President Barack Obama used Tuesday night’s State of the Union address as a platform to discuss bipartisanship amongst Democrats and Republicans, education reform, the need for clean energy, job creation and a host of other pressing issues the country is facing.
During the beginning of the address, the president urged Congress to work together.
“At stake right now is not who wins the next election -– after all, we just had an election,” he said. “At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but the light to the world.”
The president said the American people are deserving of a Congress capable of putting aside political rancor.
“I believe we can,” Obama said. “And I believe we must. That’s what the people who sent us here expect of us. With their votes, they’ve determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all -– for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.”
Corey Stanley of Ypsilanti Township said this was one part of the State of the Union that stuck out to him and his family.
“I hope they can get it together,” Stanley said. “We put them in office. They should do what we ask. I believe the American people are crying out for leaders that can make things better instead of arguing.”
Stanley said he’s seen a lot of opportunities in the past where Congress missed to work together after a tragedy like the shootings in Tucson, Ariz. and he hopes history doesn’t repeat itself.
“I’ve been around long enough to see things like 9/11 happen before and everyone hold hands and link arms,” he said. “Just because they sat next to each other doesn’t mean anything. What matters is what they do when it’s time to deermine the future of the country.”
The president acknowledged the changes the country has seen in terms of job loss and once booming businesses closing. He said there was once a time where Americans could show up at a nearby factory and obtain a job without a degree.
“That world has changed,” Obama said. “And for many, the change has been painful. I’ve seen it in the shuttered windows of once booming factories and the vacant storefronts on once busy Main Streets. I’ve heard it in the frustrations of Americans who’ve seen their paychecks dwindle or their jobs disappear -– proud men and women who feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game.”
Obama mentioned nations like China and India have used the changing world as an opportunity to compete by educating their children earlier and longer. According to the president, the American people should not be discouraged by this, but challenged.
“Remember, for all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world,” he said. “No workers — no workers are more productive than ours. No country has more successful companies, or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs.
We’re the home to the world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any place on Earth.”
Obama said, he knows what it takes to compete for jobs, but hard work and dedication must be implemented.
“We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” he said. “We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future.”
Elisabeth Clark, an EMU student, said when it comes to outcompeting others, she thinks Americans have a lot of work to do in order to catch up with those from other countries.
“I’ve had a lot of technology classes at EMU and the majority of the students in there are from India,” Clark said. “I don’t think a lot of us are interested in technology.
Their work ethic is amazing. We need to duplicate them. A lot of us are lazy, I think.”
The president said the first step in outpacing the rest of the world is innovation.
“What we can do — what America does better than anyone else — is spark the creativity and imagination of our people,” he said. “We’re the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook.”
Obama plans on investing in biomedical research, information technology and clean energy technology. In a few weeks, a budget will be sent to Congress outlining how much money he wants to allocate to these different fields. The president said this is an investment that will help to strengthen the country, protect the planet and create “countless” new jobs.
Obama said the country is already seeing the effects of renewable energy from a small roofing company ran in Michigan. Robert and Gary Allen—with the help of a government loan—are manufacturing solar shingles available across the country.
“And to spur on more success stories like the Allen Brothers, we’ve begun to reinvent our energy policy,” the president said. “We’re not just handing out money. We’re issuing a challenge. We’re telling America’s scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields, and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we’ll fund the Apollo projects of our time.”
Innovation is key to the country moving forward and with research and incentives, Obama plans to break the country’s “dependence” and he hopes to become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
“We need to get behind this innovation,” he said. “And to help pay for it, I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own.”
Obama said in order to accomplish all of these goals, America must produce an educated population.
“Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education,” he said. “And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree.”
Obama said responsibility begins not in classrooms, but in the homes of Americans.
“It’s family that first instills the love of learning in a child,” he said. “Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”
The president said schools also need to begin to share the responsibility of producing students who are able to compete in the race for jobs.
Obama plans to continue the usage of Race to the Top because he believes it has been effective thus far.
“Race to the Top is the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation,” he said. “For less than 1 percent of what we spend on education each year, it has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning.”
Obama noted the education race doesn’t end with a high school diploma.
“To compete, higher education must be within the reach of every American,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve ended the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that went to banks, and used the savings to make college affordable for millions of students. And this year, I ask Congress to go further and make permanent our tuition tax credit –- worth $10,000 for four years of college. It’s the right thing to do.”
Sam Winston, a freshman interested in majoring in education, said American students need more than money to succeed in obtaining a college degree.
“We don’t just need money and credits thrown at us,” Winston said. “We need teachers and professors that care. If he wants quality students, the government needs to give us quality teachers and a good education that starts when we’re in kindergarten.”
Obama said if the country continues to take the necessary steps such as raising expectations, the country will reach the goal he set two years ago.
“By the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” he said.
While discussing education, Obama took the opportunity to implore Americans to take illegal immigrants into consideration. The president said there are “hundreds of thousands” of students excelling in schools around the country that should be a part of the country’s workforce.
“They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the threat of deportation,” he said. “Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.”
“Let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.”
Erin Stewart, an EMU student, said she thinks illegal immigrants living in the country should be given a chance to succeed, but not at the cost of American citizens.
“I agree with the president’s argument on immigration, but we can’t be forgotten,” she said. “There are plenty of citizens right here that can be the next big thing for the country, but they might not be able to afford a business start up. We need support and help too. He needs to focus on those here at home first.”
