Barack and a Hard Place

Texas Tribune 1/28/10
Barack and a Hard Place

Last night, Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address. Because Texas is still a state in that union — sorry, secessionists — its U.S. House members were in attendance. Among them were Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and John Carter, R-Round Rock, who listened to the same speech but, in interviews with the Tribune, came away with markedly different impressions. (You can listen to the full audio of their responses in the right-hand coluimn.)

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Doggett was pleased with the speech overall but says he may not agree with all of Obama's proposals. "I think this job tax credit, for example, sounds very good," he says, " but I have yet to see a version of it in the discussions we've had in our committees that will really be effective and efficient in creating new jobs." While he was happy to see Obama's emphasis on renewable energy, he was less enthusiastic about the way cap and trade legislation was addressed. "The bill the House has passed is so weak, and the Senate seems destined to make it only weaker," he says. "I'd like to see some progress in the green energy area, but not necessarily the rush through some weak cap and trade bill."

Houston Chronicle 1/26/10
THE STATE OF THE UNION
Teen scientist gets high honor from Obamas
In the fifth grade, Li Boynton, inspired by the hardships of the shipwrecked protagonist of Yann Martel's novel The Life of Pi, built a device that removed salt from seawater. In the 11th grade, moved by the plight of the world's poor, she created a cheap method of testing for water contaminants using glowing bacteria.

Along the way, the Bellaire High School senior racked up $50,000 in college scholarships, won top honors in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, became a semifinalist in Intel's Science Talent Search and was accepted to Yale University.

So, where does the brainy 18-year-old go from here? To Washington, D.C., naturally, where she has been invited to sit with first lady Michelle Obama during Wednesday's State of the Union address. Also Wednesday, she will learn whether she has advanced to the finals of the science talent search, the nation's most prestigious high school science honor.

On Monday, Boynton, a former high school newspaper editor, basked in the media glow of her celebrity. “I'm really nervous,” she said of her upcoming meeting with the first lady. “I don't know much about politics, and I'm afraid I'll say something stupid. I do that when I'm nervous. And I'm not very coordinated.”

Ttanscript of SOTU speech at NY Times
Next, we can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. (Applause.) From the first railroads to the Interstate Highway System, our nation has always been built to compete. There's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.

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We should put more Americans to work building clean energy facilities -- (applause) -- and give rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy-efficient, which supports clean energy jobs. (Applause.) And to encourage these and other businesses to stay within our borders, it is time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America. (Applause.)

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From the day I took office, I've been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious; such an effort would be too contentious. I've been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while.

For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold? (Applause.)

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You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations -- they're not standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They're making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs. Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America. (Applause.)