by Congressman Tom McClintock
“The President missed the message of the 2010 election. It is not government that creates prosperity. It is freedom. We cannot bring about prosperity by locking government spending at unsustainable levels, wasting billions of dollars on subsidies for outrageously inefficient industries, increasing taxes on energy, managing our local schools from Washington and usurping the countless decisions made every day by families, consumers and businesses.
“These policies are squandering our wealth, impoverishing our nation and mortgaging our future.
“After the Republican sweep of 1994, President Clinton heeded the will of the American people. He declared the era of big government over, he reformed welfare entitlements, he reduced federal spending by a miraculous four percent of GDP and produced an era of solid economic growth, prosperity and budget surpluses.
“I had hoped to see the same humility and pragmatism in the State of the Union address tonight. I left profoundly disappointed.”