UPDATE: Add your SOTU in the comments.
Inspired by Gore Vidal, I'd like to offer my SOTU.
It starts with a series of Constitutional issues, if not outright crises, is padded heavily with "failures at all levels of government", and ends in thunderous applause.
Thanks to the blogosphere for this op. Full text on the flip.
My fellow Americans...
For that is what I am, an American, whose Constitution begins with "We the People". I come before you tonight to deliver the State of the Union message.
The message I have to deliver is that we have strayed very far from the founding principles of our democracy, the first of its kind in history. Our founding fathers drafted a charter that implemented a system of checks and balances between the three branches of government. They drafted a set of specific protections for the basic rights of all citizens, the first 10 Amendments, the Bill of Rights. This system of protections was designed to give us an effective, representative government where those that govern would be responsible and accountable always to the governed, and would not abuse their power. The abuses against which such protections were devised, were common in the day of the framers. They knew first hand about warrantless and groundless search and seizure, about restrictions on freedom of expression.
So where are we today?
The Executive Branch, led by President Bush, has been spying on Americans without warrants or reasonable cause for more than four years, in direct contravention of existing statute, and contrary in every way to the 4th Amendment.
Congress has been busy abdicating its role as a check on the power of the Executive branch. In 2001-02 It gave away its Unitary Legislative Power to declare war to the Executive Branch. Yesterday it gave away its Unitary Legislative Power to restrict Executive stacking of the Judicial Branch by confirming Judge Samuel Alito.
Both the Legislative and Executive Branches are embroiled in massive corruption scandals involving indictments for money laundering, corruption, obstruction of justice, and investigations into violations of SEC rules and accepting bribes. At least one large campaign donor is now on trial for corporate fraud. Another case is examining whether Texas Congressional districts were illegally gerrymandered to help create a "perpetual majority" of one party in our democracy. This in itself is so profoundly undemocratic that we can not let it go unmarked.
That's all going on in our nation's capitol right now. But what about out here in the provinces?
I'm a 43 year old man. I'm married with two small children. I live in a declining Northeaster city and work as a contractor for a declining Fortune 100 giant. I pay for my family's health insurance. I get no paid vacations or sick days, or benefits of any kind. I've been in this situation for 3 out of the last 4 years, so I'm used to it. In fact I'm doing pretty well. My income has jumped around the last few years. In 2000 it was around $70K, in 2001 $40K, in 2002 it was less than $0. Now I'm back up in the $70Ks again.
In 2000 health insurance cost around $5200. In 2005 I picked the cheapest plan available to me and it cost $8400.
In 2005 our family sold our Victorian dream house in the country, because it was becoming too expensive to heat, and moved closer to town. We downscaled by over 1000 square feet, but we still have a pretty big house. Our heat is now hot water / boiler fired by natural gas. Last month the bill was $600. I think we cashed out just in time.
So I'm lucky, obviously doing better than many. Yet my income has only this year recovered to its 2000 levels. Meanwhile major expenses like transportation, healthcare, food and heating have jumped more than 50% in that time.
My friend Donna just got laid off. She is a single mom whose ex pays nothing in alimony or child support. Her only asset is her condo which she's thinking of renting out, then moving in with someone. She has no savings. Thousands, millions of us are in this boat, and it's sinking, despite the "rising tide".
So our economic policies— tax breaks for the super rich, globalisation, no-bid sweetheart contracts, pork projects, massive trade and budget deficits, a "jobless and wageless recovery"— are hardly working.
We have no coherent foreign policy. The unprecedented pre-emptive invasion of a sovereign nation based on bogus, fluffed up intelligence has left us isolated, killed thousands of our young men and women and maimed many thousands more. The final effect of this unprovoked, unnecessary war will have been to destabilize the balance of power in the volatile Middle East, creating a greatly emboldened and empowered fundamentalist state in Iran. Due to our ongoing oil dependence we are captive to the whims of such states as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Venezuela.
Then there's the spectre of global warming, which our leaders absolutely refuse to acknowledge. The glaciers are melting worldwide. The arctic and antarctic icepacks are shrinking. The tundra is releasing methane at an unprecedented rate. Weather patterns are changing. The Gulf Stream is weakening. Hurricane seasons are lengthening and strengthening. There is no longer any doubt that these effects are being caused by us. We all watched, horrified, as New Orleans drowned. Which city will be next? Houston? Miami?
So I'll wrap it up here. From where I stand, there's not much to applaude. The good news is that our nation, our values, our principles, our democracy and our freedoms are not yet fully comprised. And with midterm elections there's hope for a massive sea change that will set us back on our path. For my part, as one of We, the People, I pledge to work harder than ever to make that change a reality.