Earlier this week, President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address. He pointed out issues our nation must improve on, and also praised our nation for the areas we excel in. This address gave a resounding sense of hope and resiliency for the nation’s future and it laid out the progress that we should all be looking forward to.
President Obama acknowledged that this was going to be the last year of his presidency and yet assured that he was still not done: “And I’ll keep pushing for progress on the work that still needs doing. Fixing a broken immigration system. Protecting our kids from gun violence. Equal pay for equal work, paid leave, raising the minimum wage. All these things still matter to hardworking families; they are still the right thing to do; and I will not let up until they get done.”
The Economy
The economy has always been a topic of discussion in every nation and it is often times used to reflect on the efficiency of a presidency. When President Obama took office in 2008, The United States was suffering from a recession and was fighting to get out of it. Now in his last year, Obama announced how prosperous our economy has become and the resiliency within it:
“Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs; the strongest two years of job growth since the ’90s; an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry has just had its best year ever. That’s just part of a new manufacturing surge that has created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past six years. And we’ve done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters.”
What a way to hush the economic naysayers.
The President announced that though the nation has had progress with the educational system, there is still more that needs to be done.
“We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we’ve increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, and boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, [...] And we have to make college affordable for every American. Because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red.”
Health Care
The Affordable Care Act, or as many call it, “Obamacare,” has been a huge subject of controversy with questions of legality and feasibility. Let us not forget the embarrassing interview Jon Stewart had with Kathleen Sebelius, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the issues The Affordable Care Act website had with traffic, glitches, amongst other problems. Nevertheless, Obama highlighted the importance of Healthcare, what has been accomplished, and what must be done:
“That’s why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever; we shouldn’t weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That, by the way is what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It’s about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when you lose a job, or you go back to school, or you strike out and launch that new business, you’ll still have coverage. Nearly eighteen million have gained coverage so far and in the process, in the process health care inflation has slowed and our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law.”
Climate Change
Climate change has been of worldwide discussion with nations organizing themselves at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted in Paris to work towards limiting polluting emissions. Obama made it a point in his final address to dispute those that deny climate change’s existence “You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it’s a problem and intend to solve it.” and also gave us yet another reason to support the efforts in saving our planet: “But even if the planet wasn’t at stake; even if 2014 wasn’t the warmest year on record — until 2015 turned out even hotter — why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?” Indeed, why would we want to pass it up?
Bernie Sanders Much?
Let me highlight a section that sounds like something presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders would say:
“But there are some areas where, we just have to be honest, it’s been more difficult to find agreement over the last seven years — and a lot of them fall under the category of what role the government should play in making sure the system’s not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations. And it’s an honest disagreement and the American people have a choice to make. [...] Food Stamp recipients did not cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. Immigrants aren’t the principle reason wages haven’t gone up; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that all too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns. It’s sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts. The point is, I believe that in this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less.”
Is Obama feeling The Bern?
When We Work Hard and We Aspire Big
The president brought all sorts of hope and encouragement in his final address. He reminded us that,
“because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril — we emerged stronger and better than before. What was true then can be true now. Our unique strengths as a nation — our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity and commitment to the rule of law — these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come.”
He brought up the great accomplishments our nation has made, the strengths of our patriotism, “Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn’t deny Sputnik was up there. We didn’t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and twelve years later, we were walking on the moon.” Our president was preparing us up for an announcement about our next challenge: Cancer.
Cancer
The president also openly announced our nation’s efforts and mobilization in becoming the nation find the cure for cancer. Big aspirations but it is and has been in the works according to the president:
“But we can do so much more. Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they’ve had in over a decade. Well, so, so, tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the families that we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.”
Military Prowess and Terrorism
All I can say to preface this section is ‘U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!’ Every bit of the following is worth the read:
“No nation attacks us directly or our allies because they know that’s the path to ruin. Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead — they call us. [...] We just need to call them what they are — killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed. And that’s exactly what we are doing. For more than a year, America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off ISIL’s financing, disrupt their plots, stop the flow of terrorist fighters, and stamp out their vicious ideology. With nearly 10,000 air strikes, we are taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, and their weapons. We are training, arming, and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in Iraq and Syria. [...] American people should know that with or without Congressional action, ISIL will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America’s commitment — or mine — to see that justice is done, ask Osama bin Laden. Ask the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you and it may take time, but we have long memories, and our reach has no limit.”
A Look To The World: TPP, Cuban Relations, and Guantanamo
Obama reaffirmed what Trans-Pacific Partnership is about and what it has done: “That’s how we forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets, protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products Made in America, and supports more good jobs. With TPP, China doesn’t set the rules in that region, we do.” The president also reminded us of the new diplomatic relations we have begun with Cuba under his presidency
“Fifty years of isolating Cuba had failed to promote democracy, setting us back in Latin America. That’s why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, and positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. You want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere? Recognize that the Cold War is over. Lift the embargo.”
He has also maintained that he “will keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo: it’s expensive, it’s unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies.”
A Look To The Inside: Prejudice and Togetherness
This political season has been one for the books. We have a particular republican presidential candidate that assures all that he is not racist nor misogynistic but still says such things in his speech and in debates. There is no question that Obama stands against any hateful rhetoric and that this rhetoric works against us, “That’s why we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This is not a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith.
His Holiness, Pope Francis, told this body from the very spot I stand tonight that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.” When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country.”
The key word for internal progress is togetherness: “The future we want — opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids — all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.”
Democracy
It seems that this is a message to politicians who refuse to have a bipartisan agreement and who would rather point fingers: “But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn’t work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention.” We, the public, notice, and we are glad, Obama, that you have put in the spotlight how inefficient politics can become when it does not begin with ‘what is best for our people’ but rather, ‘what is best for our party.’
The Future
Overall, the resounding message of President Obama’s final State of the Union Address was hope and progress, something we should all embody. I am proud of how far our nation has come and am looking forward to strides we will take to achieve opulent contentment. His final message is as optimistic as the entirety of this final State of the Union speech and it is fair to end with it as he has:
“That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Undaunted by challenge, Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. I believe in change because I believe in you, The American people. And that’s why I stand here as confident as I’ve ever been that the State of our Union is strong. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.”
