Doheny: America At a Crossroads
"Our great nation is at a crossroads.
"We desperately need a change in direction to end this crisis of confidence, which has impeded true economic growth and denied millions of Americans an opportunity to succeed. Many of us do not know which way to turn.
"In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Obama offered his vision for an 'America built to last.' But what our commander in chief actually presented was a nightmare.
"The Obama blueprint is to create a 'fair' society, in which government uses its heavy hand to try and erase the disparity between poor and rich. The president’s assumption is that government can devise a more equitable society than the people can themselves create.
"I could not disagree more.
"Our founding fathers envisioned a country where everyone was guaranteed equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. In suggesting 'everyone does their fair share,' Obama is hoping to channel populist frustrations over income inequality into a justification for taking more from the wealthy. My opponent – our current congressman, Bill Owens – has already expressed his desire to execute that plan.
"While we stand at the crossroads, I offer a different direction. The answer is not, as the president suggests, in government taxing more so that it can take an expanded role in our lives. Look no farther than stimulus plans that didn’t stimulate, bailouts that fell flat and cronyism, such as in the case of Solyndra, that traded taxpayer dollars for political points.
"The answer is also not in picking winners and losers in our business sectors. Obama’s calls for 'insourcing' tax credits rewards companies that shipped jobs overseas but offer no incentive for those who have made sacrifices to keep Americans employed all along. The president’s proposal for a punitive tax on multinational companies is an anti-growth measure that shows hostility toward commerce.
"We cannot artificially engineer a middle class. Instead, we must embrace free market ideals and allow the middle class to come alive again.
"That means a flatter tax structure, a less encumbered regulatory system, an end to government-imposed mandates that kill growth – like the individual mandate requirement that both President Obama and my opponent support. We must also stake out a more aggressive energy policy – one that allows private industry to deliver on its promise of providing good jobs, such as those contained in the Keystone XL pipeline project.
"As we stand at the crossroads and consider our choices, I remind you of this: We’ve let Obama and Owens pick our destination for the last three years. They assured us of a better future – and that promise hasn’t been kept. We have more debt, more uninsured, and more unemployment.
"I offer an alternate destination. While it’s been, so far, the road less traveled, you’ll likely soon find it’s the only one that brings us to where we want to be."
