State of the Union Address – 2012

January 24, 2012

By Padmini Arhant

Warm  Greetings to honorable members representing the House and the Senate of the United States 113th Congress, esteemed judiciary members, distinguished United States Military High Command, fellow Americans and citizens around the world.

United States is confronted with multidimensional challenges in the domestic and international front.

The complexities demand resolutions from global perspective.

Beginning at home, the immediate priority is economic revival with job creation, promoting business opportunities to retain and generate employment across the economic sectors,

Restoring housing market,

Containing massive property liquidation depriving American families ownership and shelter,

Credit facilities to boost small and medium enterprise,

Review financial reform and health care legislations passed in 2010 and 2011 for necessary amendments to relieve the vast majority i.e. 99% from mandatory insurance,

Health care industry cost adjustments for affordability,

Retaining Medicare as well as Medicaid for the demography dependent on these programs as life support.

Banking industry audit analyzing financial reform impact with necessary regulations to eliminate hedge fund anomalies.

Educational funding from K-12 to college degree programs preparing fresh graduates for twenty first century competitiveness and innovation.

Incentives to businesses and corporations upon guaranteed job growth in the manufacturing and service sector to stimulate economy.

Tax reform closing tax evasion loopholes, recovering unaccounted funds to a tune of $2.3trillion from Pentagon budget not barring financial assets in Swiss bank and other overseas accounts,

Tax hikes on 1% wealthiest to alleviate the burden on the remaining taxpayers being the core consumer base.

The economic outlook is also dependent on global economy especially the euro zone and emerging economies amid looming war against Iran.

Politically, with Presidential elections around the corner, there is an urgent requirement for constitutional amendments to reverse the Citizens United outcome protecting democracy from special interests proprietorship.

Electoral reform to justify free and fair elections considering the overwhelming monetary influences via corporate executive donations and other means to buy elections compromise republic rights in a democracy.

National debt and deficit – The heated debate often wind up with no action as witnessed in the Super Committee appointed to address the burgeoning debt crisis.

As stated earlier, spending cuts alone in the absence of revenue would not address the contentious problem.   Tax hikes and diverse income source in the equation is the logical approach to debt reduction.

Again, deficit mitigation would be futile in the prevalent determination to expand military commitments – waging wars on borrowed funds and printing money leading the economy to banana republic.

Pentagon budget contraction is no longer an option but a necessity to spare American citizens from generational indebtedness,

Warfare and Military Base – Troops redeployment from Iraq to Persian Gulf for provocative aggression against Iran is counterproductive in all aspects especially the economic liability on American taxpayers and U.S credit rating at stake with the alarming debt from the protracted military engagements.

United States foreign policy premised on illegal invasion, occupation and provocation is best abandoned with a paradigm shift in the establishment of peace and democracy throughout the world.

The strategy is evidently ineffective and unpopular not to mention the toll on life, economy and environment.

Nuclear and Conventional arms disarmament is prudent for global security.

Environmentally, the climate talks interpreted in action would expedite the universal goal on global warming i.e. the sustainable temperature at 1.5°C or 350 ppm.

World peace, progress and prosperity are dependent on political will and leaderships desire in resolving conflicts through meaningful dialogue and peaceful negotiations.

Peace to all!

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

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