Last night, I sat in my living room with my friends Christine and Lisa and watched The 216th State of the Union Address, which was delivered by “President” George W. Bush. As I watched it and listened to him unveil his “policies and agenda” – I wondered why George W. Bush was re-elected, how the country can not see this “man” for what he really is – and if we as a nation will survive the next four years under his totalitarian fist of tyranny.

For 53 minutes, Christine, Lisa and I sat transfixed, with our eyes and mouths wide open, and heard nothing but rhetoric, false promises and blatant lies. As he uttered each sentence, my disdain for him and fear for this country grew. As the sheep, drones and plants in the audience stood up and cheered for this man an astonishing 65 times, my anger that he was re-elected was fueled. And as he ended his speech with the words, “God Bless America” – I prayed at that moment that God would indeed Bless America – because thanks to George W. Bush – we are going to need it.

Among the many things he said last night that made me angry, disgusted and nauseous, my personal favorite was when he addressed every American over the age of 55 regarding Social Security and said, “Do not let anyone mislead you?”

Really?

Isn’t that was he has been doing for the last four-and-a-half years? Haven’t we all been fed lie after lie after lie after lie after lie from this “man” since the moment he commandeered control of this country? Didn’t he, from day one, spend our surplus, send our troops to their deaths for his own personal financial gain – and let the man who murdered my best friend on September the 11th get away? Excuse me “Mr. President,” but I think that someone has already been misleading us…you.

Besides his usual bag of tricks and lies regarding his invasion of Iraq, the ever present “war on terror” and his exploitation of 9/11 for his own personal agenda, he did mention a few domestic issues that will be his “priority” over the next four years, one of which was what he called, “an archaic, incoherent federal tax code.” According to Bush, his goal is to provide this nation with, “a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.” When my friend Lisa heard that, she immediately went into a tirade, and justifiably so. Currently in college pursuing an Accounting degree, Lisa feels that if Bush reforms the tax code and makes it one, flat tax for all as he plans – accountants will be obsolete – and her dream of getting a degree would be for nothing. I don’t blame her for being upset, because it seems that the goal of this “President” is to destroy as much of our hopes and dreams as possible.

He also promised to, “strengthen and save Social Security” by implementing voluntary personal retirement accounts. “Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today’s retirees,” Bush said. “I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account so you can build a nest egg for your own future.” But according to Peter R. Orszag, a Social Security analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a former Clinton White House economist, Bush’s plan is, “not a nest egg, it’s a loan.” According to an article in today’s Washington Post that rips apart Bush’s ill-fated Social Security plan, it explained that if a worker sets aside $1,000 a year for the next 40 years, and earns four percent annually on investments, the account would grow to $99,800 in today’s dollars – but the government would keep $78,700 – or about 80 percent of the account. The remainder, $21,100, would be the worker’s. How is that, as he put it, “a better deal” than the current system?

In addition to destroying the tax code and ruining Social Security for future generations, Bush also vowed that under his dictatorship, “America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.” Promising to build a “culture of life,” Bush said he would ensure that, “scientific advances always serve human dignity, and not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others.”

You mean like in Iraq?

Last time I checked, “President” Bush was doing just that, by taking advantage of the lives of 1,441 men and women for the benefit of Halliburton and United Defense, which are companies owned by both George Bush and Dick Cheney that are making enormous profits each and every day from this so-called “war.” And as if to justify his “Blood For Oil Program,” he had, in the audience, Janet and Bill Norwood, the parents of Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. Saying that they represented, “freedom’s defenders…our military families,” he asked everyone in the room to stand and applaud them, “with grateful hearts.” Although I was completely astounded when they were introduced, it was Lisa who said it best. She said that by inviting them to the Address, “he was using Mr. And Mrs. Norwood to try and soften our hearts so that we may more easily accept his nefarious plot.”

Amen sister.

Approaching the end of his Address, “President” Bush quoted Franklin Roosevelt, who, he said, once reminded Americans that, “each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth.” Thanks to our “Commander In Chief,” America’s dream is dying. The dream of peace, worldwide respect, and a safe present and prosperous future is being used as a gamepiece on a Risk board that is marching toward a calculated list of countries that are “members of the axis of evil” – which, to George W. Bush – translates to, “ripe for the taking.” And our futures are as stable as two dice that are thrown onto a Craps table in Las Vegas for “all the marbles” – only because “Papa needs a new pair of shoes.”

Look on the bright side – it’s only 1,446 days, 11 hours, 22 minutes, and four seconds until George W. Bush is no longer President of the United States. Let’s hope we can last.

God help America.