What's the 'State of Your Household'?

On Monday, President Bush will deliver his final State of the Union address before Congress under awkward circumstances: an unpopular president being labeled the “lamest of lame ducks,” finishing out his term as both parties focus elsewhere – on the campaign to choose his successor. It is a speech many observers say will be largely irrelevant.

But will it be? This State of the Union comes at a critical time, with the U.S. economy stalling, the home foreclosure crisis deepening and Congress hurrying to send Bush a $150 billion stimulus package. Americans’ perceptions and sense of confidence are key, and the president with his bully pulpit can affect the national mood. Keeping the nation from a recession could be a matter of psychology as well as monetary policy. What Bush says and how he says it will still matter – and could have an effect on the presidential race as well.

The Hill, a top Washington “insider” publication, reported Thursday that Bush’s speech will have four major themes: fixing the economy, renewing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, recent Iraq successes and trade agreements. He’ll emphasize areas of bipartisan agreement, it reported, trying to add achievements to his legacy.

But before Bush outlines his ideas on where the nation stands, we thought it would be helpful to present typical Americans’ assessments of how they see things from where they stand. So we’re inviting you to weigh in on this topic:

What is the state of your household? Do you believe you and your family are better off or worse off than you were at this time last year? What are the biggest problems and challenges you face? What policies do you think should be adopted to help you and your family prosper?

We invite you to add your comments to an online discussion board we’ve set up on this topic, or you can e-mail your thoughts to letters@enquirer.com. We’ll publish a selection of the responses we receive before Monday’s speech.