Preview: State of the Union 2012

The president delivers the State of the Union speech tomorrow.  Typically, the speech is the way a president can take credit for the good things that have happened during the past year, and reset the agenda for the next year.  Rarely do these speeches mean anything, or change anyone's behavior.  Every four years the speech occurs while the president and most of congress are working to get re-elected.  In these years, the speeches sound a lot like a campaign speeches.  That is what we can expect tomorrow night.

Obama will continue his shameless attempt at class warfare.  He will claim the rich do not pay their fair share, without defining what a fair share is or mentioning that the top 50% of wage-earners pay 98% of the federal income tax.  The complicit media will not call him out on it.  His democrat supporters will stand and cheer for the obvious lies. 

Am I becoming a pessimist?  I think so.  A couple of months ago, -T and I watch a Redbox movie entitled "Atlas Shrugged".  The movie is a remake of a book published in 1957, but amazingly synchronized with modern times.  The premise of the book is that successful people must be free to create, and must be rewarded for their efforts.  The "capitalist " cannot be a slave to government or society or his will to succeed will diminish.  Destruction of a profit motive through excessive taxation and regulation will ultimately convince the capitalist to "shrug", give up, or go where his value is appreciated.

On Tuesday, Obama will continue to instill reliance on the federal government through welfare, extended unemployment, food stamps and other government programs.  Many of those who now rely on those programs will support Obama because they do not see how they can survive without them.  This is exactly where Obama wants them.  He must generate the feeling of class warfare to ensure entitlement-reliant citizens will vote for him instead of the republicans who support the successful capitalists.

Atlas Shrugged ends with the successful capitalists disappearing.  The mystery is solved when it is found they are not abducted, but were merely given a chance to become successful in a world without government coercion.  They willing choose the alternative.

How close is America to seeing its best and brightest shrug?  I believe it is very close.  Entrepreneurs voluntarily move overseas or use foreign labor to avoid an over-regulating, over-taxing federal government.  An Obama second term could become the tipping point where others will simply give up and let the feds take care of them, leading to a recession/depression like hasn't been seen before.