Annual Government Speeches Round-up for 2022

Eyes turned their attention to the US House Chamber on March 1, 2022, for President Biden's first official State of the Union Address.  The first major topic of the speech was the current situation in Ukraine, and making a clear statement of solidarity with a country that Russia unjustly attacked.  Other major topics included the response to the ongoing pandemic and the economy.  Tied into the economy was infrastructure.  He also discussed addressing the providing of quality, affordable healthcare.

I see some validity to many of his proposals to enhance the quality of life in America.  I'm pleased that he proposes funding the police, which would help address some of the problems with crime that communities face.  I also see plenty of room for debate on the best ways to address his concerns and implement the proposals.

One thing that struck me about his discussion on the response to the pandemic was that it's time to get students back in school full-time and end the temporary closure of businesses.  I feel like there were suitable ways to do so a long time ago.  His statement that it should happen now doesn't seem to carry much weight.

I was greatly displeased to hear his insistence on protecting women's right to abortion.  I think it's very questionable to say it's a constitutionally-affirmed right.  I'm also concerned about his remark that there's an onslaught of laws against transgender individuals, because those laws are intended to bring us back from going off a cliff that will cause greater harm by allowing harmful procedures on those with gender dysphoria.

He ended his speech with an optimistic tone, declaring that we're strong as a people.  I would agree with that, and I hope that going forward, we take the right steps to tap into our strength as a people.

I enjoyed listening to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds's Republican Response to the State of the Union Address.  She indicated that the Biden administration has taken ineffective steps in implementing its foreign policy agenda that has exacerbated conflicts throughout the world.  I felt that her speech had a very down-to-earth touch to it when she addressed the problems people experienced with inflation decades ago.  She also discussed that people in the USA are getting frustrated with the level of control that the Biden administration is trying to exert on the people, and citing examples of how Republican governors are taking steps to allow people to flourish.

As an aside, I have to say, I liked the backdrop of the Iowa State Capitol as she gave her remarks.  It reminded me of how earnestly I wanted to visit the capitol there when I was a kid, and how excited I was when it happened on a family road trip to Colorado.

Back on a snowy February 2, Governor Pritzker delivered the 2022 Illinois State of the State Address.  I was intrigued by the metaphor he used at the start of his speech, saying that the first sign of civilization was caring for health needs.  His remarks focused on how he intends to direct state resources and balance the budget to ensure people's needs are met, especially with healthcare and other resources like childcare.  He also proposed helping people by slashing taxes on groceries that would help mitigate the effects of inflation.  Many of his proposals have merit, and again, I think there is room for debate on how to implement them.  I was pretty displeased when he insisted on upholding abortion rights as a way of empowering women, because I firmly believe abortion doesn't empower women, and all the bills he's signed into law expanding abortion access will do more harm than good, flying in the face of the metaphor he used to start his speech.

Here's to hoping that the talking leads to good action in service to the people of Illinois and the USA as we all do our part in response to these proposals and determine the best course of action.