THE 'REAL' STATE OF THE UNION

on tuesday night the president will give his state of the union address. as is customary, and probably appropriate, it will focus on the more positve aspects of our great country. it will be a well crafted speech designed to give an assessment of where the country is and where it is going. many advisors and cabinet members will help the president to say the 'right' things and point to the future in as upbeat a way as possible. thats all well and good, yet at this time of global and domestic turmoil, maybe a more realistic assessment would be more appropriate.

ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states.......standing ovation lasting 5 minutes.............

This past year has not been one of our nations best. the catholic church had a horrifying sexual abuse scandal. corporate leaders ruined many major corporations with infectious greed and fraudulant bookkeeping. the stock market posted its third down year in a row. unemployment is rising and is probably understated. our economy is decelerating and may take years to repair itself. the countries pension and social security systems are under severe stress as the baby boom generation heads for retirement. the capital markets are trying to rebuild trust after a conflict of interest scandal ruined its credibility. the country's balance sheet is deteriorating and we are running deficits in our budget and our balance of trade. we are losing our competitive edge in the world due to globalization stealing our workers jobs. corporate debt is defaulting at an unprecedented rate and causing strain in the banking system. personal balance sheets are just as unhealthy with personal bankruptcies at all time highs. healthcare at home and abroad has not lived up to 21st century needs or expectations. our global ecosystem needs serious attention yet we are uncommitted to the changes necessary to save the enviroment for future generations. we are fighting many enemies around the world and have more soldiers deployed and ready for battle than any other time since world war 2.

as the leader of the country and the free world, i pledge to do everything in my power to change the course that we are on and to rebuild our nations health for a prosperous future. it will not be easy and may take more time than i have left in office this term and maybe even my next term, if you afford me that chance. but i will continue to do what i think will help fix what ailes the country and in turn the world. some of those decisions may not please everybody and they may not work right away. time is necessary for what we need to do and what needs to be fixed. i will make some hard choices that i think will make a real difference and not based on whether i will be a popular president or will get me re-elected. i know what you are thinking, come on, give me a break. the president will make decisions based on whats right and not on the polls. but i will. in order to lead the country out of its current funk i will do that. we have failed in many areas lately but that doesnt mean they cannot be corrected. i have the power and the ability to set things staight and thats my committment to the american people and the world.

this is a great and powerful country and i am confident that we can overcome our current challenges. it just may take some time and some sacrifice on all our parts.

thats is how i would start. then i would go into the bold and dynamic initiatives i would propose to get our country through this time in history. it would be captivating and shocking. the pundits would go nuts but the critics might say something nice about my honesty and courage. i would hope the american people would be appreciative of my candid assessment and realistic outlook for the future rather than the usual blather that says nothing and insults their intelligence.

so, on tuesday night don't be surprised if we get a little honesty and a little candor along with lots of blather as i am not helping the president with this speech and he probably wouldn't take my advice anyway.

HAVE A GR8FUL DAY(:-)---<<
LARRY