State of the Union 2015: Obama's speech and philosophy Details

As The Economist points out, the State of the Union address is a "ritual" with certain patterns nearly always present. "The union, for example, is almost always 'strong' (only in 1975 did Gerald Ford break this, saying that things were 'not good'); the president’s party always cheers him; the other party does not.

But the main rule is that the president never admits that he can implement his agenda only by persuading others to go along with it." Here, Atlas Society writers present their take on President Obama's January 20th State of the Union address (his sixth) and we share David Kelley's insightful article from 2009 on the President's "brother's keeper" rhetoric and what that signals about his philosophy. Included also is community college professor Kathy Prellwitz's fascinating insider's take (from 2013) of community colleges and why they shouldn't be touted as a "one-size-fits-all" solution for the nation's educational or job woes.

A Concrete-Bound State of the Union

By William R Thomas
The concrete-bound mentality, Ayn Rand explained, is one that focuses on what can be seen and eschews thinking in the abstract about long-range consequences that can't be seen.
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Looking Back: Obama's Era of Responsibility

By David Kelley
In his State of the Union address, President Obama once again used "Brother's keeper" rhetoric. He was referencing his philosophical agenda, which was clear from the beginning. Take a closer look at the President's philosophy.
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Государство тупых 2015 года Обамы

By Edward Hudgins
In his 2015 State of the Union speech, President Obama counted on the American people being too ignorant to see that he was offering the same old failed policies and sugar-coated demagoguery.
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Community College: Educational Opportunity or Psychiatric Institution

By Kathy Prellwitz
The notion rampant in the community college environment today is that everyone deserves the opportunity for a college education. And yet, as a result, community colleges today have an atmosphere rife with people who are either too psychologically ill or too under-prepared to either complete their education or make any use of it once they finish. This is an enormous injustice—both to the students who take out the mounting loans to pay for a college education and to the community itself which invests randomly and without discrimination and pays very little attention to the return on investment. We have conditioned ourselves as a society to believe everyone deserves a chance without facing the reality that not everyone is able. Community college professor Kathy Prellwitz presents a chilling behind-the-scenes glimpse into current problems with the "everyone-should-attend" model.
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