“Ladies and gentlemen, the Opinion editor for the Buchtelite, Tony Bosma. (Applause). Confused? If you watched President George Bush’s State of the Union address Monday night, you won’t be by the end of this article. First of all, the State of the Union is simply a way for the president to pat himself on the back for all of the good things he did the previous year.”
“

Ladies and gentlemen, the Opinion editor for the Buchtelite, Tony Bosma. (Applause).

Confused?

If you watched President George Bush’s State of the Union address Monday night, you won’t be by the end of this article.

First of all, the State of the Union is simply a way for the president to pat himself on the back for all of the good things he did the previous year.

(Applause).

It was also a way for Bush to lecture Congress on what they should and should not do; threatening vetoes if they did not abide by his wishes.

While the president had some good things to say, few of which were actually believable, it was nearly impossible to watch the entire thing due to the 74 standing ovations he got.

Yes, 74. Thanks to Whitehouse.com, which transcribed the entire speech and included (applause) in the rightful spots, I was able to fully comprehend how many times Bush’s ego was stroked on Monday night.

I’m all for respecting the president and letting him know that the things he is saying sound good, but 74 times? That’s a little redundant. (Applause).

Now, if only the promises were actually kept, because Bush did have productive things to tell the nation.

He asked for a series of new education programs for low-income grade school students (applause), which included a $300 million initiative similar to Pell Grants for college students.

Education must be high on the presidents’, and future presidents’, list of things to take care of.

Think about this. If you attend a four-year public university, live on campus and have a meal plan, you will have at least $40,000 of debt if you take out loans.

Doesn’t it seem counter-productive to be 22-years-old and already be at least 40-grand in the hole? After years of scraping by to finally pay off the loans, sure, you may have a decent job and a good education, but plenty of people who didn’t go to college will still be making a lot more money than you.

It’s all about the experience though… really. I swear.

(Applause).

It needs to also be a priority for the president to make grade school more affordable for low-income families that struggle to make ends meet. (Applause).

Bush wants to fund programs that encourage young students to pursue math and science to build for a better future and that’s a good idea.

These programs must reach out to lower-income families, (applause) because too many children slip through the cracks due to their financial situations. And it’s not their fault. Stop funding programs that are less important than the education of our future leaders and citizens.

My hometown, Chardon, Ohio, has been trying to levy for a new school for years. The halls are over-crowded and the town gets larger every year. Instead, it spent over a million dollars on a bike path. (Silence.)

The government can no longer look at education like Chardon does. Fund. Fund. Fund. No more excuses. Everyone in this country deserves a good, well-rounded education. Give it to them. (Applause).

And then he spoke of the war in Iraq.

Bush said, Our objective in the coming year is to sustain and build on the gains we made in 2007, while transitioning to the next phase of our strategy, American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective over watch mission.

I’m not sure what those gains are, but if it means bringing American soldiers back to the states, then good. Finish what you started, Mr. President, and get the soldiers back home.

You say we have made good progress. Make better progress (applause). I’m tired of saying good-bye to my friends when they leave for Iraq and fearing it may be the last time I see them.

It may be true that having an ally in the Middle East and helping to bring some peace to that area will increase our safety, but I tend to not believe much of what the president says about this war. I just hope that, in the long run, it’s worth it. I have my doubts. (Applause).

Thank you all. May God Bless. (Applause).

“