Shalrirorchian Capitol Building
Shalcoria, Capital of the United States of ShalrirorchiaFirst State of the Union Address of President Shanu Aeri
It is custom for the Shalrirorchian chief executive to deliver an address regarding the state of the union at the end of every year. The address is specifically designed to give the President the opportunity to set legislative priorities for the coming year.As we begin to wind up the first decade of the revised Shalrirorchian Constitution, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks...not to the government of the people, but to the people themselves. Rarely has a government changed so radically in so short a period of time and yet retained the stability and continuity that makes effective democratic government possible.
For the success or failure of democratic government rests not on the shoulders of the politicians so much as on the ballots of the people. The Shalrirorchian people have taken on the burden of that responsibility with gusto. I am proud to be their President.
We are a nation of laws and order. We do not value law or government for their own sake; instead we see them as instruments with which to improve the lives of the governed, by consent of the governed. The law applies to all of us equally. In light of that, I call upon the Congress to pass responsible anti-trust legislation immediately. Shalrirorchian corporations are free to make a profit, but they are not free to use the legalities of the corporate shield to avoid consequences for illegal actions.
(applause)
The world is a vast and sometimes troubled place. Yet for the better part of a decade, Shalrirorchia has retreated further and further into a form of political isolation. Our diplomats labor in embassy facilities that are outdated and insufficient to their needs. Shalrirorchia can no longer afford this short-sighted policy in either economic or diplomatic terms. I ask the Congress to increase the State Department's budget this year so that a greater renovation of our embassies throughout greater Taijitu can take place, and so that Shalrirorchia can continue to promote democratic reform abroad.
(applause)
Closer to home, an important program is approaching a sunset clause. The Higher Education for Shalrirorchia program, or HES, has enabled millions of Shalrirorchian citizens to go back to school to earn their college degree. Shalrirorchia's education system is the envy of the industrialized world, turning out millions of highly-trained professionals in such fields as medicine, computer science, physics, and chemistry every year. This program is essential to Shalrirorchian prosperity, both today and tomorrow. I urge the Congress to renew this vital program before the end of the calendar year.
(applause)
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my predecessor, who honored us tonight by attending. President Gistarai, if you would please rise and acc....
(drowned out by wild applause as the former President stands)
(after applause dies down) It seems I will have to be more careful about who I invite to official functions in the future, lest someone mistake you for being President instead of me...
(crowd laughter)
Excerpt From Shanu Aeri's Speech, 2007
