LBPOST.com: Obama Stresses Jobs, Equal Rights In State Of The Union

Sunday, March 14, 2010 | Home

Obama Stresses Jobs, Equal Rights In State Of The Union

by Ryan ZumMallen | Long Beach News | 01.27.10 |

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9:00pm | President Obama covered a wide range of topics in his annual State of the Union address, which was carried with a live reader discussion on this special LBPOST.com page.

Dozens of readers participated in a live chat during the hour-long address on our special coverage page. Thanks to all who joined in the fun!

President Obama focused much of the heart of his speech on creating new job growth and strengthening small businesses with new tax cuts for companies that invest in new technologies and hire domestically. He also stressed the importance of pursuing clean energies and proposed an immediate government spending freeze.

The President also touched on several issues of equal rights, such as the elimination of the existing policy that prevents gay Americans from serving in the military, and stressing that women should be paid equal wages for doing the same work as men.

A screenshot of the LBPOST.com live coverage and discussion, via readers' Facebook accounts

Comments

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Huh?
Same speech as last year. Health Care, Cap and Trade, Raise Taxes, Employers Pay for Health Care... He is going to make the Republican Party back into a national party. Heck, could CA have a Republican Governor, Atty General, AND Senator by the end of the year? Thanks Obama!

Randy Economy
GREAT JOB TONIGHT! TOTALLY ENJOIED THIS GREAT TOWN HALL! I put this on my blog!

Kate K
Watched this on TV last night--friend didn't want to go online. Wish that I'd been there. I've been listening to pundits all morning and it's same ol'/same ol' from both sides. I watched discussion afterwards--glad he promised to dump Don't Ask, Don't Tell. McCain's comment doesn't make sense--keep the status quo during a war? Tell that to the Arabic translators who were let go during the last administration because they were gay. Gay individuals can't serve our country? He seemed to stay the course--he did let us know during his campaign that he wasn't going to wave a wand and make the problems disappear. Everything is complicated, interwoven and confusing, but one thing was clear to me--one half of the room, colorfully dressed, rising and applauding; the other half, in black suits, sitting down. It was like a bad movie. Obama's correct--we're not going anywhere if he's tripped up at every corner by the other side--but good luck to him in getting everyone to work together. I don't remember seeing a president this beleaguered. By the way, Biden's teeth were a continuous distraction.

g
I am so sad for the children who will have to clean up the mess that these politicians have created. Obamas speech was an absolute joke. The deficit will continue to rise and one day soon America's greatness will be a thing of the pass. The deficit is the number one issue.

Darwin Thorpe
Dear Huh? Cowardice, nonsense, innuendo, superficiality, and downright falsehoods. Typical of ultra-conservative Republicans. And this is why the Democrats are still safe from them. Huh? needs to quit drinking bad wine during Obama's speeches. Darwin

CW
If u read the comments of the Obama haters you could match them with the comments of the Bush haters after his SOU address. Right wingers and left wingers need to hate. Hopefully there are enough folks left over who just want to move forward. I will say though bipartisanship is a pipe dream that the hard headed on both sides really do not want. Very scary

Jeremy Colonna
It seems to me that all of our electeds in DC have decided that they can address criticism by pointing out the failings of the other party. No bi-partisanship? It's their fault! My six and seven year olds have similar logic in the car. At least they seem to understand when I tell them that they can't address or explain their own actions with a simple "She started it". Accountability is dead in our country, as long as nobody will accept responsibility for their role in creating/perpetuating/exacerbating our current situation! Dems and Republicans had no problem working together to make the mess, and they're both going to need to work together to clean it up.

Just Thinking
"You can fool all of the people some of the time and you can fool some of the people all of the time." WAKE-UP AMERICA! Consider this Democratic Plan: Keep Unemployment High and everyone worried about being laid off or about their company going out of business = result: everyone worries about losing their job, money and health care benifits = result: extend unemployment so that money is available = results: the masses will cry out for a "national health care program" = unforeseen result: the masses quit drinking the Kool Aid and start drinking tea (the Obamaites missed seeing this step) = result: the masses relaized that not one job has been created with the billions and billlions of dollars spent (the American people are an itelligent, proud and independent people and realize that things will not get better anytime soon without jobs)= result: the American People demanded that the Obamaites focus on JOBS = result: Scott Brown is elected Senator because he can see and understands what real Americans want! NOW somebody is starting to LISTEN! It's OK if you don't get it and didn't see this happening . . . a great man once said "If you're not a liberal when you are young, you have no heart; but if you're not a conservative when you're older, you have no brain!" Just thinking!

Dem for McCain/Palin
Darwin, if you have to believe that it is only ultra-conservative Republicans who agree with "Huh?" then you are the one who should sober up. CW, between the polarized hate there is a vast middle ground that is filled with puzzlement. It's fertile ground for a viable third party. That takes care of bipartisanship!

Juan Pardell
What's amusing is the Republican speaker, John Boehner stated he believes his party can do a better job. FYI, Mr. Boehner. Both Democrats and Republicans have shown they're both too incompetent to run this country.

Dennis
The wealthy liberal elite leadership that is leading their followers into ever expanding government control remind me a something my sociology professor said freshman year on the first day of class, "I'd be a socialist if I was rich enough to afford it." Under the guise of helping the "working family" and "the middle class" what Pelosi, Boxer, Obama, Reid, Soros, et al really want to do is take the income earned and assets saved by these groups and give them away to the government to distribute as the government sees fit. Their wealth immunizes them from the tax burdens required for their social dependency programs, burdens which crush the working families, middle class, businesses and economic development and growth.

Ranzie Claxton
Did anyone pay attention to the fact that President Obama wants "an immediate government spending freeze until 2013?" Since his term in office ends 12/31/2012, why doesn't he just say that he made a mistake taking the job as President of the United States of America and wants to resign asap. Better yet, how about stepping down along with Joe Biden asap and letting Hilary Clinton finish his term. She did get the Democratic Popular Vote for President... remember? Mrs. Clinton actually helped lead our country (way back when) we had Peace, Security and a Balanced Budget. I think Americans should admit that they made a mistake voting for Obama and cut our future suffering by 3 years.

Long Beach News

LBPOST.com Managing Editor Ryan ZumMallen keeps up on all the current and breaking Long Beach news.

Ryan ZumMallen is a graduate of the CSULB School of Journalism, writing for the campus' Union Weekly newspaper and serving as Sports Editor for one year. He has written for numerous news and sports websites and magazines, as well as television experience with Fox Sports and ABC Channel 7.