President Trump- State of the Union 1/30/2018

[elephant]

What were your thoughts? I thought it was a good speech. Trump spoke a lot on unity, coming together for the good of the nation. Some of the key points that struck a chord with me were:

1. $1.5 Trillion needed to rebuild America's infrastructure( roads, bridges, highways etc.)

2. Stock Market has broken numerous records, added $8 trillion.

3. A lot of businesses are coming back to America and investing tens of billions of dollars (which I think is great to Obamas remark, " what magic wand does he have"?)
Apple is investing $350 Billion in the US
Exxon/Mobil is investing $50 Billion in the US
Boeing is investing $125 Billion in US
Toyota is investing $80 Billion in US
Ford is investing $112 Billion in US
GM is investing $55 Billion in US
Hyundai is investing $40 billion in US

4. Taxes are lower, lowest taxes has been in decades.

5. Companies are distributing wealth to employees (citing major tax breaks as the reason)

6. Unemployment is lowest in decades


What are your thoughts? Anything that stood out to you in his speech?

[Moose-Knuckle]

I haven't had the time to watch it yet, but have some lotion and Kleenex on stand by.....

[chuckman]

I think it was like every other SOTU by a Republican president, a highlighted, back-slapping pep rally for the GOP, but I thought he attempted to extend multiple olive branches to the democrats, he used a lot of "us" and "we" language, and he did his job of focusing on his platform, what he did, and what he plans to do.

While I never expect the opposition to stand and clap all the time, what the democrats did was just sad. It may come back to haunt them: sitting on one's keister when POTUS was talking up God-America-veterans isn't usually a good idea, and having a Kennedy delivery your rebuttal speech is very risky.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Kennedy was literally foaming at the mouth. I found his presentation style annoying. Like Bill Burr, but even more staccato. He sounded like JFK on speed. I don’t know what his messag was except he wants everything, while making sure he filled his speech with hashtags.

#GingerSpeedFreakPol

Conan must be dreaming that he runs for POTUS.

[Averageman]

I think Joe Kennedy III slobbered through his response so much that the last time a Kennedy was that wet his Uncle Ted was climbing out of the Chappaquiddick River.

[chuckman]

I think Joe Kennedy III slobbered through his response so much that the last time a Kennedy was that wet his Uncle Ted was climbing out of the Chappaquiddick River.

"Don't ask what your country can drool for you; instead, ask what you can drool for your country!"

[Jellybean]

I thought it was a decent speech. He did a good job staying on topic, and made his talking point just as clearly as any other POTUS I've seen giving a speech.
Like any "state of the union" speech from any president there are always two parts to the address- tell everyone everything is going to be fine, and lay out your plan for the next year[s]. I've long since ceased to give a damn about the first part, the second... if they can pull it off, I'll be interested to see exactly what we actually get out of it... It all sounds fairly good if they can follow up...

Frankly, there's still some things I don't quite know how it would be possible to accomplish, but hey, they still make good batons to wave over the "other side of the aisle's" heads...

I think his comments on growing our nuke stockpile may bite him in the ass a bit....

[Sry0fcr]

Just another SOTU speech IMO. He stuck to the teleprompter... mostly. I guess that's a win.

I did hear alot of talk about spending, nothing about actually paying for anything though. I guess the GOP forgot about all that fiscal responsibility stuff we used to talk about.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Just another SOTU speech IMO. He stuck to the teleprompter... mostly. I guess that's a win.

I did hear alot of talk about spending, nothing about actually paying for anything though. I guess the GOP forgot about all that fiscal responsibility stuff we used to talk about.

People don’t care. We have been screaming about the debt and deficit for 40 years and people have grown immune to it. Most still can’t tell the difference between debt and deficit. The Dems bribe people by promising to give them other people’s money. The GOP bribes people to let them keep their money. I’m glad the GOP has finally decided to be relevant and maybe win elections instead of letting the dems bribe people with mostly GOP people’s money.

[26 Inf]

Just another SOTU speech IMO. He stuck to the teleprompter... mostly. I guess that's a win.

I did hear alot of talk about spending, nothing about actually paying for anything though. I guess the GOP forgot about all that fiscal responsibility stuff we used to talk about.

From what I've read, I generally check out the Real Clear site as well as perusing the Interesting News from Around the World site to try to get a left-right-center reading on things - the bar was set pretty low in judging President Trump's first SOTU address. Perhaps this is best illustrated by praise that he read from the teleprompter and stayed on message for the most part.

In most households repaying debts isn't nearly as exciting as getting the new 105" TV the they put on the credit card, why would the government be any different.

Bottom line is: spin is spin, is spin is spin. Wages are up, maybe because of tax breaks, it may also be because the unemployment rate is actually about as low as it is going to go considering normal churn in the job market, and employers are having to pay a little more to fill needed positions. Regardless, it is spun as a result of the tax act.

As far as paying for things, as my son told me 'Dad, you don't have enough money to be a Republican.' It seems it may be true:


Trump Told Friends ‘You All Just Got a Lot Richer’ From Tax Bill: Report

He made the comment at his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to CBS News.

President Donald Trump told friends at his lavish Mar-a-Lago club “you all just got a lot richer” after the passage of his tax cut legislation, CBS News reported Sunday.

Trump reportedly made the remark during dinner on Friday at the exclusive Florida resort, where initiation fees cost $200,000, just hours after he signed the bill into law. Asked for comment by CBS News, the White House on Saturday stood by its claims that the legislation would benefit the middle class.

While households at every income level will see a tax cut next year, wealthy taxpayers would benefit the most from the bill, according to independent analysts. The heart of the measure is a massive corporate tax cut ― a permanent reduction in the top rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Most tax cuts for individuals, however, are set to expire in eight years.

The remarks Trump reportedly made on Friday also seemingly contradict a promise he made several months ago when he first began pitching his tax proposal to Congress.

“The rich will not be gaining at all with this plan,” Trump said after a Sept. 12 meeting with lawmakers at the White House.

“We are looking for the middle class, and we are looking for jobs, jobs being the economy. So, we’re looking at middle class, and we’re looking at jobs,” he added.

Trump’s friends likely won’t be the only ones who stand to gain from the tax cut legislation. The president himself is set to save $11 million a year from a single rule change in the bill, according to Forbes.

So, forgive me if I'm waiting to see the wonderfulness. I still have to admit, the best thing about President Trump is that he isn't Hilary Clinton.