I do not generally read John Stossel’s work or find it entertaining. I think he has only one rhetorical device: the strawman argument. This most recent column, an alternative State of the Union message is much the same but it does provide some counterpoint to last night’s proceedings. I mean the State of the Union message, not the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans.
In that satirical piece posted, having Stossel give his alternative SOTU address he said:
Here is a sample reviewing some of those numbers:
22.7 million Americans are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work.
Our GDP shrank by 0.1% in the 4th quarter
Obama added $518 billion in new regulatory costs to America’s job creators since taking office
We have a $16.5 trillion national debt & we’re on day 1,385 without a budget.
We have $46 trillion in fed spending from Obama’s FY13 Budget through 2022.
New offshore leases for oil and natural gas drilling have declined 61% under Obama
The average price per gallon of gas has increased 96% since Obama took office
The average cost of family health care premiums has risen 24% under Obama
Just 14% of America’s seniors believe they can retire comfortably.
The annual cost per household from federal regulations is over $15,000
Real median household income has declined $4,520 since Obama took office.
That’s being better off?