State of the Union 2018

Oh man, oh man, do I love January. Every year we get to either indulge ourselves in the successes of our previous year or welcome in a new leader that can take us into the future. The start of a new year, the death of the old, in every way January symbolizes the greatest piece of American freedom and progress that we adore and aspire to grow with. We revel in our progress, mourn our losses, and we unite under one flag. Seems only fitting that at the end of January we should be addressed by the leader of it all, the President. A tradition older than most of us, the State of the Union is a gathering of statesman as friends and allies who seek to work together to ensure American prosperity. Trump took his first swing at this grand gathering tonight as we indulged ourselves in his first State of the Union. Was it good? definitely. Did it resonate? Deeply. But that doesn't do a grand gathering justice. Join me as we recap our first great moment of the year. Acid Politics comes to you on a special Tuesday night edition as we go through the State of the Union 2018.

Wow, talk about positivity. Trump came out of the gate swinging and built such an air of good feelings it was hard to imagine it could be torn down. From stories of heroism to boasting of a record economy nothing here pointed to the division and negativity the last year have shown us. A message of unity Trump knew what he needed to do to at the start and he did it admirably. It's clear that he isn't the greatest speaker, and the reserved tone compared to other speeches of his felt odd, but the message was strong and pointed. Unite, prosper, and win as Americans. That being said, it wasn't all happy go lucky, and at times got a little emotional. The story of the families who lost their daughters to MS-13 violence, and the hard to hear reality of the opioid crisis really pulled at heartstrings and got the tears flowing. An all around great experience it really felt like the writing and delivery were first class. A win when Trump needed it and the best speech I've heard him give, this was a solid 8/10.

What about the substance though? What did Trump say, and promise, that made us either love him or hate him more today. After the economic boasting Trump rolled us in to his first major accomplishment and told us how we should expect to benefit from it. That's right, first up is the controversial tax reform bill. According to Trump the first $24,000 earned by a married couple is tax free. Really? Well, that sounds fantastic. Also included were increased credits for children, and business tax cuts that should make it easier to start businesses and improve wages and opportunities in existing businesses. It all sounds so good, but how much should we actually expect? Yes, businesses have offered bonuses to employees in light of the tax cuts and there are some new opportunities opening up to people to better themselves, but these come with some negatives as well. The Trump admin has recently begun encouraging investing newfound gains from tax cuts into the market to help middle class citizens increase wealth and prepare for retirement. Investing sounds magical, but FIFO investment doesn't. First in first out forces individuals to better manage investments and pay even more attention to the market to maintain steady earnings on investments. For the middle class person time is of the utmost importance, and they don't always have time to focus that heavily on investments. There is 401k, but not every company offers it and those that do are normally geared towards older, more experienced employees. This leaves young people caught some where in the middle, where wealth is't growing, and stagnating opportunities leave less and less time to prepare for the future. A step in the right direction, but not without it's faults. Let's hope as it shakes out things look better for the working class.

Next up, the American moment. Trump spoke of taking advantage of this record breaking economy to seize the next great American moment that we are creating. Really strong words, and not necessarily an empty promise. Yes, this is as great a time as ever to get started on living the American dream. The economy is great, unemployment down, and good feelings abound. There isn't really a downside here as much as there is a caution from me to you. Remember when Clinton deregulated in a way that allowed so many people to get balloon mortgages and buy homes much more expensive than they could afford? Unmatched growth and prosperity, followed by a massive recession. Why? Because people bought into the feel good vibes without being prepared for what followed them. With proper preparation this could be the start of the new American moment. Be prepared though because at some point this growth has to slow and things have to correct towards more reasonable numbers. I'll agree with Trump, but caution everyone to be prepared for what comes after this growth.

Interlude: Thank god for the death of the individual mandate! No American citizen should be forced to buy healthcare if they don't want to. Freedom returns to the people and it feels damn good.

Combining the next two, Trump spoke of renegotiated trade deals and infrastructure. On trade deals he spoke of the need to renegotiate deals that were more fair and more reciprocal to the United States. Mark me here as a massive supporter of this point. For too long other nations have played belly biters to the super power of the United States, and we can't handle those deals any more. NAFTA was a disaster that allowed other countries to reap massive benefits in trading with us while we gained very little from them. Renegotiate those deals and lets get back to more fair trading grounds. Infrastructure was the next point and what can I say? Hell yeah. I'm from Ohio, half the time things are falling apart and the other half their "under construction." Getting roads that aren't pothole laced and dangerous is like pulling teeth and the bridges, especially that beast between Ohio and Kentucky, need desperate updating or rebuilding. I'll champion this point until I die, either on a rickety bridge or bouncing on a Swiss cheese road.

Prison reform was the big surprise, and it was unbelievably welcome. Our prisons do nothing but attempt to scare and degrade inmates until they feel "reformed" and they never really are. The weights they carry leaving prison ruin their lives for good and they never get that "second chance." This reform is needed and I hope it comes true. On the immigration front, we didn't really hear anything new. The same old reform and tighten that Trump has spread since 2016, if you came for new you were probably disappointed. I can't agree with Trump on chain migration because I understand the importance of family in the growth of a child. It just isn't justifiable to deny a child to have their family to be with them as they grow, but I understand that we can limit what closeness of family we allow. I will say I support a merit based immigration system as most of the developed world has one, and I'm glad that Trump hasn't let up on that point.

From here on things started to get a bit stale for me and I felt more bored than anything. I live in a place where the opioid epidemic has taken the lives of not only people I don't know, but many that I do. I know the talking points and I know what everyone says we need to do. However it's been all talk ad no action and that kills me. People are dying, families torn apart, and yet we see such slow action that it appears as inaction. This isn't new, Obama's administration had the exact same problem, but it just gets so frustrating hearing it over and over again when nobody wants to do anything.

That leads me to my final point, accomplishment. Trump may be able to boast a great economy and great job growth, but after all of those promises he made he's actually accomplished so little. Here we are, once again, hearing the stars promised. Obama did the same thing and then made so little of what he promised happen. I respect what Trump says, and I support a great deal of it, but it isn't enough to just speak it. To be a truly great leader you have to make your words a reality. That normally means working with the other side and building connections, and it means sacrificing some of what you believe for the greater good. No politician in recent memory has been able to break that partisan hold and really get things done. I want to believe Trump can break that cycle, but until I see it I fear I must remain a skeptic.

On the whole I was impressed with this State of the Union. Strong and well developed it sought to begin building unity and preparing for the next three years. It doesn't end after the honeymoon and I hope these politicians understand that. I feel positive about the future of this union and I will continue to root for my leaders to lead us forward.

What do you think? Greatest SOTU ever or an absolute piece of garbage? Be sure to let me know in the comments and feel free to throw your spin on these topics whenever you like. Tomorrow we hit the Sword and Shield Tribune as Vilcor88 comes out swinging. Thanks for joining me for this special edition of Acid Politics. I'm XionFate5271, good night, and god bless.