SOTU 2023: Running Summary

Past and present selected observations considered important will be summarized. The summary is a standing post that will be updated throughout the year. Each year, the current copy of the post will be archived and become the basis for the next year’s post. Tenth Anniversary of the 2012 Future Forecast.

The future horizon may indicate international events affecting the U.S. are driven by root causes to manipulate financial markets for international, organizational and personal gain.

If so, this may open the door and expose participation by domestic and international interests in events against the U.S.? Refer to the “SOTU 2023: International Events” posting.

If the 9/11 report has the same lack of integrity as charges against President Trump by fifty security experts, this should be cause for concern.

Background I: Notes, Terms and Examples

  • Links in this posting open additional postings or external references for review of the subject listed. Close opened postings or references to return to this posting.
  • Issues are unsettled matters of a long-term nature where there is disagreement on recognition of the issues or the manner in which to resolve them.
  • Events are occurrences of a negative or positive nature noteworthy of recognition at the time of occurrence.
  • COVID-19 is an example of a negative event in which millions have died. COVID-19 has become a long-term issue in that there is disagreement on the origin of the disease, and the proper method to resolve the issue.

Background II: Observations Derived from Horizon Scanning:

  • Subjective observations may be factual however, researchers may partially agree or disagree with observations presented. Typically used in social sciences.
  • Objective observations are derived from facts and conditions. Typically used in physical sciences and engineering.

Background III: Research Methods

Evaluating a single subject may be simple, while linking the effects of multiple subjects can become highly complex. Typical methods used singularly or in combination include:

Background IV: Horizon Scanning

Techniques listed in the research category will be applied:

SOTU 2023 Running Summary:

Apply objective logic and provide a forecast for future years based on past and present observations. Where the past and present meet the future.

Forward I: Summary of War and Terrorism Issues and Events

Issues summarized in this post are listed in the War and Terrorism category. The summary will evaluate actions taken or not taken, and where responsibility is assigned. Based on outcome of past and present issues, the probability of future events will be presented. Summaries of Issues and Events will develop over an extended time.

2017 SOTU Part IV: National Defense, Security and Immigration establishes the basis for the 2022 Summary. The Oath of Office of the President of the United States and all members of Congress are plainly stated. Additionally, employees, lobbyists, contractors and virtually any position paid for by the citizens of the United States are covered by a similar Oath of Office requirement.

Forward II: Presidents

Presidents of the United States in chronological order. Entries contain links to separate pages with historical information for each president. (Wikipedia) (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Historical rankings of the Presidents of the United States are debatable. Surveys conducted by several independent organizations are listed. The lists are somewhat subjective in nature with different poll results provided.

List of wars involving the United States: There are 105 wars on the list, 4 of which are ongoing. The list is categorized as follows: conflicts, allies, opponents, results, and presidents at the time of conflicts. Wars listed on the above link provide a view of seemingly constant military actions. Consult the following list links for major conflicts. The periods listed may have intervals in conflict.

Major 20th and 21st Century Wars:

World War I: 1914-1918- President, Woodrow Wilson – Democrat

World War II: 1939-1945 – Presidents, Franklin D. RooseveltHarry S. Truman – Democrat

Korean War: 1950-1953 – Presidents, Harry S. Truman – Democrat, Dwight D. Eisenhower – Republican

Vietnam War: 1955-1975 – Presidents, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson – Democrat, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford – Republican

Gulf War: 1990-1991 – George H.W. Bush – Republican

Iraqi No-Fly Zone Operations: 1991-2002 – Presidents, George H.W. Bush– Republican, Bill Clinton – Democrat

Iraq War: 2003-2011 – Presidents, George W. Bush – Republican, Barack Obama – Democrat

Afghanistan War: 2002-2021 – Presidents, George W. Bush, Donald Trump – Republican, Barack Obama, Joe Biden – Democrat

Note: Wars listed in the above references were essentially armed conflict between adversaries. There appears to be a change in methods from direct armed conflict to indirect confrontation and third-party players as listed in the Issue and Event Summaries below.

Of significant concern is the inability to hold aggressors responsible. Conducting business as usual with aggressors does not appear to have consequences. Individuals and groups appear to be practicing profiteering without loyalty to their home country.

Forward III: International Conflict

The Indochina War in which North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam is referred to as the Vietnam War. The United States in support of South Vietnam were confronted by the militaries of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), and Russia, which were both in support of North Vietnam. Prior to the Indochina War, the United States military were also involved in confrontation with the PRC and Russia when North Korea invaded South Korea.

The history of conflict with the PRC and Russia is longstanding and founded in the doctrine of communism and socialism. Observations have demonstrated that taking a liberal, non-defensive posture when confronting or negotiating with followers of the communist or socialist doctrine will not result in satisfactory outcomes.

Communism is a political, social, and economic ideology that advocates the replacement of private ownership and profit-based economies with a classless economic system.

Socialism refers to democratic control of recourses where everything is owned or controlled by the state as opposed to private ownership of resources. List of socialist states.  (communist)

Islam is a religious system based mostly in the Middle East with the duty to struggle to gain resources and territory. Islam can involve aggressive behavior and the desire for conquest through Jihad. Modern conflicts.

Democracy is a system of government by the eligible population through elected representatives, and which embraces Capitalism where a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.

Forward IV: Theoretical Discussion

YouTube: Firing Line video of September 10, 1995, with William F. Buckley Jr. and Henry Kissinger outline and define past posture of international issues over a period of thirty years (1960s-1990s). It seems that Communist, Socialist, and Islamic actor states have changed little since that period and may predict continuation of conflict into the foreseeable future.

Henry Kissinger expressed a point of view that it may be possible to negotiate and become involved in commerce with adversarial states given a strong stance and military were maintained. The cautious optimism expressed by Henry Kissinger may have been the catalyst that many government, financial, consulting, and commercial organizations needed to venture into the abyss with the PRC and other self-proclaimed unfriendly states.

Moving commerce in sourcing goods and services from the domestic economy of the U.S. and other democratic nations to unfriendly states has resulted in a loss of citizen and U.S. national wealth, and a significant increase in national debt. Refer to: U.S. Economy and International Trade, and currently to the Future Forecast Background for 2022-2028.

Forward V: Profiteering

Frequently comments in the media address the significant wealth generated by government insiders trading and investing in stocks. The basis for the comments appears to be advance knowledge of government actions affecting the market. Offshoring of U.S. manufacturing and services may have presented an opportunity that could not be resisted. This may be improper conduct and violation of the Oath of Office. The total sum of profits may not be significant, however, may demonstrate malfeasance. U.S. Politician Stock Trading.

Of greater concern may be questionable activities between members of the government, financial, consulting and commercial organizations using national positions to act as agents of foreign governments and entities. Although the U.S. government has a required budget reporting system, it is not a financial accounting system of annual budget expenditures. It is estimated that annual unaccounted funds may average twenty-eight percent (28%). With $6 Trillion budgeted for Fiscal Year 2023, the unaccounted value could be $1.68 Trillion.

Is profiteering indicated by acts performed for the benefit of self-proclaimed adversaries of the United States, acting as an agent on behalf of an enemy state?

Explosive New Connections? The Biden Foreign Agent Scandal – The Dan Bongino Show on rumble, may expose the roots of the tree as addressed in the Mask of Sanity.

2023 Running Summaries Continued

The history of war and terrorism is a continuous series of events and issues. Regardless of the location, today’s events and issues are most often affected by international influences based in Communism, Socialism and Islam. Leaders of countries based on these beliefs are most often concerned with personal power and conquest. Citizens of the countries are generally peaceful and subject to the dictatorial and repressive regimes.

Interim observation indicates, over time, worldwide warfare has been underway for decades and is increasing in severity. Self-described enemies of democracy appear to be anxious and fearless in their desire for escalation leading to major incursions.

Domestic criminal organizations appear to be expanding at a rapid rate impacted by loss of international control of immigration. This may become irreversible affecting even the supporters of decreased law enforcement.

SOTU 2023: Event and Issue Summaries:

Consult the Recent Post links on the righthand task bar for the following supplementary research posts.

SOTU 2023: Domestic Events

SOTU 2023: International Events

SOTU 2023: Domestic Issues

SOTU 2023: International Issues

 

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Law, Order, and National Security

This post was suspended in response to the purportedly broad and high-level revelations of malfeasance committed before, during and after the nationwide election of 2020.

Reinstating this post was to occur when stability returned to the political scene. However, it must be acknowledged that the current period is unstable and clearly defines the hierarchy and the breadth of malfeasance.

Therefore, in keeping with the nonparticipative observation research methodology, research items address posts in the War and Terrorism category. Their effect on law, order, and national security are indicated. (Source: Future Forecast for 2022-2028).

Notes: There are at least two terms that are inferred from the following research.

(1). Sphere of influence is where a territorial area within which the political influence or the interests of one nation are held to be more or less paramount. The question raised here is are political actions by U.S. elected representatives receiving favors from enemies of the U.S. to support activities beneficial to the enemy nation?

Refer to the Summary: War and Terrorism post in the righthand navbar. 

(2). Slippery Slope is a course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one action or result to another with unintended consequences. The question raised here is did politicians increasingly accept bribes believing enriching themselves is no cause for alarm?

(3). Both (1) and (2) above can also be implicated in actions at the internal U.S. level.

The Question: Where does responsibility for acknowledging and correcting the following reside? Refer to Note (4) at end of the page.

The following issues will be individually referenced and amplified.

  • Prosecutors are failing to protect the community by operating the legal system as a turnstile at a train station . . . in and out to commit more criminal acts at will. NEW YORK POST
  • Throwing the election system out the window saying it is prejudice when it requires personal identification. VOTE.ORG
  • Opening the border to allow free movement of drugs which are destroying communities and leading to higher levels of crime. Senate RPC
  • Turning the United States into a market satellite of Communist China. Council on Foreign Relations
  • Economic science failure. The assumption that least cost results in the best decision is an error in logic. Does not take into consideration the cost of lost jobs, factories, degraded infrastructure and more, as a result of unbalanced trade. Investopedia -1  and 2
  • The accumulated trade deficit from imports for the period of 1992-2021 exceeds $17 trillion dollars. Status of the U.S. EconomyWITA
  • Funding for war and terrorism activities pursued by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), Russia, and Islamic States are primarily acquired by trade deficits, illegal activities in drugs, human trafficking and slave labor. RAND Corporation
  • Theft of trade secrets of the U.S. via digital communications and within domestic industry and academic organizations. National Law Review
  • Budget outlays exceed tax and fee revenues by $2 trillion a year and are increasing at an increasing rate. Economists would use the argument contained in the reference as substation of their prediction that the debt is not that significant. However, yearly interest payments exceed, the total cost of education for all K-12. That may be long-term delirium setting in.   the balance
  • The Department of Defense indicates the U.S. Military may be degraded and undermanned and cannot effectively support a worldwide posture. NBC NewsTask & Purpose
  • The education system does not provide well educated graduates. The U.S. is rated in (30th) place worldwide in math, science, and the social sciences. China ranks in first (1st) place. Pew Research Center
  • Socialist approach to Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools is counter to equality. Freedom’s Forge America
  • Parents concerns that the U.S. government controls parents and students is a reversion to a totalitarian state where children belong to the state. ThoughtCo
  • U.S. education, research, and technology organizations depend on graduates from India. Some from self-declared enemy countries above that attended school in India. Reason for this appears to be the structure of education systems outside the U.S. with a focus on math and science. Market Realist
  • On average U.S. schools and colleges are not as intensive, and overall educators are not as qualified. Educators in many competitive countries continually upgrade competencies by advancing to higher levels of instruction throughout their careers.
  • U.S. corporations depend on graduates from foreign adversaries for senior management positions. Market Realist
  • Employment in manufacturing, nondurable and durable goods has diminished significantly since 1979.
  • U.S. Merchant Fleet has dropped from 16.9% of the World Fleet to .4% since 1965.

Note (4). Typically, higher order issue(s) serve as an umbrella under which the above may reside, and be the cause of the above.

Attempts to shield revelation of higher order issues may drive a continuous series of distractions.

Far East and European Terrorism

World history passed through several stages of development before arriving at this point in time. Over several centuries, geographical areas with homogeneous populations, languages and cultures grew into independent nations.

Trade between nations became a way of acquiring farming and manufactured products between nations. As time passed, the edge (boundaries) between homogeneous nations languages and cultures dissolved allowing the cultures of independent nations to combine.

Throughout history, timelines are marked by historical events, conflicts in the form of warfare, and currently terrorism. The sphere of influence within and between nations is displayed by leadership of one nation attempting to control, by military or economic methods, their internal political and trade partners.

Differences between political systems and access to material resources is the primary cause of conflict between nations. Each political system has their own method of citizen participation in governance and ownership of property. The U.S. is a Democracy while the primary aggressors to the United States today are the leadership of countries with Communist, Socialist, and Islamic political systems.

Terrorism, specifically in the Far East and Europe are the focus of this posting. However, additional areas of the world are also mentioned.

Terrorism Links: Limited index of available information:

  • Our World in Data: Defines terrorism as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. The reference is a significant worldwide compendium of information, charts and tables.
  • Foreign Policy Research Institute: Washington is looking to move-on from the Global War on Terrorism and put an end to the “9/11 era,” as the pendulum swings from a focus on non-state actors back to nation states. But, the enemy always gets a vote, and the psychological impact of terrorism will keep it as a front-burner issue for the foreseeable future, no matter which ideologies ebb and flow next year. Terrorism has become the form of war today.
  • statista: Terrorism in Europe with statistics and facts. Attacks by country.
  • Wikipedia: Terrorism in Europe nationalist and separatist movements. Terrorism by country and region.
  • The Diplomat: Terrorism in Asia before and since 9/11. Asian nations have been grappling with insurgencies and terrorism challenges. The Diplomat takes a look at 8 of them.
  • Significant territorial conflict has existed between cultures within the Philippine nation for decades. Essentially, it is a conflict where Islamic groups have continually transgressed on a Christian nation. This appears to be a model of current and growing conflicts worldwide.

Counter-Terrorism Links: Limited index of available information:

  • United Nations: Office of Counter-Terrorism  provides UN Member States with the necessary policy support and shares in-depth knowledge of the global strategy and wherever necessary to expedite delivery of technical assistance.
  • UN Office on Drugs and Crime: Provides relevant and valuable resources for lecturers teaching courses on counter-terrorism in universities and academic institutions across the world.
  • U.S. Department of State: Threats posed by organizations continue to evolve, the Department of State works to build global consensus to degrade and defeat these adversaries.
  • FBI: Top investigative authority for intelligence capabilities to neutralize domestic extremists and help dismantle terrorist networks worldwide.

Notes:

  • Posts are designed to be quick reads and represent the initial cuts on subjects.
  • Textual material consists of modified entries from the linked-to resources.
  • Postings are an index of detailed information accessed by selecting included links.
  • Organizations linked-to maintain ownership and are responsible for accuracy.
  • Posts are based on Horizon / Environmental Scanning futurist research methods.

End of Posting

Financing War and Terrorism

This posting explains how countries hostile to the United States are aided by profitable activities, legal and illegal, to finance war and terrorism against the U.S. and other nations.

$17 trillion trade deficit has been accumulated by the U.S. for the period of 1992-2020. This is an outflow of wealth that has helped support growth of foreign nations conducting war and terrorist activities, building their cities and infrastructure, and growing their militaries.

In addition to the $17 trillion legal transfer of wealth as a function of unbalanced trade, other forms of wealth transfer occur daily through illegal activities.

The World Factbook: Terrorist groups designated by the US State Department as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), as well as non-designated, self-proclaimed branches and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) FTO. Entries include references to financial support.

9-11 Executive Summary: After the September 11 attacks, the highest-level U.S. government officials publicly declared that the fight against al Qaeda financing was as critical as the fight against al Qaeda itself. (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States).

Chapter 4, Staff Statements: Combatting Terrorist Financing in the United States: (The Role of Financial Institutions). Several methods of financing are mentioned. Donations to reputable entities such as legal international welfare organizations. Money laundering by transferring income from illegal activities which cannot be monitored through international banking, and then supporting terrorist activities, or moved into legal activities which can be monitored.

United Nations: Countering the financing of terrorism. In order to be effective, efforts to counter the financing of terrorism need to rely more on financial intelligence sharing between countries and enhanced coordination between the public and private sector.

CFT Program: Global effort on on detecting, preventing and countering the financing of terrorism. Launched in 2020 to step up UNOCT and UNCCT efforts in this area as mandated by the General Assembly’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its review resolutions, and the Security Council.

Global Issues: List of global issues that can provide terrorism financing include tax havens, offshore financial system, citizenship by investment, secrecy jurisdictions, free trade zones, anonymous companies and how they work.

Narcotics: Illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. How $1 trillion in dirty money leaves poor countries each year has helped get financial transparency onto the agenda of world leaders.

Global Financial Integrity finds that globally, the business of transnational crime is valued at an average of $1.6 trillion to $2.2 trillion annually. The study evaluates the overall size of criminal markets in 11 categories: trafficking of drugs, arms, human trafficking, organ harvesting, biological terror, cultural property, counterfeiting, illegal wildlife crime, illegal fishing, illegal logging, illegal mining, and crude oil theft.

World Economic Forum: Global conflict costs. There were 278 political conflicts in 2006. Ten years later, the number of political conflicts had risen sharply to 402. Total estimated cost Jan 15, 2018 was $14 trillion per year and rising.

UNDOC: Global drug use alone killed almost half a million people in 2019, while drug use disorders resulted in 18 million years of healthy life lost, mostly due to opioids.

CDC: U.S. Overdose deaths in 2021 increased half as much as 2020 – to nearly 93,655 deaths. The searchable tables indicate drug overdose deaths are up 15% annually by drug or class Jan 2015-2022.

Theft of national secrets by internal and external entities. Scientist resigned from the Oklahoma petroleum company where he worked at for 18 months. He planned to return to China and also reported that he hadn’t arranged his next job, so the company agreed to let him to stay in his role until his departure date in December 2018. Then came the billion-dollar stolen secret surprise.

Market Realist: Money laundering and terrorist financing in casinos. Transactions associated with terrorism financing may be conducted in very small amounts. Funds that are generated from legal sources make it even more difficult to determine if they could be used for terrorist purposes. Casino.org

Notes:

  • Posts are designed to be quick reads and represent the initial cuts on subjects.
  • Textual material consists of modified entries from the linked-to resources.
  • Postings are an index of detailed information accessed by selecting included links.
  • Organizations linked-to maintain ownership and are responsible for accuracy.
  • Posts are based on Horizon / Environmental Scanning futurist research methods.

End of Posting

SOTU: 2017 SUMMARY UPDATE

This is an update to the Original 2017 SOTU SUMMARY and covers the period of 2017-2021. In conjunction with other cited references, it serves as the basis for the Future Forecast 2022-2028.

Note: all links open a new page. To return to this summary, just close the opened page.

New additions: Status of the U.S. Economy, and International Cyber Security.

Status of the U.S. Economy:

Observation of issues from a high level indicates conflicts regarding the economy are political. The U.S. is a great country in most respects, however, there seems to be a disconnect between idealism and reality.

Idealism produces an endless array of social programs for which, politicians believe, there is sufficient funding. This is a myth as the deficit now represents five years of federal revenue from taxes, etc. The reality is there has been a growing federal deficit since 1992.

Imports vs Exports & Trade Deficit indicate the total trade deficit for the period 1992-2021 is 17 trillion, 132 billion, 255 million. That is 815,820,238,095 on an annual basis.

Annual interest payments on the national debt now exceeds $550,000,000,000, nearly the total cost of education for K-12 schools, or the Department of Defense budget.

What does the future hold? Possibly a reduction in social programs as the national deficit grows. Social programs, healthcare and more will suffer lower and discontinuing services.

The real data shows the U.S. is well on the way to bankruptcy. Annual revenue vs programmed expenditures indicates a significant departure from fiscal responsibility.

The point being, that occasionally organizations and society become so engrossed in the detail, that they miss the overall picture and can’t see the forest for the trees.

Most of the trade deficit is a result of unbalanced trade with Asia, mainly China.

Refer to the posting on Status of the U.S. Economy.

International Cyber Security:

The education service industry is indeed global, and possibly covers every continent and culture. Networks of agreements exist between global universities  and employers.

Universities worldwide are developing large-scale interconnected campuses that resemble towns and factories. Examples of large-scale campuses are IIT Bombay, India, the National University of Singapore, and the Suzhou Dushu Lake Higher Education Town of the Peoples Republic of China, all interconnected.

Internationally, coursework outside the degree program is limited. As a result, more time and depth of study is provided allowing students to focus more on how-to-do-it. U.S. colleges and universities require, on average, one to one and a half years of study outside technical degrees of study.

Therefore, in many ways, U.S. students are not competitive. Many large companies in the U.S. are headed by graduates from foreign degree programs.

Hardware and software companies provide international academic organizations with products to practice-on and make engineering changes-to under contract.

DEF CON Workshops are provided by organizations that teach participants how to secure, or hack through the cyber security of sites to access or change content.

Computer systems located in China and North Korea routinely crawl the worldwide web, hacking into U.S. banks and companies to access funds and trade secrets.

Refer to the posting on International Cyber Security.

SOTU 2017 Upadates:

Oath of Office:

Ben’s Guide: Known as a swearing-in ceremony. The official reciting the oath swears an allegiance to uphold the Constitution.

The Constitution only specifies an oath of office for the President; however, Article VI of the Constitution states that other officials, including members of Congress, “shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this constitution.”

U.S. Students Achievement Level:

U.S. students’ math skills have remained stagnant for decades. This means they are falling behind many other countries, and scores are now below the global average.

Students placed 11th out of 79 countries in science and 30th in math. When analyzing the U.S. results over the years, there has not been any improvement in math since 2003, and no improvement in science since 2006.

Micro-communities within host nation borders: 

ADWEEK: Announcement of the upcoming #SMWLDN on Nov. 2 – 4, 2021 provides an insight into reimagining social media marketing for a better tomorrow.

Forbes: article on The How And Why Of Building Micro-Communities On Social Media.

Immigration into the U.S.

Pew Research Center: The United States has more immigrants than any other country in the world. The U.S. and World Population Clock.

Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants.

Unskilled job market shrinking:

MIT: Study finds job-replacing tech has directly driven the income gap and loss of jobs for the unskilled continues.

Within industries adopting automation, the study shows, the average “displacement” (or job loss) from 1987-2016, displacement was 16 percent, while reinstatement was just 10 percent.

In short, those factory positions or phone-answering jobs are not coming back.

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a variety of news releases and publications on economic data. BLS employs many surveys and statistical methods developed and refined over the course of the year. This is an excellent source to use for original research data. Strategic Plan, FY 2020-2025.

However, keep in mind that data is frequently updated during the year. Always recheck the source for changes.

Free money for all: 

AP News: In experiments across the country, dozens of cities and counties — some using money from the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package approved in March.

Proposed levels of payment are $500 to $1,000 each month to do with as they please and tracking what happens.

United States Census Bureau: Income and poverty in the United States: 2020 – Current population reports.

Employment and Underemployment:

The nation’s workforce, including employment and unemployment levels, as well as weeks and hours worked.

Data collection also includes occupation, industry, and class of worker (e.g., self-employed, working for a private firm, or working for a government agency) in the American labor force.

Included are behavior and estimates of home-based work.

U.S. contribution to the U.N.

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The United States remains the largest donor to the United Nations, contributing roughly $11 billion in 2019, which accounted for just under one-fifth of funding for the body’s collective budget.

Included are the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Food Program (WFP).

Government Accountability Office:

GAO@100: A century of GAO activities in non-partisan fact-based work. The presentation is a modern web design with a graphic presentation of areas of interest.

Included are current trends in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automation and the Internet of Things, Blockchain & Distributed Technologies, climate, health, and weapons, and more.

Cost of Violence as Percent of World GDP: 

VISION OF HUMANITY:  The economic impact of violence improved by 0.2 percent from 2018 to 2019. The biggest improvement was in armed conflict, which decreased by 29 percent to $521 billion.

In the ten countries most affected by violence, the average economic impact of violence was equivalent to 41 per cent of GDP.

Cost of lobbying exceeds $3 billion annually and over 12,000 lobbyists:

Open Secrets: The combined organization, OpenSecrets, merges the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP).

The total cost of lobbying, and the number of lobbyists continues to increase.

New World Order: 

The Atlantic: In 2016, Australia struck a deal with France to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines.

Australians will scrap their agreement with France and team up with Britain and the U.S. instead, forming a new “AUKUS” military alliance in the process.

Healthcare Swindle:

Alliance for Natural Health: It’s no mystery that American health care is a crony mess.

In many ways, this is because health care is treated differently than almost every other service.

$10 for an aspirin; $300 for a single X-ray; $8,000 for an emergency room visit.

World economic situation: 

United Nations: Global manufacturing-dependent economies are faring better, both during the crisis and the recovery period. Trade-in services, in particular tourism, will remain depressed amid the slow lifting of restrictions on international travel and fear of new waves of infection in many developing countries.

According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2021 report, following a sharp contraction of 3.6 percent in 2020, the global economy is now projected to expand by 5.4 percent in 2021,

Marijuana Trends Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Grades:

Monitoring the Future: Daily marijuana prevalence rose in all three grades in 2019, significantly so in the lower two grades, with a further increase in 2020.

It is noteworthy that among 8th graders, it showed little change between 1996 and 2019.

In 2020, in all three grades, daily marijuana levels were at or near the highest level recorded since 1991 (1.1%, 4.4%, and 6.9%). Refer to page 14.

U.S. $42 Trillion GDP loss: 

AP NEWS: US Economy grows 6.4% in Q1, and it’s likely just the start. The economy may have grown 6.4%, but from what baseline? Additionally, the U.S. GDP loss increased significantly.

Applying the 250% formula as depicted in New Rules, the cumulative GDP loss since 1992 is $42 Trillion.

Harvard: U.S. Competitiveness: A Recovery Squandered. Structural failures in the U.S. political system continue to prevent meaningful progress on actions needed to improve U.S. competitiveness.

Drug and Alcohol Use Among College Students:

Addiction Center: College students make up one of the largest groups of drug abusers nationwide. Starting out in college produces some natural social anxiety for many students.

As students are facing the high demands of coursework, part-time jobs, internships, social obligations, and more, many turn to drugs as a way to cope.

Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of substance-related problems on college campuses. Because drinking is often socially acceptable.

Political gridlock: 

FiveThirtyEight: How much longer can this era of political gridlock last?

Divided government is probably imminent, and the electoral pattern we’ve become all too familiar with — a pendulum swinging back and forth between unified control of government and divided government.

New Jobs are STEM:

Pew Research Center: The STEM workforce (science, technology, engineering, and math) has grown rapidly in recent decades.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies projects for strong growth, many are STEM. Increasing diversity in the STEM workforce is closely tied to the educational system.

Fiscal outlook and debt:

Congressional Budget Office: CBO projects a federal budget deficit of $2.3 trillion in 2021, nearly $900 billion less than the shortfall recorded in 2020.

At 10.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the deficit in 2021 would be the second-largest since 1945.

Federal debt is held by the public—which stood at 100 percent of GDP at the end of the fiscal year 2020.

Charter Schools:

EducationWeek: A charter school is a tuition-free school of choice that is publicly funded but independently run.

Conceived over 25 years ago in Minnesota as a means to loosen red tape around public schools and free up educators to innovate, charters have since grown into a national movement that spans 44 states plus the District of Columbia and includes around 7,000 schools and 3 million students.

SOTU: 2017 SUMMARY

2017 State of The Union Backdrop Summary

Summary: Items in the table below provide a top-level summary regarding legislative and fiscal health at the national level.

Micro-communities within host nation borders
Unskilled job market shrinking
Free money for all
U.S. contribution to the U.N.
Cost of violence 13.3 % of world GDP
New World Order
World economic situation
U.S. $24 trillion GDP loss
Political gridlock
Fiscal outlook and debt
Oath of Office
Immigration into the U.S.

U.S. 47 million migrants
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment and Underemployment
Government Accountability Office
Lobbying $3.1 billion and 11,143 lobbyists
$272 billion healthcare swindle
Marijuana trends among 8th, 10th, and 12th grades
Drug and alcohol use amoung college students
Three-quarters of new jobs are STEM
Charter schools
U.S. students score average internationally, and below average in math

Summary Part I: Prolog

National and international cultures are establishing micro-communities within the borders of host nations via the use of social media. They represent every skill, education, experience and income level, and many differing political and religious systems and beliefs. New technology applications threaten labor intensive jobs as nearly half of jobs are vulnerable to computerization, shrinking the need for unskilled labor. Demand for employees skilled in developing and using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are in demand.

Technology At Work v2.0, Citi GPS: Global Perspectives & Solutions, January 2016. Offshoring for cost savings is pursued less as a result of new technology applications, which shrink the number of unskilled jobs. Europeans are beginning to mull free money for all. The inference is unemployment creates instability which can be solved by subsidizing family income.

As unemployment rates rise, conflict and instability increase nationally, and internationally, requiring peacekeeping operations. Worldwide peacekeeping operations are expensive. The chart for 2016-2018 indicates the U.S. contribution to be 28.36 Billion of an overall total of 53.03 Billion for the entire UN. (United Nations General Assembly)

World's Most and Least Peaceful Countries in 2016: Currently, violence costs 13.3% of the Worlds GDP annually, or 13 trillion, 300 billion dollars. This equates to 5$ per person daily, and $1,876 annually. Since 2008, there has been a 286% increase in deaths from violence. Possibly as expected, Syria was the least peaceful country in 2016, and by far had the most refugees fleeing to find refuge. (Forbes)

Summary Part II: New World Order, Status of Nations & International Trade:

The New World Order: Ultimately leads to member nations surrendering, or subjugating, their individual authority to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and “Open Borders.” The New World Order is essentially an initial attempt to bring about common results for citizens of the world. Member nations may have decisions by the EU and UN enacted and enforced within their own borders without their agreement.

World Economic Situation and Prospects: Joint product report of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) and seven additional UN and external organizations. The report is lengthy and extensive. The Executive Summary states more than seven years after the global financial crisis, policymakers around the world still face enormous challenges in stimulating investment and reviving global growth.

The U.S. Trade Imbalance: Imported goods and services have far exceeded exported goods for over twenty years, resulting in a net export loss of ($9,975,399) 9 trillion, 975 billion and 399 million. Had the goods and services trade been balanced, that is produced domestically, at the MMF of 250% of the 1992-1995 level, it would have exceeded over . . . $24,938,498 [24 trillion, 938 billion and 498 million] more dollars of domestic GDP in production and spending, and . . . $12,469,248 [12 trillion, 468 billion and 248 million] more dollars in taxes and fee revenue, and a many more jobs.

Savings from the imbalance of imports are overrated. To arrive at the true cost, the cost of maintaining the infrastructure abandoned, unemployment insurance payments, food stamps, medical care provided and other welfare costs associated with the loss of employment are in fact a cost that should be added to the price of imported goods and services.

U.S. Exports vs. Import - Trade Imbalance

Summary Part III: Congressional Stalemate & U.S. Debt

How Concerning Is U.S. Political Gridlock? Questions about the health of America’s political institutions and the future of its global leadership have become rampant, with some citing partisan gridlock as evidence of America’s decline. Committee members are no-show for committee meetings and votes. The nuclear option established by the senate may not be a friend.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Indicates the 2017 budget deficit will exceed $559 billion. U.S. Debt Clock provides a good snapshot of data on a wide range of economic issues.

Fiscal Outlook and Debt: Congress and the new administration face serious economic, security, and social challenges that will require difficult policy choices in the short term about the level of federal spending and investments as well as ways to obtain needed resources. Decisions to enhance economic growth and address national policies need to be accompanied by a fiscal plan to put the government on a path that is more sustainable over the long term.

Summary Part IV: National Defense, Security and Immigration

Oath of Office: The President of the United States, the Cabinet, U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and all elected officials and employees of the federal government are required to take the oath. In some cases, the wording is changed based on the specific office. Additionally, most states, cities, law enforcement personnel and their employees are required to take the same or similar oath. The oath may also be required of contractors, suppliers and their personnel performing sensitive work.

Conducting commerce with or serving as an agent of an enemy of the United States, in effect, provides aid and comfort to the enemy. Profit from activities can be used by the enemy to support aggression against citizens of the United States, or allies of the United Sates. Individuals and organizations arranging and participating in such activity are effectively foreign agents failing to uphold the oath.

Immigration into the United States: A complex demographic phenomenon that has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout history.

Definitions: The terms immigrant and emigrant are frequently confusing. Immigrant is a person entering a country from another country. Emigrant is a person who has left their home country for another country.

Migrants is a general term referring to the total number of persons worldwide, that have emigrated from their home country for another. The number of international migrants worldwide has continued to grow rapidly over the past fifteen years reaching 244 million in 2015, up from 222 million in 2010, 191 million in 2005 and 173 million in 2000.

The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members.

The Migration Policy Institute Interactive Map: and the International Migration Report for 2015 indicate the most international migrants, 47 million, resided in the United States of America. This is equal to 19 per cent of the world’s total. Migration Data Hub.

Summary Part V: Unemployment and Underemployment

Bureau of Labor Statistics Calculators: Display graphical images by category. Selecting an image will lead to a list of data table titles which can be selected for further research. Place a check-mark in a box and select “Retrieve data” at the bottom of the page to retrieve the data.

Data retrieved using the calculator: (in thousands) as of December 2016: (Selecting Employment, Monthly, Labor Force Statistics) will provide a table of reports which will provide the following:

Civilian Labor Force Level: (In thousands. Some totals will not agree due to rounding of hundreds of data files)

Labor Force Participation Rate: 62.7 percent.
Employment Level: 152,111
Employed Full-time: 124,248
Employed Part-time: 27,895
Unemployment Level: 7,529
Welfare Statistics: (current data as of January 2017)
Total number of Americans receiving welfare government assistance: 67,891,000
Receiving SNAP food stamps: 41,170,000
Receiving UI/EDD unemployment insurance: 10,200,000

Total Federal government spending on welfare programs annually (not including food stamps or unemployment): $158,200,000,000

Underemployment:

Personal desires regarding employment may be difficult to gauge. Unemployment + Part-time employment may indicate underemployment. If so, that would equate to 35,424 (in thousands) underemployed. Additionally, there are 28,400 (in thousands) students 16 years and above attending high school and college. These two statistics equal 63,824 (in thousands). * White House briefing response - the data tables are used for many purposes and may be difficult to understand.

Summary Part VI: Government Agencies & Regulation

The Government Accountability Office (GAO): An independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, often called the "congressional watchdog." GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Given GAO is the "congressional watchdog," what is the record of the GAO?

What GAO Found: The lead-in statement. "To operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, Congress, the administration, and federal managers must have ready access to reliable and complete financial and performance information—both for individual federal entities and for the federal government as a whole." Somewhere between 18 percent and 34 percent of total federal assets unaccounted for. The GAO also indicates an estimated 53% of federal agencies may not report expenditures for consulting, and the validity reports submitted may be in error. Funds expended by lobbyists are difficult to determine, as well as who the recipients are. In essence, financial reporting at the federal level is in need of significant review and change. (GAO comment)

Lobbying Database: In addition to campaign contributions to elected officials and candidates, companies, labor unions, and other organizations spend billions of dollars each year to lobby Congress and federal agencies. Some special interests retain lobbying firms. The total lobbying spending for 2016 was $3.12 billion, and the number of active lobbyists who actually lobbied was 11,143. Putting that in perspective, $5,522,123 was spent on lobbying per congressional representative, and the ratio was 19.72 lobbyists per representative.

Summary Part VII: Affordable Healthcare

This question must be asked. "What reasoning can possibly justify legalizing drug addiction for tax revenue?" Creating millions of addicts is somehow unseemly.

Determining what is affordable healthcare is beyond the scope and purview of this research activity. However, something alarming regarding the charge to protect the health and well-being of Americans has been identified as the area of focus.

Mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The U.S. Department of HHS is to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. To fulfill that mission by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. Healthcare Tab: Cost for 2016 is expected to surpass $10,000 per person. National healthcare expenditures are expected to total over $3.35 trillion for the year, or approximately 18% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of $18.5 trillion for the U.S.

The $272 Billion Swindle: Thieves love America’s health-care system. Drug Trafficking by the numbers: $200-$750 billion in 2013, exact data unknown as an underground industry. Drug trafficking is an issue worldwide and defined as the “global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws” by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Marijuana Trends: In daily use, risk, disapproval, and availability. With a national trend on approving the cultivation and sale of marijuana, originally for medical purposes, now for recreational purposes, the daily usage and availability of the drug by children in grades 8, 10 and 12 is alarming. While a large percentage of students state they disapprove of marijuana use, a decreasing number see use as a risk, and the higher the grade level, the higher the percentage of students using the drug.

Statistics and Trends: Six percent of high school seniors report daily use of marijuana. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Its use is widespread among young people. According to a yearly survey of middle and high school students.

Drug and Alcohol Use: College-Age Adults in 2015. Daily marijuana use has grown continuously, and since 2014, cocaine use by college students has increased significantly.

Summary Part VIII: Education

Three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require education beyond a high school diploma; with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers prominent on the list.

Students in Singapore and Japan score significantly higher than U.S. students. There is an exception to the U.S. outcome, and that is Massachusetts, which scores much higher. Massachusetts has been on the forefront of the STEM initiative with the University of Massachusetts leading the way on assessment and program improvement. Also, Building products for export provides significant learning experiences.

Charter Schools: Public schools that are allowed the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. They are open to all children; do not charge tuition; and do not have special entrance requirements. The federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) provides money to create new high-quality public charter schools, as well as to disseminate information about ones with a proven track record. 4.5 percent of U.S. GDP spent on education. Highest of all nations.

Latest PISA Results: Demonstrates current standing of U.S. students as holding steady in reading and science performance, and slipping significantly in math. U.S. students score at or below average in all categories.

Current models for managing and administering U.S. schools, teachers and students originate at federal and state levels of government. This approach creates an inflexible model which places a ceiling on growth and excellence by establishing manage-to and teach-to values. It is the same problem industry had thirty years ago regarding quality of products. Focus on the process to improve the product at the process level, the classroom and school.

Students learn and score higher when traditional methods are used. Open classrooms and technology can be used, however, must support structured learning to objectives with the teacher in control.

Student success improves when involved in apprentice programs with industry while attending school.

Student success increases with more time on the subject for deeper learning to solve complex problems.

U.S. places too much emphasis on faculty evaluation by students. Most countries evaluate faculty via student outcomes.

U.S. teaches in a circular model, coming back to the subject at varying times in the curriculum rather than extended time on subject.

Notes:

Future Forecast: 2014 summarizes the current Washington scene and provides a still current Worldwide conflict threat assessment.

Given the national and international backdrop, the following items are anticipated to be included in President Trump’s State of the Union (SOTU) Address.

1. Prolog. (Part I)
2. New World Order and Status of Nations. (Part II)
3. International Trade. (Part II)
4. Congressional Stalemate. (Part III)
5. U.S. Debt Limit (Part III)
6. National Defense and Security. (Part IV)
7. Immigration. (Part IV)
8. Unemployment and Underemployment. (Part V)
9. Government Agencies and Regulation. (Part VI)
10. Affordable Healthcare. (Part VII)
11. Education. (Part VIII)

This is the first issue of the SOTU backdrop, and will be updated annually as significant changes occur. The items listed above represent a review of legislative and fiscal health at the national level. Reviews are based on available federal data, and information published based on the data. National defense and security are addressed in relationship to congress and the administration regarding external and internal responsibilities. Items not included in this initial review are the financial community, military, and more which may be added.

2017 SOTU Part VIII – Education

Three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require education beyond a high school diploma; with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers prominent on the list.

Charter Schools: Public schools that are allowed the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. They are open to all children; do not charge tuition; and do not have special entrance requirements. The federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) provides money to create new high-quality public charter schools, as well as to disseminate information about ones with a proven track record.

The Office of Educational Technology: Has developed a national policy and vision to transform teaching and learning. The objective is to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible for k-12, higher education, and adult education. The National Education Technology Plan is a central component of the policy. The Plan articulates a vision of equity, active use, and collaborative leadership to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible.

Openly Licensed Educational Resources: The technology plan uses openly licensed educational resources for teaching, learning, and research that reside in the public domain. These resources have been released under a license that permits free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others. Digital openly licensed resources can include complete online courses, modular digital textbooks as well as more granular resources such as images, videos, and assessment items.

GoOpen District Launch Packet: Designed for districts that have decided to implement a systematic approach to incorporating openly licensed educational resources into their curriculum by becoming a GoOpen District.

Following is a nutshell explanation of the GoOpen implementation plan.

GoOpen: The package is a logical representation of past and current activities by school districts and teachers in the education world, to convert the historically static learning environment into a dynamic, open, interconnected digital learning experience for students and teachers.

GoOpen Viewed Correctly: Summarizes, orders, and explains how past and current activities, were and are accomplished, and offers documentation of those activities as a plan for use by school districts to follow. In other words, it is a lessons learned, purified, ordered and presented for your consideration.

GoOpen Focus: Conversion of existing courses, or creation of new courses for the interconnected digital learning environment, with a recommended sequence of activities. Activities start at the course level by teachers with subject matter knowledge, and work up the recommended sequence of activities and checklists, culminating with approval at the school district level.

Assessment:

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Day: Global Lessons for the U.S. Education System and Economy: Published on Dec 8, 2018.

Angel Gurria, director for education and skills and special advisor on education policy to the Secretary-General at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), presents a detailed analysis of the newly released PISA results and lessons learned from deeper learning applications in high-performing nations. The report has significant implications for educational achievement and recommendations for future actions. The survey and report are conducted every three years covering seventy-two nations.

OECD Conference Centre Paris, France 3-4 December 2019. Keynote speeches: Jack Ma and HRH Princess Laurentien | Session 1, Day 1 | Forum for World Education

Education in the future must be in the real-world so students can experience at the pace of change, not locked in a classroom environment where learning is static. Students must learn advanced concepts earlier. Education of college, graduate and post graduate moved closer to the age where learning has better results. Students are programmed that a college degree is the end objective, they must be exposed to the global real-world. Current leaders of education are not competent in the subjects students are taught, they are merely administrators.

Some comments for consideration from the series of PISA videos:

4.5 percent of U.S. GDP spent on education. Highest of all nations.

Students in Singapore and Japan score significantly higher than U.S. students. There is an exception to the U.S. outcome, and that is Massachusetts, which scores much higher. Massachusetts has been on the forefront of the STEM initiative with the University of Massachusetts leading the way on assessment and program improvement. Also, Building products for export provides significant learning experiences.

Teachers must change schools every three years – Japan.

Teachers must demonstrate progress on moving to more difficult schools and curriculum throughout their career – China.

Improving teacher quality is very important. U.S. schools are focusing on now, not planning for the future.

Teacher's degree, certification, preparation, and professional development do not guarantee outcomes.

Class size varies. Higher degree of success achieved in countries with large class size.

U.S. places too much emphasis on faculty evaluation by students. Most countries evaluate faculty via student outcomes.

U.S. teachers have too many out-of-class activities which do not lend to student learning.

Charter Schools are a solution for removing the handicap U.S. education has in improving outcomes for students. Current models for managing and administering schools, teachers and students originate at federal and state levels of government. This approach creates an inflexible model which places a ceiling on growth and excellence by establishing manage-to and teach-to values. It is the same problem industry had thirty years ago regarding quality of products. Focus on the process to improve the product at the process level, the classroom and school.

Students learn and score higher when traditional methods are used. Open classrooms and technology can be used, however, must support structured learning to objectives with the teacher in control.

Student success improves when involved in apprentice programs with industry while attending school.

Student success increases with more time on the subject for deeper learning to solve complex problems.

U.S. teaches in a circular model, coming back to the subject at varying times in the curriculum rather than extended time on subject.

2017 SOTU Part VII – Affordable Healthcare

This question must be asked. "What reasoning can possibly justify legalizing drug addiction for tax revenue?" Creating millions of addicts is somehow unseemly.

Mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The U.S. Department of HHS is to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. To fulfill that mission by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services.

Healthcare Tab: Cost for 2016 is expected to surpass $10,000 per person. The new peak means the past administration will pass the problem of high healthcare costs on to its successor. The report projects that healthcare spending will grow at a faster rate than the national economy over the coming decade.

National healthcare expenditures are expected to total over $3.35 trillion for the year, or approximately 18% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of $18.5 trillion for the U.S.

HHS 11 Operating Divisions: There are eight agencies in the U.S. Public Health Services, and three human services agencies. These divisions administer a wide variety of health and human services and conduct life-saving research for the nation, protecting and serving all Americans. HHS Demographics trends, index scores, and workforce size.

Determining what is affordable healthcare is beyond the scope and purview of this research activity. However, something alarming regarding the charge to protect the health and well-being of Americans has been identified as the area of focus. There are very significant costs and detrimental health effects which are the result of fraud, malpractice, legal and illegal drugs; of which the annual, and long-term costs and effects are not determined in total. From the data located, costs range in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually, the loss of tens of thousands of lives, and effectively dilute the value of healthcare provided. These items are addressed here:

Note: A significant number of reports are available on HHS subjects. Some are statistics driven by data from federal government sources, other reports use selected data from the original reports for a specific purpose, and some reports are independently sponsored by universities and research institutions. Occasionally, disagreements arise over the data and statistics, which is quite possible as different sources are used. Keep in mind that for accurate comparison, data and statistics must represent the same population (samples) and characteristics. Disagreements do not imply either report or party is in error. Reports are not always tabulated to the current year. However, the direction of movement in the historical data may be indicative of the future.

Fraud Losses:

The $272 Billion Swindle: Thieves love America’s health-care system. INVESTIGATORS in New York were looking for health-care fraud hot-spots. In 2012 a former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the RAND Corporation, estimated that fraud (and the extra rules and inspections required to fight it) added as much as $98 billion, or roughly 10%, to annual Medicare and Medicaid spending—and up to $272 billion across the entire health system. Considering there is some association to reality here, in 2016 a 10% loss of a $3.5 trillion expenditure, would be $350 billion, or 60% of the 2017 Department of Defense (DOD) budget. Despite the penalties associated with conviction, they do not appear to be significant enough. Complete loss of license and property, as in the days of long ago, appears to be needed.

Drug Trafficking:

Drug Trafficking: $200-$750 billion in 2013. Drug trafficking is an issue worldwide and defined as the “global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws” by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Drug Use:

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Research has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. Overall, 45,473 students from 372 public and private schools participated in this year's Monitoring the Future survey. The survey is funded by the NIDA, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and conducted by the University of Michigan.

Teen Substance Use: Surveys show a promising decline. The 2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) annual survey results released December 13, 2016 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reflect changing teen behaviors and choices in a social media-infused world. The results show a continued long-term decline in the use of many illicit substances, including marijuana, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and misuse of some prescription medications, among the nation’s teens. The MTF survey measures drug use and attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders, and is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the NIH.

Marijuana Trends: In daily use, risk, disapproval, and availability. With a national trend on approving the cultivation and sale of marijuana, originally for medical purposes, now for recreational purposes, the daily usage and availability of the drug by children in grades 8, 10 and 12 is alarming. While a large percentage of students state they disapprove of marijuana use, a decreasing number see use as a risk, and the higher the grade level, the higher the percentage of students using the drug.

Monitoring the Study: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs. Johnston, L. D., Miech, R. A., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (December 13, 2016). "Teen use of any illicit drug other than marijuana at new low, same true for alcohol." University of Michigan News Service.

Statistics and Trends: Six percent of high school seniors report daily use of marijuana. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Its use is widespread among young people. According to a yearly survey of middle and high school students.

Drug and Alcohol Use: College-Age Adults in 2015. Daily marijuana use has grown continuously, and since 2014, cocaine use by college students has increased significantly.

Increasing number of U.S. adults using marijuana. The number of adults who first used marijuana increased from 823,000 in 2002 to 1.4 million in 2014. The estimate is that the number of daily or near daily users was 8.4 million 2014, an increase from 3.9 million in 2002.

Adolescent alcohol and marijuana use leads to poor performance. A study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation that followed a group of students over a seven-year period found marijuana use was predictive of poorer functioning across more areas, including lower academic functioning, being less prepared for school, more delinquent behavior and poorer mental health. The results are published online in the journal Addiction.

Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States. Is marijuana addictive? Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to physical and psychological marijuana addiction. Heavy, long-term marijuana users develop physical dependence on the drug and withdrawal symptoms upon quitting. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms typically include irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, impaired appetite and aggression.

Again, this question must be asked. "What reasoning can possibly justify legalizing drug addiction for tax revenue?" Creating millions of addicts is somehow unseemly.

Is drug addiction treatment worth its cost? Substance abuse costs our Nation over $600 billion annually and treatment can help reduce these costs. Drug addiction treatment has been shown to reduce associated health and social costs by far more than the cost of the treatment itself. But, is it reasonable to provide a climate for the problem in the first place.

2017 SOTU Part VI – Government Agencies & Regulation

White House: Home to the President of the United States and contact point for the nations administration. In addition to the menu at the top of the page, the footer contains, in terms of long ago, the switchboard list.

Cabinet: Each of the 15 executive departments - the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General. All federal government agencies rely significantly on consulting services to acquire expertise not present in their respective organizations. This is the normal mode of activity in response to lobbying by external organiztions to acquire services, influence actions, policies or decisions of government officials.

The two sides of an issue as depicted in opening image on government agencies and regulations are "lobbying" for an issue and, performing "consulting" services to provide the product, in the case of the health care law. 1). Lobbying efforts were performed by, essentially, the entire health care industry. and 2). Consulting services were performed by, essentially, an administration insider group, one of which has admitted misleading the public.

Consulting:

The question may arise, what is level of the federal government's use of consulting services? The response (dated: June 13 , 1988) is still at the top of the current page and reads in total as follows:

U.S. Government Accountability Office: GAO discussed the federal government's use of consultants, focusing on the nature and extent of agencies' monitoring and reporting of consultant use. GAO noted that: (1) varying interpretations and definitions of consulting services and reporting system limitations have caused agencies to understate their use of consulting services; (2) agencies' use of consultants in fiscal year 1987, reported at about $245 million, actually ranged from $4 billion to $16 billion; (3) the Office of Management and Budget's revision of guidance clarified its consulting services definition, but did not address reporting system limitations or all major procurement categories that could potentially involve consulting services; and (4) out of 19 federal agencies it reviewed, only 9 performed an annual mandatory Inspector General evaluation of consulting services."

The question may arise, what are the responsibilities of the GAO? The current response on the "About" page, in part, reads as follows:

The GAO: An independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, often called the "congressional watchdog." GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Given GAO is the "congressional watchdog," what is the record of the GAO?

What GAO Found: The lead-in statement. "To operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, Congress, the administration, and federal managers must have ready access to reliable and complete financial and performance information—both for individual federal entities and for the federal government as a whole." Somewhere between 18 percent and 34 percent of total federal assets unaccounted for. Requires evaluation by the reader.

Commercial enterprises, nonprofit and not for profit entities are required to prepare internal financial reports (income statements, balance sheets, etc.) on a regular basis in preparation for tax reporting. Additionally, large and international enterprises must have outside professional auditing firms perform an independent audit of the reports for submission of their annual reports. Individual taxpayers must prepare and submit annual tax returns. Income from taxes to the federal government associated with the reporting requirements result in: 1) Commercial enterprises providing about 25% of annual tax revenue, and 2) Individual taxpayers providing about 75% of annual tax revenue.

Lobbying:

Lobbying: The relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers is complicated. On one hand, lobbyists pursue relationships with lawmakers in order to shape legislation so that it benefits clients who would be affected by new laws or regulations. On the other hand, lobbyists are frequently targeted by lawmakers as sources of campaign money, which the lobbyists feel beholden to give to improve their clients' prospects of success.

Lobbying is a very big business, and publicly marketed. However, there are hard, soft and dark money categories. Dark money, about which much is unknown, frequently refers to Political Nonprofits and Super PACs. Expenditures by lobbyists in this category are unclear as strict reporting requirements are not established or adhered-to.

Lobbying Database: In addition to campaign contributions to elected officials and candidates, companies, labor unions, and other organizations spend billions of dollars each year to lobby Congress and federal agencies. Some special interests retain lobbying firms. The total lobbying spending for 2016 was $3.12 billion, and the number of active lobbyists who actually lobbied was 11,143. Putting that in perspective, $5,522,123 was spent on lobbying per congressional representative, and the ratio was 19.72 lobbyists per representative.

Lobbying Research: Research is published by many organizations. Selecting the "Menu" on OpenSecrets
will reveal significant information. Activities and representatives donated-to can be obtained by "drilling-down" into the data. However, several additional sources are required to get a "Picture" of what the overall functions of lobbying may look like.

Long-Term Contribution Trends - Top Contributors - Money to Congress - Money In State Politics

The General Accounting Office (GAO) is unable to account for an estimated 25% of total federal assets using internal accounting records. The GAO also indicates an estimated 53% of federal agencies may not report expenditures for consulting, and the validity reports submitted may be in error. Funds expended by lobbyists are difficult to determine, as well as who the recipients are. In essence, financial reporting at the federal level is in need of significant review and change. (GAO comment)

Government agencies and elected officials at USA.GOV: Find contact information for federal, state, and local government agencies; government-related programs; and elected officials. The A-Z Index of U.S Government Agencies and more . . .

2017 SOTU Part V – Unemployment & Underemployment

United States Census Bureau: To derive unemployment and underemployment statistics, it is necessary to establish the current population as a base of measurement. The home page provides current estimates of population, and links to selected reports.

Population Clock: U.S. Population is currently estimated to be 324,386,000 citizens. The clock displays data from the census and provides projections forward. There are exceptions to which citizens are not included.

Population and Housing Unit Estimates: This page provides links to tables with national, state, and commonwealth tables for 2000-2016. The national outlook will be explored. However, for researchers desiring to review by state, the data tables are available. The employment page provides data tables on employers, public and private sectors, labor force statistics, and payroll data.

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Publishes current information on inflation and prices, pay and benefits, employment including by occupation, employment by major industry, unemployment, productivity and more.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: Provides information on duties, education, training and pay for hundreds of occupations. Computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow by 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.

Occupational Employment Job Openings: Estimated openings (in thousands) due to growth and replacements from 2014-2024 is 46,506. The table includes anticipated annual wages, education and experience.

Employment Projections: 2014-2024 reflect growth in medical related fields.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Calculators: Display graphical images by category. Selecting an image will lead to a list of data table titles which can be selected for further research. Place a checkmark in a box and select “Retrieve data” at the bottom of the page to retrieve the data.

Data retrieved using the calculator: (in thousands) as of December 2016: (Selecting Employment, Monthly, Labor Force Statistics) will provide a table of reports which will provide the following:

Civilian Labor Force Level: (In thousands. Some totals will not agree due to rounding of hundreds of data files)
Labor Force Participation Rate: 62.7 percent.
Employment Level: 152,111
Employed Full-time: 124,248
Employed Part-time: 27,895

Unemployment Level: 7,529

Welfare Statistics: (current data as of January 2017)

Total number of Americans receiving welfare government assistance: 67,891,000
Receiving SNAP food stamps: 41,170,000
Receiving UI/EDD unemployment insurance: 10,200,000
More:
Total Federal government spending on welfare programs annually (not including food stamps or unemployment): $158,200,000,000

Underemployment:

Personal desires regarding employment may be difficult to gauge. Unemployment + Part-time employment may indicate underemployment. If so, that would equate to 35,424 (in thousands) underemployed. Additionally, there are 28,400 (in thousands) students 16 years and above attending high school and college. These two statistics equal 63,824 (in thousands).

As robots take jobs, Europeans mull free money for all. The radical notion that governments should hand out free money to everyone — rich and poor, those who work and those who don't — is slowly but surely gaining ground in Europe.

2017 SOTU Part IV – National Defense, Security and Immigration

Oath of office of the President of the United States: The President's Cabinet, U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and all elected officials and employees of the federal government are required to take the oath. In some cases, the wording is changed based on the specific office. Additionally, most states, cities, law enforcement personnel, and their employees are required to take the same or similar oath. The oath can also be required of contractors, suppliers, and their personnel performing sensitive work.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

With everyone from the federal level to contractors and suppliers, and local level personnel included, it would seem every possible threat to national defense and security would be covered. However, acknowledgment of internal or external influences and threats can occur slowly over a protracted period of months or years. Acknowledgment can also occur in a matter of minutes or days given the enormity or severity of the action.

Current influences representing real or perceived threats by enemies, foreign or domestic, which are required to be recognized, acknowledged, and protected against, can include:

Domestic or international terrorism in the form of harm to citizens, governments, and their assets.

Domestic or international funding and investment in activities, commercial or philanthropic, which limit societal integration and adherence to established national doctrine.

Legal decisions which undermine or supplant established national doctrine.

Restricting or removing the individual rights, liberties, and freedoms of citizens established by national doctrine.

Unauthorized acquisition of proprietary information, digital or written, of legal entities or citizens of the nation.

Use of public funds for personal gain or in pursuit of efforts to undermine national or local doctrine.

Support for threats can be interpreted by failure to acknowledge and correct them, or via ignorance, stupidity and idiocy, allowing them.

Failure to take appropriate action may be interpreted as treachery, disloyalty, subversion, betrayal, and duplicity. Such failure may be for personal gain of a temporary nature.

Special Note:

Conducting commerce with or serving as an agent of an enemy of the United States, in effect, provides aid and comfort to the enemy. Profit from activities can be used by the enemy to support aggression against citizens of the United States or allies of the United States. Individuals and organizations arranging and participating in such activity are effectively foreign agents failing to uphold the oath.

Examples of nations declaring the status of an enemy:

China and Russia agree on more "countermeasures" against U.S. Anti-Missile System.

Immigration to the United States is a complex demographic phenomenon that has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout history. (Wikipedia)

Definitions:

The terms immigrant and emigrant are frequently confusing.

An immigrant is a person entering a country from another country.

Emigrant is a person who has left their home country for another country.

Example: Emigrating from Mexico. Immigrating into the United States.

Migrant is a general term referring to the total number of persons worldwide, that have emigrated from their home country for another. The number of international migrants worldwide has continued to grow rapidly over the past fifteen years reaching 244 million in 2015, up from 222 million in 2010, 191 million in 2005, and 173 million in 2000.

How the United States Immigration System Works: U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members.

The President's following actions are intended to streamline legal immigration, boost the economy, and promote naturalization for those who qualify. (White House)

Three critical elements of the President's executive actions are:

Cracking Down on Illegal Immigration at the Border.

Deporting Felons, Not Families.

Accountability – Criminal Background Checks and Taxes.

Most of the world’s migrants live in a handful of countries. In 2015, 67 percent of all international migrants in the world were living in just twenty countries.

The Migration Policy Institute Interactive Map, and International Migration Report for 2015, indicate the most international migrants, 47 million, resided in the United States of America. This is equal to 19 per cent of the world’s total. Migration Data Hub.

Germany and the Russian Federation hosted the second and third largest numbers of migrants worldwide (around 12 million each), followed by Saudi Arabia (10 million), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (nearly 9 million), and the United Arab Emirates (8 million).

Of the top twenty destinations of international migrants worldwide, nine were in Asia, seven in Europe, two in Northern America, and one each in Africa and Oceania.

United Nations Development - Population Division - International Migration. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, international migration has become a reality that touches nearly all corners of the globe, often making distinctions between countries of origin, transit, and destination obsolete.

Modern transportation has made it easier, cheaper, and faster for people to move. At the same time conflict, poverty, inequality, and lack of decent jobs are among the reasons that compel people to leave their homes in search of better futures for themselves and their families.

In 2014, migrants from developing countries sent home the estimated US $436 billion in remittances; a 4.4 percent increase over the 2013 level (World Bank 2015), far exceeding official development assistance and, excluding China, foreign direct investment.

Migrants, particularly women and children, are too often victims of human trafficking and the heinous forms of exploitation that human trafficking entails. Further, in many parts of the world, migration remains one of the few options for people, particularly young people, to find decent work, and escape poverty, persecution, and violence.

2017 SOTU Part III – Congressional Stalemate & U.S. Debt Limit

Purpose of this item is to provide researchers the ability to evaluate activities of the administration and congress in relationship to 1) external governance, global issues which are addressed in Part I and Part II; and 2) internal governance issues.

Congressional stalemate or gridlock in politics refers to a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people. A government is gridlocked when the ratio between bills passed and the agenda of the legislature decreases. Reference for the Federal Government of the United States. (Wikipedia)

External and Internal Governance:

President of the United States: Directs the foreign (external) and domestic (internal) policy of the United States. Since the office of President was established in 1789, its power has grown substantially, as has the power of the Federal Government as a whole. The Cabinet of the United States includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments, and supports the nations objectives while performing their responsibilities under the direction of president.

External Governance:

The Administration and Congress have agreed to external monitoring and control of the business of the citizens of the United States via the New World Order. The term New World Order prior to agreements leading up-to establishment of global, external governance, was considered a conspiracy theory. Today, it is an acknowledged and accepted term used in reference to the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), and their monitoring and governance organizations consisting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), and "Open Borders.”

Internal Governance:

United States Congress: Consists of two chambers, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. The references give a broad overview of their purpose, functions and powers.

114th United States Congress: A standard format and accessible reference documenting major events and legislation, constitutional amendments, states, party summaries, leadership and members, committees, employees and additional information is provided on Wikipedia. Coverage begins with the 1st United States Congress in 1789 and continues to the current congress. External links to each of the postings is located in the footer. The 115th United States Congress posting provides the current status after the election.

Government Stalemate and Gridlock Examples:

Supreme Court wades into immigration reform and gridlock. Democrats and Republicans have been in a protracted battle over immigration reform for years.

How concerning is U.S. political gridlock? Questions about the health of America’s political institutions and the future of its global leadership have become rampant, with some citing partisan gridlock as evidence of America’s decline.

U.S. trade policy gridlock. The success of international trade negotiations is in doubt. Under our Constitution’s Commerce Clause, Congress has ultimate responsibility to regulate domestic and foreign commerce. However, in recent decades Congress has generally granted the President Trade Promotion Authority.

Budget gridlock could derail B-21 bomber. Faced with the prospect that Congress will once again fail to pass a budget on time this year, the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force is warning that long-term budget gridlock could derail the next-generation B-21 bomber. ...

Congressional Budget Office (CBO), indicates the 2017 budget deficit will exceed $559 billion.
US Debt Clock provides a good snapshot of data on wide range of economic issues.

The budget for fiscal year 2017 has been passed and the economy is rebounding, creating 14 million jobs. The unemployment rate is below five percent for the first time in almost eight years, and deficits have been cut setting the Nation on a more sustainable fiscal path. What does the GAO have to say?

Fiscal Outlook and Debt: Action is needed to address the federal government’s fiscal future.

Congress and the new administration face serious economic, security, and social challenges that will require difficult policy choices in the short term about the level of federal spending and investments as well as ways to obtain needed resources.

Decisions to enhance economic growth and address national policies need to be accompanied by a fiscal plan to put the government on a path that is more sustainable over the long term.

This report is intended to illuminate the need for a long-term fiscal plan and answer key questions about:

Significant changes to the government’s fiscal condition in fiscal year 2016.

Long-term fiscal projections that show the federal government is on an unsustainable path.

Fiscal risks that are placing additional pressure on the federal budget.

Opportunities for executive agencies to contribute to fiscal sustainability.

2017 SOTU Part II – New World Order & International Trade

New World Order: This term was previously considered a conspiracy theory, and has become an acceptable term for international political efforts. The League of Nations, Bretton Woods System, United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), European Parliament, and Open Borders. (Wikipedia)

The New World Order ultimately leads to individual member nations surrendering, or subjugating, their individual national authority to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and “Open Borders.” The New World Order is essentially an initial attempt to bring about common results for citizens of the world. Member nations may have decisions by the EU and UN enacted and enforced within their own borders without their agreement. Recently, the previous administration allowed the Anti-Israel UN Resolution Against Settlements to pass by abstaining.

What are the costs by nation of peacekeeping operations? The chart for 2016-2018 indicates the U.S contribution to be 28.36 Billion of an overall total of 53.03 Billion for the entire UN. (United Nations General Assembly)

Yoshihiro Fukuyama discusses in his paper on The End of History, what is written and intended, is frequently interpreted and enacted differently between nations, as a result of differing political and religious belief systems, and languages. Fukuyama points out significant efforts can take centuries, and most possibly fail. The New World Order is such an effort, attempting to bring about common results for citizens of the world. (Wikipedia)

Status of Nations:

World Economic Situation and Prospects: Joint product report of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) and seven additional UN and external organizations. The report is lengthy and extensive. The Executive Summary states more than seven years after the global financial crisis, policymakers around the world still face enormous challenges in stimulating investment and reviving global growth.

The world economy has been held back by several major headwinds: persistent macroeconomic uncertainties and volatility; low commodity prices and declining trade flows; rising volatility in exchange rates and capital flows; stagnant investment and diminishing productivity growth; and a continued disconnect between finance and real sector activities. This comment is supported by the upcoming item on U.S. International Trade.

Global Peace Index 2016: The report is published by The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) which is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.

World's most and least peaceful countries in 2016. Currently, violence costs 13.3% of the Worlds GDP annually, or 13 trillion, 300 billion dollars. This equates to 5$ per person daily, and $1,876 annually. Since 2008, there has been a 286% increase in deaths from violence. Possibly as expected, Syria was the least peaceful country in 2016, and by far had the most refugees fleeing to find refuge. (Forbes)

The discussion of international trade deserves significant study. Impact of initiatives implemented by members of the New World Order as identified in Part I, have created an imbalance in economic activity of member nations. In Part I, the paper published by Francis Fukuyama, "The End of History," provides a good view of how the enlightened can be rather superficial, unable to recognize the underlying currents and rebirth of a new era of conflict. The point is made that theory expressed regarding proposed outcomes prior to the attempt to engage in, or change course from one political system to another, is rarely experienced as expected. Overall, movement over time, tends to strive for liberalism. Excessive liberalism can overburden political and economic systems resulting in collapsing a liberal government. (repeated from Part I)

Economic, political, religious, and religious-political systems propose lofty worldwide efforts and coordination in achieving equality. However, after establishing and implementing policy, return to their home nation internal issues. Organizations established and implemented by the New World Order are left to staffs and working committees such as the Group of Eight, including definition of the Group of 20, and the Group of Seven which meet at established intervals. (Wikipedia)

Narrowing the focus from international to national, the United States, to evaluate past and current outcomes of international trade and the long-term effects. The following data provide some insight into national economies with the worst trade account balances, the result of improperly managed New World Order initiatives, in this case, the World Trade Organization (WTO).

U.S. Exports vs: Imports 1992-2016

Consider this, when produced domestically, instead of imported, the ($9,975,399) net export loss [that is 9 trillion, 975 billion and 399 million] at the minimal case MMF of 250% would have exceeded over . . . $24,938,498 [24 trillion, 938 billion and 498 million] more dollars of domestic GDP in production and spending, and . . . $12,469,248 [12 trillion, 468 billion and 248 million] more dollars in taxes and fee revenue, and a heck of a lot more jobs. But the truth is it would have been much higher than that given annual compounding. Keep in mind this is minimal and reflects a factor based on 1992-1995, before congress began subjugation of the economy to the WTO under the New World Order.

Additional effects of imbalance in World Trade result in transfer of ownership interests in raw materials, finance, and distribution systems. The World Bank provides a significant resource for review in this regard. Essentially, raw materials ownership and finance realign with the production factor. And, outcome of the production factor align with the shipment of new products. In this regard, China has expanded greatly in the ownership and operations of these assets.

Additionally, as a nation pursues imports vice previously produced products and services, the infrastructure that had existed to support them, and provided taxes and fees to develop and maintain them, diminish. Therefore, previously existing infrastructure become underfunded, and the call is frequently for government funding to maintain and develop infrastructure.

Savings from the imbalance of imports are overrated. To arrive at the true cost, the cost of maintaining the infrastructure abandoned, unemployment insurance payments, food stamps, medical care provided and other welfare costs associated with the loss of employment are in fact a cost that should be added to the price of imported goods and services.

The world's 10 biggest ports. Seven of the 10 biggest ports in the world by cargo volume are in China. The remaining three are in Singapore, the Netherlands and South Korea. The world's leading import countries.

2017 SOTU Part I – Prolog

Backdrop for the stage of the Address by President Trump will be set in the minds of the audience based on their knowledge, experience, interpretations of current issues, and expectations for the future.

Each viewer will paint a mental picture of the setting, as if to form an impressionist canvas depicting objects of the issues and their relationships as understood by them.

Coit Tower Murals: The frescoes of the interior of Coit Tower depict the rise of the proletarian movement and with it the trend of social realism in art. The proletariat is a term for the class of wage-earners (especially industrial workers), in a capitalist society, whose only possession of significant material value is their labor-power (their ability to work); a member of such a class is a proletarian. (Wikipedia)

Viewers will represent every income and experience level; labor, farming, clerical, law enforcement, military, industrial, education, financial, government, health, sales, construction, technology and more. They will represent native Americans, immigrants, employees of foreign countries and companies, visitors, the entire membership of the United Nations countries and their many differing political and religious systems and beliefs.

They will have personal experience with, although may not have heard of, or understand, the international systems created by the Bretton Woods System in July of 1944. This system ultimately led to the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union (EU), and “Open Borders” between many European nations. A system frequently referred to as “The New World Order.” (Wikipedia)

The industrial robots industry are keen investors in robotics. Automation and wireless digital communications coupled together via mobile devices provide the ability to design and manufacture products and provide services on a worldwide basis. Technology transfer has resulted in many viewers, national and international, both gaining and losing jobs and careers because of automation. (International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development)

Viewers will also represent areas of political conflict and open warfare, many of whom will be current immigrants to European countries and the U.S., whether participants in the strife, or refugees from it. Most will have personally lost family, homes and businesses.

The long-term conflict in the Middle East is grounded in religious-political belief systems. And, under current, extremely deteriorated conditions, appears unsolvable, resulting in a middle east pullback by the U.S. (Foreign Affairs The Magazine)

"The End of History" published by Francis Fukuyama in The National Interest, Summer 1989. The paper predates current events in the Middle East, and mentions that many writers were predicting that “peace” seemed to be breaking out in many regions of the world. It marked the end of the Cold War Era, and essentially the “End of History” in that all would be stable going forward. Fukuyama's paper addresses many concepts of government.

The paper provides a good view of how the enlightened can be rather superficial, unable to recognize the underlying currents and rebirth of a new era of conflict. The point is made that theory expressed regarding proposed outcomes prior to the attempt to engage in, or change course from one political system to another, is rarely experienced as expected. Overall, movement over time, tends to strive for liberalism. Excessive liberalism can overburden political and economic systems resulting in collapsing a liberal government.

It could be postulated that the Bretton Woods System set in place just that possibility. Brexit could be the first breakaway from the European Union, and international systems put in place by it. These systems are currently the foundation of global turmoil in financial and international trade relations.

Given the national and international backdrop, the following review items should be addressed annually by the President in the State Of The Union (SOTU) Address.

1. Prolog. (Part I)
2. New World Order and Status of Nations. (Part II)
3. International Trade. (Part II)
4. Congressional Stalemate. (Part III)
5. U.S. Debt Limit (Part III)
6. National Defense and Security. (Part IV)
7. Immigration. (Part IV)
8. Unemployment and Underemployment. (Part V)
9. Government Agencies and Regulation. (Part VI)
10. Affordable Healthcare. (Part VII)
11. Education. (Part VIII)

The items listed above represent a review of legislative and fiscal health at the national level. Reviews are based on available federal data, and information published based on the data. National defense and security are addressed in relationship to congress and the administration regarding external and internal responsibilities. Items not included in this review are the financial community, military, and more which may be added.