After watching President Obama’s State of the Union address this evening it struck me what a sham this annual fiasco has become. What was originally intended to be information given from the president to the Congress has turned into a political sideshow. Celebrities attend as guests of Congressmen and the media takes glee in reporting who will be attending. One might almost expect Billy Crystal to step out from behind the curtain to announce who the next presenter will be. The president and first lady also have their own guests in the gallery; people they use for sob stories or to point to as successes for their programs. The carnival atmosphere is sickening as the Congress gathers ’round to hear the president tout his supposed successes, outline his agenda, make threats and pander to the electorate. With every other sentence drawing a standing ovation from one party or the other the address meant to provide the Congress with information has […] → Keep reading