State of the Union Speech

In his speech, President Obama talked about several things that I have very strong opinions about, namely the environment and the economy.

In one of his earlier bills, he gave corporations salary caps for their CEOs and other high ranked members. That's a good thing, yes, but the problem is that they still have access to many other sources of massive revenue that draws money out of the company and into their pockets. There needs to be a stronger legislature to prevent greedy fat cats from causing so much damage to the economy.

In the current world economy, Japan is the leading nation. They have a very strong economy right now. The Yen is becoming stable, and their market is presenting tough competition. 60 years ago, the country was completely ravaged by war. They had no money, and many thought the country would collapse. They didn't, and they bounced back with the support of American soldiers on furlough during the Korean War. After America pulled out though, Japan took firm control, and rebuilt itself into the massive powerhouse it had been before the war. With the booming technology industry, Japan has set itself up as one of the world's biggest and best sources of technology, and their large corporations are in much better shape than those here in America.
And why is that? One of the biggest reasons is because the Japanese follow an ancient, unwritten code of conduct called "Bushido". Literally translated, Bushido means Way of the Warrior. In Japan's feudal era(~1185-1868) Bushido was the code that all samurai(Bushi) followed. After the collapse of the feudal government following the Meiji Revolution and the subsequent Meiji Restoration, the code continued on, even though it's principal followers no longer held their rank. The tenants of the code were used to devastating ends during World War 2, with the Japanese fighting to the death, and refusing to surrender. In the 70's though, the code was applied to peaceful endeavors. Used by businesses and regular citizens alike, the code helped build the nation into one of the worlds greatest. Japanese businessmen, generally, are honest, polite, and don't seek personal wealth, and these beliefs have helped the country to flourish.
If businessmen in the United States followed such tenants, there would be relatively few problems with our corporations.


There is so much more I could say about the state of our economy:consumer capitalism, outsourcing, etc. but I don't think my views on that are exactly school appropriate.

As for my other main point, the environment, there's just so much that can be said.

The United States is a top producer of Carbon Dioxide, and one of the worst polluted countries in the world.
Of all the countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol into effect in 1997, the US is the only one that has not ratified the protocol. The protocol is an agreement that "sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions" [from the UN Climate Control website, http://www.unfccc.int/]. The protocol was designed to help protect the ozone layer, and combat global warming. Although the US does have several small scale projects aimed at fighting global warming, none are doing much good because there is very little money being spent on it.
The European Union has made great strides in protecting the environment. The first environmental policy of the European Community was launched in 1972. Since then it has addressed issues such as acid rain, the thinning of the ozone layer, air quality, noise pollution, waste and water pollution.
There are recycling bins everywhere in Europe. Most places charge more for bottles than places here, but if you return the bottles(glass or plastic) they give you back a large percentage of the price paid. They do what they have to in order to insure that everything that can be recycled, is recycled.
They also have stiff regulations on the protection of wildlife and open spaces. It's illeagal in several contries to ship toxic waste(a measure taken after a spill off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire.) The EU also blocked construction of a highway in the Raspuda Valley in Poland, because it would destroy wetlands protected by EU policy.
A recent agreement by the member states is one of the most ambitious environmental projects ever undertaken. They decided that "the EU is to use 20% renewable energy in the future and that is has to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 by at least 20% compared to 1990 levels. This includes measures that in 2020, one-tenth of all cars and trucks in EU 27 should be running on biofuels." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU#Environment]. They've also proposed to cut greenhouse gasses by 50% by 2050, and have expanded their forests by 10% in the West, and 15% in the East.

If the United States could enact some policies along the same lines as those enacted by the EU, we could turn the environment around, and make this country a beautiful and healthier place to live.

Obama made some good points in his speech, but at the moment he has done absolutely nothing to impress me, or to live up to his hype. He needs to step up his plans, and do more to ensure that his words aren't just empty promises.