EDITORIAL: We are the United States — not divided

From President Barack Obama's gung-ho State of the Union address to Gov. Mitch Daniels' response — essentially, "It's mourning in America" — Americans were treated Tuesday to two separate visions for America. It's as if we are a nation divided, not united. That must be the case no longer.

Political posturing, heightened during this election year and evident in both speeches, must not be allowed to make good governance impossible.

Obama's analogy of behaving as the troops in the military do — working together, regardless of differences, to serve the nation — is fitting. Or, as Daniels said, "We will speak the language of unity. Let us rebuild our finances, and the safety net, and reopen the door to the stairway upward; any other disagreements we have can wait."

That said, let's briefly address three key issues from the two speeches.

Tax reform: Obama is right that millionaires shouldn't have to pay less, in either a dollar amount or percentage of their income, than middle class Americans. Obama's example of Warren Buffett's secretary paying more than her boss was well done. Likewise, corporations should not have so many tax loopholes that they fail to meet their obligation of supporting their nation. Daniels' warnings of the problems associated with the national debt crisis must be heeded. A combination of spending cuts and increased revenue is essential to address this, although it must be done without harming either the middle class or the poor and without putting an undue burden on the wealthy or corporations. It will not be easy to strike the right balance, but it must be done. And instead of temporary measures, as happened with increasing the debt limit late last year, be decisive. Bring the long-range certainty businesses need so they can feel confident enough to invest in new jobs, new equipment, etc., without worrying about unforeseen consequences from a fickle Congress.

Safety net: The focus on shoring up finances must not exclude Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and similar programs. These must not be allowed to collapse because so many Americans are dependent on them. Among other changes that might be considered, look at requiring a means test for Social Security recipients in the distant future. Giving federal money to people who don't need it is wasteful. However, don't implement this so quickly that Americans already retired or near retirement have no chance to plan their own retirement savings accordingly.

ENERGY: The federal government must be focused not just on developing future clean-energy breakthroughs but also on transitioning the nation to that future. Ensure access to North American energy resources, whether by increasing use of offshore oil fields or natural gas or oil on federal lands. But also pave the way for energy efficiency, through adequate funding for mass transit, by insulating public buildings and by providing tax and other incentives for insulating homes. Reducing demand for "dirty energy" in this manner will buy time for new technologies to be made commercially viable.

These are goals that Republicans and Democrats alike should be able to pursue. We are all on the same team — we are all Americans — and must not get so mired in petty squabbling that we lose sight of the goal and fail to succeed.