Anna Wiegand is a senior integrated studies major and writes ‘Tower of Babel' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Anna at acwiegand@bsu.edu.
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Last night, President Obama gave his eighth and final State of the Union Address. Although his silver hair shows his years in office have taken their toll, he seemed calm, focused and optimistic about the country’s future. In case you didn’t get the chance to watch it, here are the main points broken down into four main sections:
1. Economy
Though our economy has come a long way since 2008, the president emphasized the progress we still need to make, especially concerning income inequality. According to the handy facts and graphics on the side of the screen, the top three percent hold half of the nation’s wealth. President Obama also talked about increased funding for community college tuition, social security and Medicare. His comment that we “won’t agree on healthcare anytime soon” got him some awkward, lonely applause (probably from Ted Cruz).
2. Spirit of Innovation
After not-so-subtly slamming climate change deniers with his throwback comment about the space race — “we didn’t pretend Sputnik wasn’t up there” — the president announced more research funding for finding the cure for cancer. He then encouraged Congress to stop denying science and instead help America become a leader in fighting climate change.
3. U.S. Leadership in the World
In this section, the president covered a wide range of topics. After the bipartisan standing ovation for our military, he said that our nation’s No. 1 priority is going after terrorist networks. The high point of his night was telling people to “go ask Osama bin Laden” if they question America’s commitment to rooting out terrorists. On a softer note, the president also encouraged people to keep from discriminating against Muslims because doing so diminishes us in the eyes of the world.
4. A Better Politics
Lastly, the president implored Congress to compromise. With Republicans trying their hardest to block his every move, even going so far as to shut down the government (again, Ted Cruz), it clearly saddens President Obama that Congress remains so divided. He knows many Americans are jaded and angry about the state of politics today, but he asked people to keep voting and speaking up.
Finally, speaking directly to the American people, he said he had high hopes for the future. It was a heartfelt speech, and though I loved it, only time will tell if he’ll be remembered as a successful president.
