2005 State of the Union address
Encyclopedia
The 2005 State of the Union Address was delivered by United States President
George W. Bush
on Wednesday, February 2, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives
and the Senate
).
address by saying that the United States Government has a "great privilege" of being "placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan
, the Palestinian Territories
, Ukraine
, and a free and sovereign Iraq
," a reference to the first truly democratic, and relatively fair and free, elections that took place in the respective nations.
He reminded Congress of George W. Bush's second inaugural address, "Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all
." He then outlined the next part of his speech, beginning with domestic
issues, and moving on to United States foreign policy, "This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world."
He noted that despite the recent recession
, the economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation, homeownership is at an all time high, and 2.3 million (this statistic was highly disputed in the coming days) new jobs had been created. He attributed the economic turn around to his tax cuts, specifically lower income tax
es, free trade
initiatives, prosecution of corporate criminals.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on Wednesday, February 2, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
).
Introduction
President Bush began his State of the UnionState Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
address by saying that the United States Government has a "great privilege" of being "placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, the Palestinian Territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and a free and sovereign Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
," a reference to the first truly democratic, and relatively fair and free, elections that took place in the respective nations.
He reminded Congress of George W. Bush's second inaugural address, "Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
." He then outlined the next part of his speech, beginning with domestic
Domestic policy
Domestic policy, also known as public policy, presents decisions, laws, and programs made by the government which are directly related to all issues and activity within the country....
issues, and moving on to United States foreign policy, "This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world."
Economy
The president began his domestic analysis by drawing attention to the growing United States economy, "Our generation has been blessed," and first and second generation parents, "we watch our children moving into adulthood... let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and our grandchildren."He noted that despite the recent recession
Early 2000s recession
The early 2000s recession was a decline in economic activity which occurred mainly in developed countries. The recession affected the European Union mostly during 2000 and 2001 and the United States mostly in 2002 and 2003. The UK, Canada and Australia avoided the recession for the most part, while...
, the economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation, homeownership is at an all time high, and 2.3 million (this statistic was highly disputed in the coming days) new jobs had been created. He attributed the economic turn around to his tax cuts, specifically lower income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es, free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
initiatives, prosecution of corporate criminals.
Statistics
Thirty-eight million viewers watched the address, a lower figure than any of Bush's previous State of the Union addresses, and indeed lower than any State of the Union addresses in the preceding twelve years.External links
- 2005 State of the Union Address (full transcript), The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara
- 2005 State of the Union Address (video) at C-SPAN