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← Sen. Marco Rubio Delivers Republican Response to SOTU
Sen. Marco Rubio criticized the President for wanting to "tax more, borrow more, and spend more". He stressed the importance of growing the economy to grow middle class jobs and reduce deficit. Rubio also asserted his commitment to the middle class by emphasizing his upbringing in a middle class immigrant family.
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Showing Revision 0, created 02/13/2013 by Retired user .
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Title:Sen. Marco Rubio Delivers Republican Response to SOTU
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Description:
Sen. Marco Rubio criticized the President for wanting to "tax more, borrow more, and spend more". He stressed the importance of growing the economy to grow middle class jobs and reduce deficit. Rubio also asserted his commitment to the middle class by emphasizing his upbringing in a middle class immigrant family.
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Good evening. I'm Marco Rubio. I'm blessed
to represent Florida in the United States -
Senate. Let me begin by congratulating President
Obama on the start of his second term. Tonight, -
I have the honor of responding to his State
of the Union address on behalf of my fellow -
Republicans. And I am especially honored to
be addressing our brave men and women serving -
in the armed forces and in diplomatic posts
around the world. You may be thousands of -
miles away, but you are always in our prayers.
-
The State of the Union address is always a
reminder of how unique America is. For much -
of human history, most people were trapped
in stagnant societies, where a tiny minority -
always stayed on top, and no one else even
had a chance. -
But America is exceptional because we believe
that every life, at every stage, is precious, -
and that everyone everywhere has a God-given
right to go as far as their talents and hard -
work will take them.
-
Like most Americans, for me this ideal is
personal. My parents immigrated here in pursuit -
of the opportunity to improve their life and
give their children the chance at an even -
better one. They made it to the middle class,
my dad working as a bartender and my mother -
as a cashier and a maid. I didn't inherit
any money from them. But I inherited something -
far better – the real opportunity to accomplish
my dreams. -
This opportunity – to make it to the middle
class or beyond no matter where you start -
out in life – it isn't bestowed on us from
Washington. It comes from a vibrant free economy -
where people can risk their own money to open
a business. And when they succeed, they hire -
more people, who in turn invest or spend the
money they make, helping others start a business -
and create jobs.
-
Presidents in both parties – from John F.
Kennedy to Ronald Reagan – have known that -
our free enterprise economy is the source
of our middle class prosperity. -
But President Obama? He believes it's the
cause of our problems. That the economic downturn -
happened because our government didn't tax
enough, spend enough and control enough. And, -
therefore, as you heard tonight, his solution
to virtually every problem we face is for -
Washington to tax more, borrow more and spend
more. -
This idea – that our problems were caused
by a government that was too small – it's -
just not true. In fact, a major cause of our
recent downturn was a housing crisis created -
by reckless government policies.
-
And the idea that more taxes and more government
spending is the best way to help hardworking -
middle class taxpayers – that's an old idea
that's failed every time it's been tried. -
More government isn't going to help you get
ahead. It's going to hold you back. -
More government isn't going to create more
opportunities. It's going to limit them. -
And more government isn't going to inspire
new ideas, new businesses and new private -
sector jobs. It's going to create uncertainty.
Because more government breeds complicated -
rules and laws that a small business can't
afford to follow. -
Because more government raises taxes on employers
who then pass the costs on to their employees -
through fewer hours, lower pay and even layoffs.
-
And because many government programs that
claim to help the middle class, often end -
up hurting them instead.
-
For example, Obamacare was supposed to help
middle class Americans afford health insurance. -
But now, some people are losing the health
insurance they were happy with. And because -
Obamacare created expensive requirements for
companies with more than 50 employees, now -
many of these businesses aren't hiring. Not
only that; they're being forced to lay people -
off and switch from full-time employees to
part-time workers. -
Now does this mean there's no role for government?
Of course not. It plays a crucial part in -
keeping us safe, enforcing rules, and providing
some security against the risks of modern -
life. But government's role is wisely limited
by the Constitution. And it can't play its -
essential role when it ignores those limits.
-
There are valid reasons to be concerned about
the President's plan to grow our government. -
But any time anyone opposes the President's
agenda, he and his allies usually respond -
by falsely attacking their motives.
-
When we point out that no matter how many
job-killing laws we pass, our government can't -
control the weather – he accuses us of wanting
dirty water and dirty air. -
When we suggest we strengthen our safety net
programs by giving states more flexibility -
to manage them – he accuses us of wanting
to leave the elderly and disabled to fend -
for themselves.
-
And tonight, he even criticized us for refusing
to raise taxes to delay military cuts – cuts -
that were his idea in the first place. But
his favorite attack of all is that those who -
don't agree with him – they only care about
rich people. -
Mr. President, I still live in the same working
class neighborhood I grew up in. My neighbors -
aren't millionaires. They're retirees who
depend on Social Security and Medicare. They're -
workers who have to get up early tomorrow
morning and go to work to pay the bills. They're -
immigrants, who came here because they were
stuck in poverty in countries where the government -
dominated the economy. The tax increases and
the deficit spending you propose will hurt -
middle class families. It will cost them their
raises. It will cost them their benefits. -
It may even cost some of them their jobs.
-
And it will hurt seniors because it does nothing
to save Medicare and Social Security. -
So Mr. President, I don't oppose your plans
because I want to protect the rich. I oppose -
your plans because I want to protect my neighbors.
-
Hard-working middle class Americans who don't
need us to come up with a plan to grow the -
government. They want a plan to grow the middle
class. -
Economic growth is the best way to help the
middle class. Unfortunately, our economy actually -
shrank during the last three months of 2012.
-
But if we can get the economy to grow at just
4 percent a year, it would create millions -
of middle class jobs. And it could reduce
our deficits by almost $4 trillion dollars -
over the next decade.
-
Tax increases can't do this. Raising taxes
won't create private sector jobs. And there's -
no realistic tax increase that could lower
our deficits by almost $4 trillion. That's -
why I hope the President will abandon his
obsession with raising taxes and instead work -
with us to achieve real growth in our economy.
-
One of the best ways to encourage growth is
through our energy industry. Of course solar -
and wind energy should be a part of our energy
portfolio. But God also blessed America with -
abundant coal, oil and natural gas. Instead
of wasting more taxpayer money on so-called -
"clean energy" companies like Solyndra, let's
open up more federal lands for safe and responsible -
exploration. And let's reform our energy regulations
so that they're reasonable and based on common -
sense. If we can grow our energy industry,
it will make us energy independent, it will -
create middle class jobs and it will help
bring manufacturing back from places like -
China.
-
Simplifying our tax code will also help the
middle class, because it will make it easier -
for small businesses to hire and grow.
-
And we agree with the President that we should
lower our corporate tax rate, which is one -
of the highest in the world, so that companies
will start bringing their money and their -
jobs back here from overseas.
-
We can also help our economy grow if we have
a legal immigration system that allows us -
to attract and assimilate the world's best
and brightest. We need a responsible, permanent -
solution to the problem of those who are here
illegally. But first, we must follow through -
on the broken promises of the past to secure
our borders and enforce our laws. -
Helping the middle class grow will also require
an education system that gives people the -
skills today's jobs entail and the knowledge
that tomorrow's world will require. -
We need to incentivize local school districts
to offer more advanced placement courses and -
more vocational and career training. We need
to give all parents, especially the parents -
of children with special needs, the opportunity
to send their children to the school of their -
choice.
-
And because tuition costs have grown so fast,
we need to change the way we pay for higher -
education. I believe in federal financial
aid. I couldn't have gone to college without -
it. But it's not just about spending more
money on these programs; it's also about strengthening -
and modernizing them.
-
A 21st century workforce should not be forced
to accept 20th century education solutions. -
Today's students aren't only 18 year olds.
They're returning veterans. They're single -
parents who decide to get the education they
need to earn a decent wage. And they're workers -
who have lost jobs that are never coming back
and need to be retrained. -
We need student aid that does not discriminate
against programs that non-traditional students -
rely on – like online courses, or degree
programs that give you credit for work experience. -
When I finished school, I owed over 100,000
dollars in student loans, a debt I paid off -
just a few months ago. Today, many graduates
face massive student debt. We must give students -
more information on the costs and benefits
of the student loans they're taking out. All -
these measures are key to helping the economy
grow. But we won't be able to sustain a vibrant -
middle class unless we solve our debt problem.
-
Every dollar our government borrows is money
that isn't being invested to create jobs. -
And the uncertainty created by the debt is
one reason why many businesses aren't hiring. -
The President loves to blame the debt on President
Bush. But President Obama created more debt -
in four years than his predecessor did in
eight. -
The real cause of our debt is that our government
has been spending 1 trillion dollars more -
than it takes in every year. That's why we
need a balanced budget amendment. -
The biggest obstacles to balancing the budget
are programs where spending is already locked -
in. One of these programs, Medicare, is especially
important to me. It provided my father the -
care he needed to battle cancer and ultimately
die with dignity. And it pays for the care -
my mother receives now.
-
I would never support any changes to Medicare
that would hurt seniors like my mother. But -
anyone who is in favor of leaving Medicare
exactly the way it is right now, is in favor -
of bankrupting it.
-
Republicans have offered a detailed and credible
plan that helps save Medicare without hurting -
today's retirees. Instead of playing politics
with Medicare, when is the President going -
to offer his plan to save it? Tonight would
have been a good time for him to do it. -
Of course, we face other challenges as well.
We were all heart broken by the recent tragedy -
in Connecticut. We must effectively deal with
the rise of violence in our country. But unconstitutionally -
undermining the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding
Americans is not the way to do it. -
On foreign policy, America continues to be
indispensable to the goal of global liberty, -
prosperity and safeguarding human rights.
The world is a better place when America is -
the strongest nation on earth. But we can't
remain powerful if we don't have an economy -
that can afford it.
-
In the short time I've been here in Washington,
nothing has frustrated me more than false -
choices like the ones the President laid out
tonight. -
The choice isn't just between big government
or big business. What we need is an accountable, -
efficient and effective government that allows
small and new businesses to create middle -
class jobs.
-
We don't have to raise taxes to avoid the
President's devastating cuts to our military. -
Republicans have passed a plan that replaces
these cuts with responsible spending reforms. -
In order to balance our budget, the choice
doesn't have to be either higher taxes or -
dramatic benefit cuts for those in need. Instead
we should grow our economy so that we create -
new taxpayers, not new taxes, and so our government
can afford to help those who truly cannot -
help themselves.
-
And the truth is every problem can't be solved
by government. Many are caused by the moral -
breakdown in our society. And the answers
to those challenges lie primarily in our families -
and our faiths, not our politicians.
-
Despite our differences, I know that both
Republicans and Democrats love America. I -
pray we can come together to solve our problems,
because the choices before us could not be -
more important.
-
If we can get our economy healthy again, our
children will be the most prosperous Americans -
ever.
-
And if we do not, we will forever be known
as the generation responsible for America's -
decline.
-
At a time when one showdown after another
ends in short-term deals that do little or -
nothing about our real problems, some are
starting to believe that our government leaders -
just can't or won't make the right choices
anymore. -
But our strength has never come from the White
House or the Capitol. It's always come from -
our people. A people united by the American
idea that, if you have a dream and you are -
willing to work hard, nothing should be impossible.
-
Americans have always celebrated and been
inspired by those who succeed. But it's the -
dreams of those who are still trying to make
it that sets our nation apart. -
Tonight, all across this land, parents will
hold their newborn children in their arms -
for the first time. For many of these parents,
life has not gone the way they had planned. -
Maybe they were born into circumstances they've
found difficult to escape. Maybe they've made -
some mistakes along the way. Maybe they're
young mothers, all alone, the father of their -
child long gone.
-
But tonight, when they look into the eyes
of their child for the first time, their lives -
will change forever. Because in those eyes,
they will see what my parents saw in me, and -
what your parents saw in you. They will see
all the hopes and dreams they once had for -
themselves. This dream – of a better life
for their children – it's the hope of parents -
everywhere. Politicians here and throughout
the world have long promised that more government -
can make those dreams come true.
-
But we Americans have always known better.
From our earliest days, we embraced economic -
liberty instead. And because we did, America
remains one of the few places on earth where -
dreams like these even have a chance.
-
Each time our nation has faced great challenges,
what has kept us together was our shared hope -
for a better life.
-
Now, let that hope bring us together again.
To solve the challenges of our time and write -
the next chapter in the amazing story of the
greatest nation man has ever known. -
Thank you for listening. May God bless all
of you. May God bless our President. And may -
God continue to bless the United States of
America.