The Founders of the nation and the authors of the Constitution understood well the value of a presidential address on the state of the Union when they included Article II, Section 3 in the Constitution:
" and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

But, what was their intent?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5djtYZuqz_8

Voters across America will be tuning in tonight as President Obama delivers his sixth State of the Union address.

Since his last address, Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency's mass surveillance program, the Healthcare.gov website launched and crashed on October 1, the government shut down for 17 days, and the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, giving same-sex couples equal protection under federal law.

As the 2014 tax season approaches, Americans are given an annual reminder of the cost of freedom. For many of us, that cost is paid in hardships and headaches, as well as dollars.

Nobody likes taxes, but most of us understand it as a necessary evil. However, most average Americans don’t have any idea how the tax system works; it is insanely and unnecessarily complicated.

Editor's Note: This is a book review and the opinions expressed herein are the author's.
"No Labels stands for something vitally important— and utterly commonsense. It stands for the basic principle that if we want to move forward as a country, we need leaders who are willing to sit down with anyone— conservative, liberal, or anyone in between— so long as they are willing to work to achieve shared success for America." - U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, "No Labels: A Shared Vision for a Stronger America"

This is a great quote.

A historical battleground congressional district in New York is set once again for another knock-down, drag-out election season.

New York’s First Congressional District, comprised of the central part and the eastern end of Long Island, includes affluent playgrounds like the Hamptons, working class neighborhoods like Smithtown and Mastic, and rural farming communities on the North Fork. It has seen its share of political swings, alternating narrow wins in presidential elections -- George W.

 explains the Captain in the 1967 film,

Cool Hand Luke.

Communication is at the root of any successful negotiation. When we fail to communicate, we fail to negotiate: no compromise; no consensus; no collaboration; no action.

"If only you would be silentand let silence be your wisdom."--Job 13:5 (Revised English Bible)

The most powerful speech in Homer’s Odyssey is not a speech at all. It occurs in Book 1, when Odysseys travels to the Underworld and meets, among others, the great warrior Ajax. The two did not part on good terms. When Achilles was killed at the end of the Trojan War, both Ajax and Odysseus claimed his armor, and, when the Greek generals award it to Odysseus, Ajax fell into a blind rage and slaughtered a flock of sheep that he mistook for the generals.

Recently in my political science class, my professor started out the lecture by asking: “What makes a person an American citizen?” Besides a few orthodox answers regarding citizenship (green-card, documents and territory), there were an overwhelming amount of answers mentioning “experiences” and “values.”