Bush addresses the nation

President Bush spoke to Congress and the nation in his first State of the Union address of his second term yesterday. Bush said that his new term would focus on trying to "build a better world for our children and grandchildren," concentrating on social security, the economy, the war on terror and the situation in Iraq.

Bush focused a major portion of his speech on the issue of Social Security, which he called a "great moral success of the 20th century" but also a system that "is headed toward bankruptcy."

For younger generations, Bush said, Social Security "has serious problems that will grow worse with time." He called the system outdated, saying that "in today's world, people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer."

In order to avoid bankruptcy in future years, Bush proposed a system he called "personal retirement accounts." He thinks that these accounts will allow people's money to increase at a greater rate and allow people to pass the money in the accounts on to children and grandchildren if they please. "Best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away," he said.

Bush's suggestions to alleviate the problem were very open and non-committal, perhaps so that he can "work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms" that will prevent future bankruptcy from the Social Security system.

He called for the changes to be made slowly in order to "guarantee that there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement" and "so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future."

On the issue of the economy, Bush proposed numerous ways for America to continue with its position as "the economic leader of the world." He hopes to strengthen America's economy by ensuring effective education, health care, environmentally friendly energy sources and rights for small businesses.

Bush said that the "budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology -- from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol." He later urged Congress "to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy."

However, in order to keep taxes down and ensure that current debt is cut in half by 2009, Bush told Congress that his new "budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities."

Moving away from the issues relating to money, the president proposed "a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence" naming his wife, first Lady Laura Bush, as the program's leader.

He went on to address the issue of equal justice under the law, saying that in order to "make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice," many improvements need to be made to the current court systems. In order to accomplish this, Bush suggested "dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction."

Finally, Bush spoke of the war on terror and the situation in Iraq. Continuing with the theme of protecting America's future generations, Bush declared, "we will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy - and chief among them is freedom from fear."

He argued that the war on terror is not yet over. "Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all -- and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won," he said.

He spoke of pursuing further disarmament in other countries such as Iran and North Korea. He said that the only way to completely assure American safety is by spreading freedom and democracy throughout the world. "America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world," he announced. However, he assured that the US will not impose its government on anyone but simply "build and preserve a community of free and independent nations."

On the subject of Iraq, Bush talked of the success in Sunday's Iraqi elections. He brought the topic to an emotional level by drawing attention to an Iraqi woman sitting next to the first lady whose father was killed by Saddam Hussein but "was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country."

He also pointed to a couple whose son, Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood, was killed in Iraq. He then read a section from a letter from Mrs. Norwood to Bush. "'When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said: 'You've done your job, mom. Now it's my turn to protect you.'"

Throughout the entire address, choruses of cheers and applause punctuated each of the president's main points. Various camera shots of the crowd showed a sharp difference in enthusiasm between the two sides of Congress, which can only be explained by party affiliations.

There was only one point in Bush's speech where cheers and applause was replaced by a chorus of "no's." This moment came when Bush claimed that "by the year 2042, the entire [Social Security] system would be exhausted and bankrupt."

The "no's” came mostly from congressional Democrats who mostly disagree with Bush's analysis of Social Security. Later, Democratic speeches by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, which followed the president's address attacked some of Bush's positions.

Reid criticized Bush's Social Security plan, calling it "Social Security roulette” and not a reform. "Democrats are all for giving Americans more of a say and more choices when it comes to their retirement savings. But that doesn't mean taking Social Security's guarantee and gambling with it. And that's coming from a senator who represents Las Vegas,” Reid said.

The Democratic position in regard to the situation in Iraq was very similar to Bush's stance on the issue. Both parties feel that American troops need to pull out but not "slip out the back door,” said Pelosi. Democratic criticism with how the Bush administration has handled the situation was more about having an exit plan. "We have never heard a more clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq,” Senator Pelosi said.