth, and they have to say, Oh, I'm serious, man. I I mean it. Yeah, I'm I'm I'm not kidding. Okay, he had the gall to say this quote, we're building an economy where no one is left behind. Close quote. I've talked about this before. There are always going to be people left behind because they are either lazy or they have no ambition, or they just are unwilling to do what it takes to get ahead in life. And I get it. There are people who, for whatever reason, are not able to make things happen in their lives, and that's unfortunate. And I believe that government definitely should step in for people like that. People who have mental illness, people who have disabilities, people who are unable to support themselves. We're not talking about the general public, people who are in good health, who have the ability to work, but choose not to. Because guess what? Government cannot make this kind of statement with any ounce of validity. It sickens me every time I hear it. People are going to be left behind. It's unfortunate, but it happens. And the rest of us who have some measure of success ought to be doing something to help other people, whatever that is. If you give or you tithe to your church or you give to somebody on the street, or you donate your time or your resources, whatever it is, you should be doing something to help your fellow man. If you're not doing that right now, don't be don't feel guilty about it. But just do some introspection and see if there's something you can do, even if it's a little. It doesn't matter how much it is or what you do, it matters that you do, right? So find a way to help other people who are less fortunate than you. You are. It's not that difficult. Here's a zinger. He said, quote, too many of you lay in bed at night, like my dad did, staring at the ceiling, wondering what happens if your spouse gets cancer or your child gets deadly ill, or if something happens to you. End of quote. Well now, if that is what some people do, including Joe's dad, well, he's gone from us now, rest a soul. Well, if that's what some people do, then I feel sorry for them. I simply don't think like a pessimist. I don't lay in bed at night thinking, man, what happens if my arm gets chopped off or I can't use my legs anymore? No. Most of the time I'm thinking, I wish I could sure get to sleep right now because that'd be nice. I gotta get up early or whatever. Or what can I do to have a more positive impact on my own life, my family's life, and those that I associate with. In my view, life is way too short to think of the negative things that can happen. Sure. I mean, look, I'm aware that accidents happen, things can happen. Your life can be turned upside down in a moment's notice. But I'm not gonna sit here and think about it or lay at the lay in the bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about these things. I mean, sorry, not gonna do it. Biden's State of the Union included this, Jim. Quote, we pay more for prescription drugs than any nation in the world. Let me say it again. We pay more for prescription drugs than any major nation on earth. End of quote. As I mentioned previously, he talked about finishing the job and that there's more to do. Well, what job? It's certainly not his job to do anything but protect the citizens of the United States because that's a constitutional duty that the president has. His job is not to create employment for other people. There's always going to be more that the American people want to do. Essentially, we're never really finished. Don't we all strive to do more every day of our lives? And not just our for ourselves, but for our families and those that we love? Isn't that what we try to do? And I get it. Sometimes people have worked hard all day and they just want to go home, have a drink, put their feet up, watch a little TV, and that's fine. That's the American way. But it's also the American way to be innovative, to be an entrepreneur, to do something that maybe you never thought about doing before, but you wanted to do. It's certainly not something that I think about all the time, which is man, when's my president gonna do more for me to lift me into a higher income bracket? Yeah, come on, buddy. No, that's not how it works. And then there was this section of the speech where he started talking about oil and oil companies taking big profits and using those profits to buy back stock, not to help reduce gas prices and blah, blah, blah. He said, quote, we're going to need oil for at least another decade. And beyond that, we're going to need it, end of quote. I think this was something that was ad-libbed by Joe Biden. I don't think his speech writer included that in his speech. He also tried to talk about how fiscally responsible they're being, which is incredible. He said that, quote, in the last two years, my administration has cut the deficit by more than one point seven trillion dollars, the largest deficit reduction in American history. End of quote. Well, according to bipartisanpolicy.org, deficits are projected to grow significantly over the coming decades. Hmm. Next, this is probably part of the speech that got the most reaction from Republicans. He said this, quote, instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset, close quote. So I guess that means go away. Some people booed, shouted no, called him a liar. Wow, it was pretty crazy, evidently. I saw some clips of it. As I said, I didn't watch the speech. I have more important things to do. Now, in an effort to respond to some of these um hecklers, the president got a little flummoxed because he said, quote, I enjoy conversion closed, quote. Are you kidding me? Conversion to what? I heard that after the fact when I heard it on a clip. I think he was trying to say conversation, but conversion came out, so I don't know what he meant there. I've also seen clips where he himself said, back in 1995, I believe, that he was willing to cut not only Social Security, but Medicare and other tax funded programs for the American people. So he's had a big moment where he evidently changed. He said, quote, next month, when I offer my fiscal plan, I ask my Republican friends to lay down their plan as well. I really mean it. Let's sit down together and discuss our mutual plans together. Let's do that. Well, I won't hold my breath. With respect to taxes, he said, quote, I will not raise taxes on anyone making under four hundred grand, but we'll pay for it the way we talked about tonight, by making sure that the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, end of quote. Uh news flash, buddy. You can do that year after year, but it won't make a dent in the budget deficit or the national debt. Spending has to be cut, and that's the bottom line. Speeches won't make it happen. And then there's this section about noncompete agreements. He said this quote, thirty million workers have to sign noncompete agreements for the jobs they take. Thirty million. So a cashier at a burger place can't walk across town and take the same job at another burger place and make a few bucks more, end of quote. Guess what, mister President? According to a Princeton professor named Orley Ashenfelter in 2020, fast food restaurants do not require workers to sign non compete agreements. Period. He then said quote, it just changed. They just changed it because we exposed it. That was part of the deal, guys. Look it up. But not anymore. End of quote. Speeches. Does he not know that when he doesn't tell the truth that people are gonna know? This guy's unbelievable. He talked about public safety. He said, quote, public safety depends on public trust, as all of us know. But too often that trust is violated, end of quote. That's true, and criminals need to respect the public trust as well. That's not just for law enforcement. And then he made this comment about his kids. He said, quote, I never had to have the talk with them. I never had to tell them, if a police officer pulls you over, turn your interior lights on right away. Don't reach for your license, keep your hands on the steering wheel. End of quote. Well, if you didn't tell your kids this stuff, then you were doing them a major disservice. Every parent should say that to their children. End of story. He talked about law enforcement who earn the trust of the community. Well, how about citizens who earn the community's trust by obeying the law and doing what they should to make sure that they don't infringe upon the rights of their fellow citizens? That'd be a nice thing to do, don't you think? Then he tried to be so pious by saying, quote, equal protection under the law is a covenant we have with each other in America, end of quote. Well, I hate to break it to him, but we have a two-tiered justice system in America, one for the connected and wealthy, like him, and then one for everyone else. And not just him. There are a lot of other people who could have their name included in that conversation as well. I'm not just picking on the president. He talked about holding law enforcement to a higher standard. That's all well and good, but what about higher standards for citizens? Wouldn't that help make communities safe and law enforcement's job a little easier? Well, ladies and gentlemen, there is probably a lot more to this speech that I could have talked about, but didn't. But what I did talk about, I hope you can appreciate and understand the situation that we have in America today. The president gives a state of the Union because it's codified in the Constitution, but it's become more of a political speech than anything else. The signers of the Declaration of Independence said this, quote, We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, close quote. Ladies and gentlemen, if you can think it, you can plan it. If you can plan it, you can do it.