Michele Bachmann Reacts to President Obama's State of the Union Address

OUTSIDE MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Sixth Congressional Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) released the following statement after President Barack Obama's Tuesday night State of the Union address:

"Tonight, we heard more of the same calls for bigger government—and smaller citizens—from President Obama. In his first term, President Obama’s answer to America’s economic challenges has been to tax more and spend more. Four years later, the unemployment rate is higher today than when the President was first sworn into office. The number of Americans on food stamps has soared by more than 46 percent—up to 47 million people. And median household incomes have dropped by 7 percent.

"These are not just numbers, they are real people with real stories. From small town bankers in Kimball, MN to job creators in Watertown, MN, the small business owners I’ve talked with are telling me that increased taxes and burdensome regulations are crippling their businesses and hurting their bottom line.

"When government takes even more of what we make, then we get to keep a lot less of what we earn. Sadly, that doesn’t lead to increasing wages or bringing down the basic costs of living for most people.

"When it comes to investing in our future, we need to reprioritize our spending to achieve objectives that will help all Americans, not just well-connected donors or companies with high-paid lobbyists. All spending isn't created equal. Too much money from President Obama’s stimulus package made its way to companies associated with his political contributors. Imagine if we spent that money on new roads and bridges that Americans desperately need.

"In Minnesota’s Sixth District, for example, we have real transportation needs. We need to expand I-94 and upgrade Highway 10. We’re also working towards regular air service out of the St. Cloud Airport to a major hub like Chicago. Just like the new Stillwater Bridge, these important projects will yield direct economic benefits to the community. These are the type of job-creating projects worthy of further investment – not politically-connected companies like the bankrupt Solyndra.

"Instead of President Obama’s laundry list of big government proposals, we should be laser-focused on getting to a stable, growing economy where wages expand and the cost of daily items like groceries and gas go down.  Here are a few solutions to grow the economy:

• Legalize America’s abundant energy resources, which would lead to an explosion in jobs and economic growth. The Keystone XL Pipeline is one commonsense example.
• Reform and simplify the tax code to make America more competitive in the global economy. America has the highest corporate tax rate in the world, which hinders economic growth.
• Expand school choice to make a quality education accessible to help every child succeed in school and life.  Making more classes available online would also help retrain our workforce.
• Focus on free market health care solutions that give patients more choices. The onerous medical device tax from Obamacare cripples innovation and sends jobs overseas. It must be repealed.

"Despite the bleak economic numbers from the last four years, I remain optimistic. Our nation’s history has been built upon the triumph of hard work and ingenuity. We ventured west, we invented, we went to space. No matter the obstacle, we overcame it. It’s in our blood as a nation. Our future and our children are depending on our getting the economy right."

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