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OPINION

The State Of Our Union

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
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So I just watched President Barack Obama deliver his sixth State of the Union address. If it didn’t involve my job, there is no way on God’s green Earth I would watch this thing, ever.

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Obama’s speech was like listening to a grown man sit on Santa’s lap, listing everything he wants and threatening a temper tantrum if he doesn’t get it.

What doesn’t the president want? That’s not a rhetorical question. I have no idea what he doesn’t want government to do for people.

Community College? That should be “free!” And by free I mean other people should be forced to pay for it. Because in an economy where half of recent college graduates are unable to find jobs, Obama is looking to fill that critical “I want to hire someone with a college degree, but not a full college degree, a two-year one” void employers are desperate to fill.

Only in the mind of committed progressives, immune to or unaware of reality, could the idea of an associate’s degree be the key to success with millions of people with a bachelor’s degree desperate for work. But that’s Barack Obama’s America.

Child care? Give it to people. Or, more accurately, force others to pay for it for people who can’t afford to pay for it themselves. Personal responsibility be damned.

Here’s a bit of advice for anyone out there thinking of having kids: If you can’t afford it, don’t do it. Problem solved.

Pregnancy is as easy to avoid as getting hit by a train – all you have to do is stay off the tracks. If you can’t control yourself, and your genitals control you, all manner of contraception is available for little or no cost out of your pocket.

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If you still can’t handle this basic fact of life, or make a decision you can’t afford to make – and I mean this in the nicest way possible – tough crap. Your problems are of your own doing; deal with them. It’s called being an adult. I get that your life more than likely has been filled with people – teachers, parents, politicians – trying to insulate you from the consequences of your actions. Hit them up for their money; stay the hell out of mine.

Minimum wage. If you’re earning minimum wage you’re probably still dealing with acne or recently lost your job, and this is the best you could find in Obama’s economy. In either case, be happy you have a job. Millions of your fellow Americans haven’t been able to find one in the last six years. But if you want a raise, EARN ONE.

Most minimum wage jobs aren’t worth that much. If you bust your ass to the point that your employer doesn’t want to lose you, you’ll earn more. Or someone else will hire you because you’re a great worker. If you call in sick to hold a picket sign outside your work claiming you deserve a raise because you exist or you aren’t making enough money to pay for a lifestyle you can’t afford, you are overpaid and deserve to be fired.

If your life sucks because of your job, it’s your fault. If you can’t afford to pay for the things you want, you shouldn’t buy them. If you bought them anyway, you’re an idiot. And again, I mean that in the nicest possible way.

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You aren’t owed a living. You aren’t owed college. You aren’t owed child care. You aren’t owed anything. Everyone you “hate” because you don’t know the definition of the word “envy” isn’t happier than you are because they’ve had it easier than you. They’re happier than you because they don’t waste their time envying others; they go out and earn.

I’ve been there. I’ve paid for gas with $5 in change because that was all I had till next payday. I’ve lived on ramen noodles because they were a quarter. What I didn’t do was suckle up to the government teat and demand someone else cover for the shortcomings and bad choices I’ve made in my life. You want me to subsidize you? Hell no.

Subsidies and government “freebies” are like heroin – once you get a taste it’s very easy to get hooked. Who wouldn’t love “free” stuff or a check that shows up once a month for simply existing? But heroin is hard to kick. If your dealer goes to jail, that’s one thing. If your dealer runs the justice system, that’s another.

The president is attempting to be the freebie heroin dealer for those who’d rather not do for themselves, which incentivizes many others on the cusp to slip back into the hammock that used to be a “safety net.”

Homer Simpson got elected Springfield’s Sanitation Commissioner by using the slogan, “Can’t Someone Else Do It?” That was pretty much the theme of Obama’s speech Tuesday. It didn’t work out well for Springfield – garbage piled up and Homer was forced to retire. But unlike that episode of The Simpsons, Barack Obama is going to be in office for another two years, and his discredited philosophy of “spreading the wealth around” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon because it’s the dominant dogma of the Democratic Party.

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The state of our union is strong, not because of the policies of Barack Obama, but in spite of them. The story the president told at the beginning of his speech of the struggles of Rebekah and Ben Erler should be used to inspire, but it wasn’t. They overcame hardship through hard work and living within their means, making sacrifices and smart choices while dealing with the consequences of their actions.

And, over time, their struggles turned to triumphs. It’s the American Dream. But even though the president started his speech with that story, he threw it aside immediately thereafter for more government solutions to problems created or worsened by government “solutions.”

He said, “Because families like Rebekah’s still need our help. She and Ben are working as hard as ever but have to forego vacations and a new car so they can pay off student loans and save for retirement.” That’s not called hardship; that’s called “life.” You can’t take a vacation? So what? Welcome to real life. Have to drive a used car? Who cares? Need to forgo those things to meet your responsibilities? Welcome to adulthood, you little baby.

While our union is strong, it is not unbreakable. The policies of Barack Obama are trying to break it, the idea that someone who worked their way through hardship now needs government subsidies so they can take vacations and buy new cars will break it.

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No union, no matter how strong, can stand unbent indefinitely when so many people are urged by their political leaders to work against it.

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