Tonight, after President Barack Obama delivered the annual State of the Union address, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06) released the following response:

“President Obama’s State of the Union rhetoric called for ‘fairness’ but the reality is that this President is anything but fair. The President presented ideas tonight that demonstrate his willingness to pick winners and losers. First, the President introduced a new tax loophole for a certain sector of manufacturers. He believes that high-tech manufacturers should get double the tax break that other manufacturers receive. This is wrong. Instead, there should be a level playing field for our manufacturers. In addition, I believe their tax rates must allow them to turn a profit in order to create more jobs.

“The President believes spending taxpayer dollars will be the solution to education costs. In reality, as student aid increases, education costs go up. Furthermore, it is not the federal government’s role to force schools to offer work-study jobs or to control a school’s tuition rates.

“The President’s favoritism continues into his view on energy. Last week we saw the President side with his friends in the environmental lobby by denying the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. Then, while the President highlights massive cuts to the Department of Defense, he also announced that they will be forced to purchase his preferred type of energy – clean energy.

“Furthermore, the President’s speech was riddled with new regulations and new taxes. These regulations and taxes will harm our nation’s small businesses and job creators. The best way to promote job growth is through economic certainty which means cutting regulations and simplifying the tax code.

“These are just a few examples of the President governing with favoritism, not fairness. The President needs to follow the Constitution, given to us by the founders, and its one true fairness guide – equal protection under the law. America was not founded on redistribution of wealth, but on free markets and the idea that everyone is entitled to the fruits of their labors. Furthermore, our true American values are the ones enshrined into the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“Our country in is dire need of a solution that will help us recover our jobs, our economy and our hope for the future. The true state of the union is such that we simply cannot afford more of the hollow promises that President Obama presented tonight. He called for ‘no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts,’ but his policies are rooted in these three things. Our country needs better and our country deserves better.”

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