I did not expect any lame duck president to give a State of the Union address that lasted over an hour.  It seems that George W Bush is finally going to lay down the law to the Democratic Congress as the imperative that elected them is diminishing.

A few little things that annoyed me to no end about last night’s address – The president seemed to think that opening with some joking remarks was good.  I think it was less than presidential.  The television camera shots of senators and congressmen and women and other invited guest reading the remarks is annoying also.  Hand out the printed copy as people  leave the hall, not as they come in.  Any good speaker knows that if you had out the hard copy before the presentation people will not listen.  Your deliver will not matter.  People will read.  And lastly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives needs to look engaged in the process.  Nancy Pelosi looked bored last night and she needs to pick it up.  She is the sitting face of a united democratic party and is directly behind the president during these joint sessions.  As much as I dislike Dick Cheney, he looked like he was at least paying attention.

As expected, Bush talked about the economy.  The folksy attitude of discussing what is being discussed around kitchen tables seemed hypocritical.  My guess is the president couldn’t tell you what a gallon of milk costs (another West Wing reference for those of you who never watched the NBC show).  I am not sure he could possibly know what is being discussed around kitchen tables across the country.  In some kitchens, the question is most likely how are we going to afford to continue to put food on this table.   In some kitchens, the question is most likely how long do we keep our retirement invested in a market that is so violatile.  In some kitchens, the question is how do we tell our child that we can’t afford a private university.

The one thing Bush did get right about the economy was that the stimulus package needs to be acted on immediately.  I am not sure that this package will ultimately work but it is definitely not going to work if it doesn’t get out of the Senate.  Also, the Senate needs to – pardon the colloquilism – suck it up.  Stop trying to add to the package.  Just take the compromises and work done and use it!

While I applaud President Bush’s attitude towards earmarks, I question why he is suddenly veto happy.  He could have easily said the same thing last year, which is basically a do what I say or I will veto bills.  He chose to not take this stand.  Now, with a year left in office, he chooses to say these things.  I don’t know that his hard stand – should he actually follow through on it – will help the country or his party in trying to keep the White House in November.

The emphasis on education floored me as he started speaking.  No Child Left Behind has not been the success the Bush administration plays it as.  First, the president spoke of decreasing drop out rates.  This could be done by looking at what the definition of a drop out is under NCLB.  Any student who does not graduate from high school in four years is considered a drop out, even those who may need an extra summer or extra year and is still enrolled in school.  I know that locally the graduation percentages increase dramatically if the definition of a drop out is changed from that used under NCLB.

The next failure under NCLB is funding.  Mandates are made but no funding is included.  Prove yourself/your school/your teaching ability and then we will fund.  That is a wonderful thought but not very intelligent as the money needs to be given with the mandates.  When the money is not given to states and districts with the mandates, taxes end up increasing to pay for the mandates.  It has also been proven in school districts like the one in the greater Houston area that when you pay teachers based on standardized results, the teachers teach to the testing implement.  Students don’t learn.

The $300 million “earmark” for “Pell Grants for Kids” is a glorified voucher program.  I applaud the thoughtfulness to try and sneak it by without using the word voucher which is a lightning rod but if it quacks like a duck.  There are, I am sure, areas that need this type of money.  Unfortunately, I do not think it is the federal government’s place to pay for private education.

All in all, George W Bush gave a lively speech.  It seemed like he did not know he is a lame duck president but will he follow through on all the items he detailed?