Obama Proposes More Big Government

During the State Of The Union (SOTU) speech last night, President Obama was speaking about the topic of international trade when he said the following statement:

Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win

A “Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China”?  Is this an ‘Economic Police Force’ that punishes what the Government deems “unfair”?  Is it a comprehensive ‘Study Group’ that details other nation’s trade practices?  What exactly is this “Trade Enforcement Unit” going to consist of, and what functions will it have?

Obama was not done…

Also in the SOTU speech, Obama called on state’s to make changes in education policy, stating:

“So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.”

The tenor and tone which Obama delivered this line left the implication that if the State’s do not do this, then the federal government will.  This begs many Constitutional questions, but we won’t put the cart before the horse on this issue.