SOTU 2019 Thoughts

There was much at stake with President Trump's 2019 State of the Union Address on February 5, as was made abundantly clear in the commentary-heavy opening montage of NBC's coverage.

President Trump's speech was definitely a response to the difficult circumstances surrounding the government as of late, especially with the government's recent shutdown mode for a lengthy amount of time, which contributed to the SOTU's postponement by a week.

As would fit any leader in times like these, President Trump sought to set a conciliatory tone of unity right away.

And he carried it on, especially when he remarked that there are more women members of Congress now than ever before.  That seemed to connect well with another major theme of the speech, extolling the greatness of the United States, through exemplary citizens, like Buzz Aldrin.

President Trump continued to emphasize his major agenda item of funds for constructing a border wall, though I think his approach should try to incorporate a greater variety of techniques that can be used to secure the border, rather than focus so much attention on a physical barrier.

I was very pleased when he called out the evil of abortion, especially in light of laws in some states that do not explicitly protect babies that survive abortion attempts.  Certainly President Trump has taken more action to protect babies from abortion than any other president, and has emphasized his pro-life stance more vocally, particularly by appearing via video at the National March for Life.  Vice President Pence has upheld the Trump administration's stance by appearing more than once at the National March for Life.

Stacey Abrams had a measured tone in delivering her response to the SOTU address.  I was pleased to hear her mention that her mother was a librarian, and how both of her parents instilled in her strong values.

Similar to President Trump, she also emphasized that politicians should work in a spirit of unity to serve the American people.

I'm not so convinced, though, that the current administration is entirely responsible for causing economic hardships, because any approach to enhance the economy will have drawbacks.  I'm also concerned by the way she claimed advances to restrict abortion are done to advance a political agenda, when I see them as a means to enhance the quality of our society.

I pray we find greatness as a nation by upholding the sacred right of life, which can compel us to live in better relationships with one another as we tackle the other problems in striving for a more just and humane society.