“Political without being partisan” was the repeated post-speech quote from NBC White House Correspondent Chuck Todd. Through further analysis Todd explained that President Obama addressed all issues in a manner that did not divide the Democratic Party nor completely oppose the Republican Party.
Income/job equality: President Obama’s speech linked education, immigration, and reforms back to improving the economy. President Obama specifically called for equal pay for female employees. “I believe when women succeed, America succeeds,” President Obama exclaimed after a strategically placed reference to the retrogressive society of the television program Mad Men. President Obama expressed the importance of a $10.10 minimum wag and how it will improve the economy; therefore working toward income equality for the middle class saying, “Say yes. Give America a raise.” More affordable education, including higher education and pre-kindergarten education, were topics President Obama used to support future improvement in job and income equality. Mr. President continued to reference the ideals of the “American dream” sighting both his own and Speaker of the House, John Boehner’s, humble beginnings.
Health Care: President Obama took the time to speak highly of the Affordable Care Act. One example in the State of the Union Address that supported the Affordable Care Act was the story of a single mother who signed up for Health Care on January 1st and need the health insurance on the 3rd on January, essentially avoiding bankruptcy by signing up for Obamacare. During the Health Care portion of President Obama’s address, Mr. President explained that the American people continue to have both the power and responsibility to move America forward, and congress should not hinder that progress.
American Diplomacy: President Obama concluded his speech in a way that supported NBC White House Correspondent, Chuck Todd’s summary of the address, “Political without being partisan.” President Obama finished the address with foreign affairs and the importance of trying American diplomacy to stop nuclear weapon development before stepping back into a war. Referencing both the upcoming Winter Olympic Games and a brave American soldier, Cory Remsburg, President Obama insured an ever-improving protection of the United States of America against terrorism and the ever-present American spirit.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
State of the Union Notes
1. Economy
President Obama opened his discussion of the economy by saying progress has been made since he has taken office, but he also admitted that there is still plenty of work to be done. He pointed out that 1 in 10 Americans are out of work, which is an important statistic because rising unemployment rates have been a main criticism of his presidency. President Obama goes on to reference the gap between the rich and the poor, mentioning work done on Wall Street compared to Main Street. To improve the economy, the President said the main goal was to bail out the banks, and then create a financial rescue program. He goes on to say taxes have been cut, and unemployment rates have decreased.
2. Education
President Obama explains that the best way to decrease poverty is through education. He says funding is being given based on the success of the schools, and that the government invests in reform. The President mentioned the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which will support educational reform across the country. He also stressed the importance of community colleges, as they represent a path for students form working class families. President Obama expressed his concern with the rising prices of a college education, and outlined plans to increase grants and decrease interest on student loans. Music to my ears.
3. Healthcare
Healthcare is certainly the most hotly debated issue citizens have with the Obama administration, and he addressed this problem by sticking by his plan. He explained that his healthcare plan is getting closer to providing security for Americans. He stressed that people with existing plans can keep their plans, a question that has persisted since the Affordable Care Act was passed. The President explained that the current plan is an improvement from past healthcare plans, and he urged Congress to continue to support the program.
President Obama opened his discussion of the economy by saying progress has been made since he has taken office, but he also admitted that there is still plenty of work to be done. He pointed out that 1 in 10 Americans are out of work, which is an important statistic because rising unemployment rates have been a main criticism of his presidency. President Obama goes on to reference the gap between the rich and the poor, mentioning work done on Wall Street compared to Main Street. To improve the economy, the President said the main goal was to bail out the banks, and then create a financial rescue program. He goes on to say taxes have been cut, and unemployment rates have decreased.
2. Education
President Obama explains that the best way to decrease poverty is through education. He says funding is being given based on the success of the schools, and that the government invests in reform. The President mentioned the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which will support educational reform across the country. He also stressed the importance of community colleges, as they represent a path for students form working class families. President Obama expressed his concern with the rising prices of a college education, and outlined plans to increase grants and decrease interest on student loans. Music to my ears.
3. Healthcare
Healthcare is certainly the most hotly debated issue citizens have with the Obama administration, and he addressed this problem by sticking by his plan. He explained that his healthcare plan is getting closer to providing security for Americans. He stressed that people with existing plans can keep their plans, a question that has persisted since the Affordable Care Act was passed. The President explained that the current plan is an improvement from past healthcare plans, and he urged Congress to continue to support the program.
State of the Union Address 1-28-14
1. Jobs: President
Obama focused on several aspects of the job market in the State of the Union
Address; whether it was creating an environment where businesses will thrive if
they insource jobs, or giving college students better access to jobs in a
growing economy. Jobs and creating more mobility opportunities for the lower
and middle classes seemed to be the most significant theme of the night as he
began to correlate different happenings to the growing job market. Obama
introduced different men and women throughout his speech to emphasize the
hardworking middle class and highlight the financial burden they sometimes
endure. He also mentioned his plans to raise minimum wage for federal workers
and providing women with equal pay and opportunities in the work place.
2. Health Care:
He advertised Obamacare’s availability to all American citizens; it’s quickly
approaching March 31st deadline, and the overall simplicity of
signing up for the program through the operating site. However, I noticed that
President Obama did not deeply discuss the faults at the launch of the website
nor did he touch on the long process it took to restore the website for
potential use.
3. Congress and Bipartisanship: President
Obama also addressed the fact that Congress representatives were sent by the people
to represent the people. He expressed his hope for Congress to separate its
arguments over the size of the government and other contrasting views in order
to make progress by passing important legislation through the Houses.
2014 State of the Union
Throughout the roughly hour and a half broadcast of the State of the Union, Obama highlighted many points that were relevant to the success of the US in the coming year, including energy, the immigration system, women in the workforce, Obamacare, and gun violence. However three main topics of interest that he focused on were industry and job creation, education, and foreign policy and veteran benefits.
1. Industry and Job Creation
His main points on this topic is that the government needs to help strengthen the middle class and provide more opportunities to move into the middle class. More jobs need to be created by partnering training programs with active employers. Obama claimed that Vice President Biden would head a reform of America's training program in order to better prepare workers for the employers needs and to pair them with employers who are seeking to hire immediately. Obama will also create a Patent Reform Bill that will allow companies to focus on innovation rather than paperwork, which will create more jobs. This will also allow the industry to focus and expand high tech manufacturing hubs in order to lead the world in technological goods, which are made in the USA. He has also stated that he is willing to overstep legislation and Congress in order to provide more jobs for the American people.
2. Education
His reason for focusing on education is that the workforce of tomorrow must be equipped with the proper skills in order to enter jobs efficiently and successfully. Obama cites a recent College Opportunity Summit where he planned to reduce inequality to access to education. He also said that he has begun reaching out to corporations in order to assist colored men to stay on track and to reach their full potential through the education system. He emphasized the Race to the Top program that he said has improved the skills, such as problem solving, technology, engineering, math, and critical thinking, of children around the US. However he also stated that Congress must focus on providing high quality early education, Pre-Kindergarten, to every four year old. He continues to push forward with providing high speed broadband to almost all the schools in the US, and would like to cap monthly student loan payments to 10% of income.
3. Foreign Policy and Veteran Benefits
Obama highlighted Michelle Obama's Joining Forces Alliance which hires and trains veterans and military spouses, and says that he is working hard in order to give war veterans the benefits and healthcare that they need. For foreign policy, Obama declares that US troops in Afghanistan will complete their mission by the end of this year, 2014. Following, minimal US troops may stay in Afghanistan only to train Afghanistan troops and to further employ counter terrorism towards Al Qaeda. Also following, Obama implores Congress to shut down Guantanamo Bay. He says that he will limit the use of drones in foreign countries in order to ensure that the privacy of ordinary people is not violated. He claims that America's diplomacy has halted Iran's nuclear program, and that further negotiations and diplomacy should be employed when dealing with the situation. Obama also cites the strong ties that the US has with Europe, as well as the US' aid in the recent Philippine disaster.
1. Industry and Job Creation
His main points on this topic is that the government needs to help strengthen the middle class and provide more opportunities to move into the middle class. More jobs need to be created by partnering training programs with active employers. Obama claimed that Vice President Biden would head a reform of America's training program in order to better prepare workers for the employers needs and to pair them with employers who are seeking to hire immediately. Obama will also create a Patent Reform Bill that will allow companies to focus on innovation rather than paperwork, which will create more jobs. This will also allow the industry to focus and expand high tech manufacturing hubs in order to lead the world in technological goods, which are made in the USA. He has also stated that he is willing to overstep legislation and Congress in order to provide more jobs for the American people.
2. Education
His reason for focusing on education is that the workforce of tomorrow must be equipped with the proper skills in order to enter jobs efficiently and successfully. Obama cites a recent College Opportunity Summit where he planned to reduce inequality to access to education. He also said that he has begun reaching out to corporations in order to assist colored men to stay on track and to reach their full potential through the education system. He emphasized the Race to the Top program that he said has improved the skills, such as problem solving, technology, engineering, math, and critical thinking, of children around the US. However he also stated that Congress must focus on providing high quality early education, Pre-Kindergarten, to every four year old. He continues to push forward with providing high speed broadband to almost all the schools in the US, and would like to cap monthly student loan payments to 10% of income.
3. Foreign Policy and Veteran Benefits
Obama highlighted Michelle Obama's Joining Forces Alliance which hires and trains veterans and military spouses, and says that he is working hard in order to give war veterans the benefits and healthcare that they need. For foreign policy, Obama declares that US troops in Afghanistan will complete their mission by the end of this year, 2014. Following, minimal US troops may stay in Afghanistan only to train Afghanistan troops and to further employ counter terrorism towards Al Qaeda. Also following, Obama implores Congress to shut down Guantanamo Bay. He says that he will limit the use of drones in foreign countries in order to ensure that the privacy of ordinary people is not violated. He claims that America's diplomacy has halted Iran's nuclear program, and that further negotiations and diplomacy should be employed when dealing with the situation. Obama also cites the strong ties that the US has with Europe, as well as the US' aid in the recent Philippine disaster.
Work Force and Employment
President Obama stated in his speech that states had started
to create American Training Center’s, which help employers learn new skills.
The American Training Centers train employers to have the skills they need for
specific jobs, and then match them with the jobs that are available. President Obama is also asking congress to “give
people a chance” by reforming employment insurance. He strongly believes that
business leaders should give long- term unemployment people a chance to support
their families
Education-
President Obama told a story about how education changed the
life of a young man. He ended the story stating that this same boy, the son of
a factory worker, is able to attend college this fall. President Obama is asking
to reform student loans. However, he explained that throughout the years of his
presidency, more young people are gaining college degrees. Although the numbers
have increased,, he believes they have not increased enough. He stated, ”we are
still not reaching enough kids and not reaching them in time.” He plans to work
with high schools to redesign them and partner them with colleges, which can
eventually locate these students to a job and career. He strongly believes that
no middle class child should be “priced out of a school. “ He also is making
plans for the future for high quality Pre-K for every four- year- old. President Obama stated that 30 states have
raised Pre- K quality on their own.
Minimum Wage-
President Obama stated that he wants to “give Americans a
raise.” He is raising the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents. He wants
more business leaders to do what they can to raise minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage will give more business
customers more money to spend. Five states have already raised minimum wage on
their own.
- Work Force
President Obama talked about how the Vice President is going to lead a reform for American training programs. He focused on the fact that the way that we, as a nation, should be training our workforce is by teaching them the skills that employers need right now and then matching these citizens with the employers who need the skills they have learned. He wants to “connect ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-fill jobs.” President Obama also mentioned that more on-the-job training would be beneficial. The final point that he made about the work force was in regards to the restoration of unemployment insurance by Congress. President Obama said that “we can’t just focus on today’s workforce, we need to train the work force of tomorrow.” Restoring unemployment insurance will help America to train the workforce of tomorrow by providing them with more opportunity.
- Education
The President started off by referencing Race to the Top and expressing how it helped states raise expectations and performance levels of students. He makes the claim that “it is working, we just are not reaching enough kids in time.” The President wants to make high quality Pre-K available to every four-year-old in the country. He has found a way to connect students and schools without adding money to the deficit by investing in a new partnership for Race to the Top with Verizon, Sprint, Apple and Microsoft. President Obama also wants to help students who feel trapped by student loan debt and cap their pay to 10% of their income. Lastly, the President mentions a mission of equal opportunity for people of color when it comes to levels of education and pay.
- Retirement
President Obama makes a point of saying how social security is not enough to live off of on its own and people no longer are being provided with pensions. The President has come up with a new savings bond called ‘myRA’ that will help people save for retirement. It will keep the dream of home ownership alive for future generations and will assist those who cannot afford to only live off of social security after they retire.
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