Tonight, President Barack Obama gave his third State of the Union address.
First Lady Michelle Obama looked lovely in blue and
rhinestones. In the First Lady’s
box seats were an openly gay Air Force Colonel, who has been able to serve due
to the repeal of
Don't Ask - Don't Tell, as well as a teacher who had gone bankrupt yet chose to teach her students without pay.
Prior to the address, Speaker of the House, John Boehner, called Obama's State of the Union policies "pathetic".
Five Supreme Court Justices attended the address. Absent were the members of the SCOTUS conservative block: Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Antonin Scalia, and Justice Clarence Thomas.
The President started the address by describing his welcoming home of many of the last U.S. soldiers to return from the War in Iraq. "For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq," said Obama. He continued, saying that Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to America, for the first time in two decades.
Obama noted how his grandfather, a war veteran, had the ability to go to college because of the GI Bill and was able to take care of his family, creating opportunities for his children. Obama noted that the "defining issue of our time is how to keep that dream alive." This is an issue of fundamental fairness.
He argued that he had worked to implement changes in the law that would prevent crisis from occurring again, such as the 2008 mortgage catastrophe, noting that businesses have created more than 3 million jobs under his tenure. "The State of our Union is getting stronger and we've come too far to turn back now," he said, echoing the words of President Ronald Reagan.
President Obama said that the blueprint for his presidency begins with manufacturing. "We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity and tonight the American auto industry is back." He also argued that there needs to be a change in the tax code in order to encourage manufacturers to bring foreign jobs home. "If the playing field is level, I promise you, America will always win."
He highlighted the need to equip American workers with technological skills, pointing out Jackie Bray, a single mother from the South, who was able to get her college degree and, later, a job at a high-tech plant.
Moving on to education, Obama said that he worked to improve teaching and learning standards across states. "A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty for a child who dreams beyond his circumstances." Instead of bashing teachers, he argued for the need to give resources to teachers and flexibility in order to stop teaching to the test. "When students are not allowed to drop out, they do better." Thus, President Obama proposed that all states require students to stay in high school until they graduate or until they turn 18.
In regard to the cost of college, he noted Americans currently owe more in student debt than credit card debt. He called on Congress to stop the interest rate from doubling in July, extend the tuition credit, and double the number of work study jobs. "Higher education is not a luxury but an imperative that all Americans should be able to afford."
He pushed for the DREAM Act or a comprehensive policy like it that would allow undocumented students who want to earn their citizenship to stay and work in America. Obama also noted that there have been fewer illegal border crossings than when he first took office.
"Women should earn equal pay for equal work," Obama said to the expected standing ovation. In one of the few other specific mentions of women, he claimed to refuse to allow the country to go back to the time when health care companies had the power to charge women differently than men.
He emphasized the tapping of more than the 75% of potential offshore oil and gas reserves in an "all of the above strategy" as well as proposing a new refinancing program for responsible homeowners. "No bail outs, no hand outs, no cop outs," Obama said.
Again, maintaining that it is time to return to American values of fairness and fair play, President Obama urged Congress to stop the tax hike on 160 million Americans and reformat the federal tax code. He stressed that the average American cannot afford the loss of 40 dollars from their paychecks.
"The American people know what the right choice is. So do I....You can call this 'class warfare' all you," making a not-so-subtle jab at the GOP candidates' campaign rhetoric. No millionaire or billionaire should pay less in taxes than 98% of Americans.
In coming to a close, President Obama said that, although he was a Democrat, he agreed with Republican President Abraham Lincoln's quote: "The government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves and no more." He continued, "When we act together, there's nothing that the United States of America cannot achieve."
He concluded, "Our destiny is stitched together like the fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. This nation is great because we built it together....As long a we are joined in common purpose, our journey moves forward and our future is strong. And the State of the Union will always be strong."
