The president gave his State of the Union Address this week. After listening to it, I realized that our presidents, past and present, live in a different world than the rest of us. They have the problems of the world on their shoulders: wars, national security, the economy, law enforcement, the health and welfare of our citizens and the education of our children. Presidents do not see the world from the standpoint of the average American who just wants to nurture their children, put food on the table for them, a roof over their heads, and a few amenities to make their life more pleasant.

Unfortunately, the last few years have been very hard on the American public. Jobs and businesses moved overseas to avoid excessive taxation and government regulations. Unemployment mushroomed. The president and his cronies will say that unemployment, while high, is better than it was. Yes, the numbers are a bit better. But the numbers are massaged to exclude those who have been unemployed for more than a year. The government classifies these Americans as no longer looking for work and therefore, not unemployed. Yes, some have given up, but most are actively looking for work each and every day. The real unemployment rate is well above 14 percent.So what is the real State of the Union for the average American? It is very much different from what the politicians say and the adjusted government statistics tell us. Many Americans have been out of work so long that they believe that achieving the American Dream is a thing of the past. They have lost their jobs, many have lost their houses, and some have lost their families. Many young adults have moved back home with their parents, bringing their spouses and children with them.In addition to high unemployment, small businesses are struggling to survive. Yes, the economy is starting to recover, but it will take time before businesses can expand. Meanwhile our government continues to spend money it does not have. The deficit is growing by over a trillion dollars each and every year. Our politicians have not produced a budget in five years and it is doubtful that they will put one together this year. In a few weeks, we will face the unpleasant effects of sequestration which will automatically cut government spending, and could, if not carefully managed, throw the country back into a recession.The president has chosen to attack "the wealthy" as the villains. "The wealthy" often started out very poor. They quested the "American Dream" and worked hard to achieve it. They built businesses. They invested their profits in corporations, real estate and even funded a plethora of charities. Our president has decided that we no longer want people to be successful in America. As a poor entrepreneur grows his or her business and becomes more successful, President Obama scorns them as he uses class warfare to further his socialist causes. "The wealthy" are not stupid. They are starting to move their assets overseas. Some will leave the country, taking their companies and jobs with them. As the money we need to rebuild our economy moves abroad, the president continues to push for tax increases. President Obama's proposed tax increases are targeted at successful businesses, crippling them. He plans to use the money he confiscates from the productive members of our society to finance his failed social programs.We continue to import oil from countries that hate us. Our imports from Saudi Arabia, whose citizens hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center killing thousands of Americans, continues to rise. Last year, 13 percent of our oil was imported from the Saudis. This year, the Saudis provided 17 percent of our oil (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-17/saudis-win-share-of-shrinking-u-s-oil-imports-chart-of-the-day.html). We are buying more oil than ever before from sources that are openly anti-American. Meanwhile, Obama's administration refuses to approve the Keystone pipeline that would ensure our oil supply for many decades to come. Is the president a puppet on the Saudis string? Could our deteriorating relationship with Israel be the price the Saudis demand for their oil?It is time for our politicians to cut to the chase. Our nation is in peril. We need to develop our own energy resources so that we are not beholden to nations that want to destroy our way of life. We need to provide incentives for American businesses to expand, giving our people new job opportunities. We need to repair our crumbling highways, bridges and other infrastructure. We need to ensure our youth receive the best possible education so that they are prepared for the jobs they need to be successful. We need to remove the crippling yokes of regulation and excessive taxation from the backs of our small business owners. Free them so they can expand their businesses and restore our economy.But most of all we need to restore the American Dream. Our children and grandchildren need to know that they can be successful. They can enrich themselves and their families through their hard work and efforts. President Obama and his cronies need to encourage the wealthy to reinvest their money in our country, not chastise them into moving their assets and their families overseas.For the recovery to blossom, the president and his sidekicks need to stop vilifying the successful. Instead he should be praising them for their efforts and encouraging our youth to learn from our most successful business people so that the next generation is even more successful than their parents.© 2013 - All Rights Reserved