In response to Bush's annual State of the disillusion/union address. Here are a few thoughts of what I think also should be said...

State of the Union for Working Families

America’s working families don’t need hope. They need our country to take a new direction.

For too long the interests of corporate America have been placed ahead of workers. Trade agreements, beginning in the mid 1990’s have resulted in millions of jobs being outsourced and offshored. The North American Free Trade Agreement was a boon for food giants like Cargill with their subsidized corn, but then forced millions of family farms in Mexico to close up. This has resulted in a flood if illegal immigrants looking for work in our country.

The tragedy of 9/11 allowed the Bush Administration to usher in an era of fear, loss of civil liberties and a baseless war. Our adventures in Iraq have alienated much of the world, cost the lives of thousands of American troops and been a constant drain on our economy. Every billion wasted in Iraq is a dollar less that could be spent on health care, schools or our crumbling infrastructure. Just like with the trade agreements, Iraq has been a boon to a few corporate interests and a disaster for the many working families who have to pay the bill.

After ending our occupation of Iraq, the most pressing issue for working Americans is our health care crisis. Health care costs are now the leading cause of bankruptcy for Americans. Profits are skyrocketing for insurers and pharmaceuticals, while the pinch of deductibles and monthly premiums is causing many families to choose between food and medicine. Nearly one of six Americans don’t have health care insurance.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read “At least we’re winning the war on the middle class.”

I’ve always thought America’s strength relied upon our middle class, but for too long their needs have been pushed aside for corporate interests hellbent on quarterly profits.

Trade, Iraq and health care are the biggest threats. But so are the subprime lending crisis, the difficulty in organizing with a boss-friendly NLRB, underfunded schools, the privatization of America, a crumbling infrastructure system and the loss of civil liberties. Not to mention our entire electoral process is being tampered with.

Our union is strong, but the United States can not withstand the repeated attacks that the corporations keep lobbing at the working families of this country.

We have one more year of the Bush Administration. But 2009 alone will not end our pains. We need not only a President who understands our struggles, but a Congress and local leaders who do too.