Shayne C. Dunbaugh  Journal Contributor

Indeed the “State of the Union” is in an uproar.  The President has seemingly reignited the “Greatest Society” dream of an economically opulent planned America, all while simultaneously shoving through tighter gun restrictions wrapped in between segments of a manhunt for a wanted ex-LAPD officer and topped off with a ribbon of emotional support for the victims of Newtown, Conn.  Indeed the stars seemed aligned last Tuesday, Feb. 19, as the President trounced through executive proposal after executive proposal from creating miracle infrastructure development plans that somehow return exponential growth for every dollar invested, to minimizing America’s carbon footprint while expediting gas and oil licenses.  At one point, the President proudly claimed a $2.5 trillion savings; meanwhile, federal debt soars beyond $16 trillion; and everyone is suppose to be optimistic?  Is this really the “Great Society” vied for by the Democratic Party all of these years, or is the left going to leave us with an unsuccessful system and an epically high tab to pick up?

President Obama has so far implemented the most ambitious democratic agendas since the formation of the party in 1828.  The Affordable Care Act is a long sought after public option to private healthcare and is anticipated to kick in next year.  However, this is a completely untried program tied to one of the largest contributors to GDP in the U.S. and to saddle up an intensive redevelopment program to facilitate in creating cutting edge research and development facilities across the country on top of that; it’s more than ambitious, it’s near reckless.  Increasing taxation while simultaneously increasing government spending is likely not to be the remedy for recovery common consensus would agree upon.  Common sense might say that tax cuts and more government spending is the recipe for reigniting the economy.  This recovery has been a long turning of the Titanic and implementing audacious plans at this point makes one question whether the left has any intentions to maintain the presidency in the long-term.  Although a planned recovery from recession to this degree has never been attempted before in this country, typically the recovery has occurred from government providing the means for free enterprise rather than becoming the enterprise itself.  But, like it or not America, this is what you asked for.

Maybe it wasn’t for the highly advanced drone program now authorized to kill American citizens, maybe it wasn’t a ban on American manufactured products like assault rifles, and maybe it wasn’t a continuation of Bush-era national deficit increases; but was it for a centrally planned economy where free enterprise and the pursuit of self-employment is removed?  Was it for grandiose governments who focus on self-interested fields of research, when we have long trusted our educational institutions to provide for that research?  Sure, comments have been made from the right that the federal government is a business and should be operated like one, but does that mean self-funded, self-operated, and self-regulated with unchecked oversight?  You tell me.  Maybe we should stick to the basics before we get ahead of ourselves America and let one major idea play out before instituting the next.