State of the Union Address

Now, I am going to go ahead and admit that I am not a big fan of Obama and his administration; however, after listening to Obama's State of the Union address, I've come to have more respect for Obama and his dedication to this country. I'm not saying I agree with everything Obama said in his address, but what I am saying is that Obama has many positive goals he wants to achieve for our country.

First and foremost, I would like to commend Obama on his excellent social and public speaking skills. He was respectful when he entered the chamber, shaking hands and greeting many congressmen and women. His eloquent speaking was fantastic; he came across as a confident, engaging, and persuasive speaker.

Now, moving on the actual speech. Obama began his address by addressing the current bipartisanship issue within congress. He uses pathos to appeal to the emotions of the listeners by correlating the bipartisanship issue to the Arizona shooting. In his opening remarks, Obama stated, "But there’s a reason the tragedy in Tucson gave us pause. Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater – something more consequential than party or political preference. He reasons that both Republicans and Democrats must work together to ensure the future prosperity of the United States. Both parties must move forward together to make the decisions of tomorrow.

Obama later jumps right into the economy of the US. He forecasts three major points, and the first is INNOVATION. Creativity and imagination are two key components to advancing into the technological world we are transforming into today, and Obama clearly understands this. He mentioned the growing influences China, Russia, and other countries have to indicate growing competition within the global community. For example, China is now the home of the largest solar power research facility and the fastest computer while the US is trying to play catch up. Obama references the Sputnik and the infamous Space Race the US had with the Soviet Union. Obama is calling this era our "Sputnik Moment", and I couldn't agree more. The US must catch up with other countries, especially China and Russia, in the fight for not only global dominance, but global innovation. From my experience from debate, the US is currently number one of the global hegemony list with Russia and China right behind us. Whatever we do in this country will set the global scale. No one is going to build to two standards, just like the bumper in Japan cannot be lower than a bumper in the US. To improve our innovation, Obama set certain goals to achieve:

• "We'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean-energy technology - an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet and create countless new jobs for our people."
• "Become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015."
• "By 2035, 80% of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources." 

Obama's next main point was EDUCATION. Our education system is in murky waters right now. As the NCLB Act continues to leave hundreds of schools without proper funding and college tuition skyrocketing for the past years, I'm glad Obama made a point to discuss this issue. Obama discusses abolishing the NCLB Act and reforming the US education system with a new program called Race to the Top. Race to the Top is essentially a point system that will nationalize public education. I'm not sure if this program will actually work or not. I guess we will have to see. Furthermore, I wish Obama would have gone further in depth with the proposed Race to the Top program. He then asked congress to make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which can provide up to $10,000 for four years of college. Education is key to a prospering country such as the US. I think this is a great proposal. Our generation is the future of the US, and we must ensure our future generation is educated. Obama's goals for education are:

• "Over the next 10 years, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math."
• "I ask Congress to make permanent our tuition tax credit - worth $10,000 for four years of college."
• "By the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world."
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Next, Obama talks about INFRASTRUCTURE. This is Obama'a third step in rebuilding America. This point also correlates with Obama's mention of our "Sputnik Moment" and how the US must catch up with other countries. He states, "Our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped. South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do. Countries in Europe and Russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. China is building faster trains and new airports. meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, they gave us a D." I completely agree with this point. With the growth of new jobs, people need a means of communication. Our infrastructure must be reformed. His goals for insfrastructure are: 

• "Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail."
• "Within the next five years, we'll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98% of all Americans."

"All these investments - in innovation, education, and infrastructure - will make America a better place to do business and create jobs."

Moving on from his three main points, Obama talked about the Health Care Reform. I'm glad that he is open to reforms of his proposed health care bill. For example, those with pre-existing conditions will continue with medical services without worrying too much about money, and in business, small companies will still be able to compete. He also talks about freezing government spending for the next five years. I wish he would've gone a bit more in depth with this proposal. What are we going to cut? Who will be affected? He listed possibilities, but I needed some reassurance. Obama also brings up leadership and diplomacy. At the Nuclear Security Summit in April, 44 nations will come together in Washington DC behind a clear goal: securing all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years, so that they will never fall into the hands of terrorists. This will not only benefit national security for the US and other countries, it will help the US's diplomacy towards other countries. 

Finally, after over 45 minutes in the address, Obama finally addresses a major issue: the war on terror. I was anxiously awaiting for this topic to come up. As a debater on the forensics team, I have debated about the Afghanistan war numerous times now and have now come to become more interested in this area. Obama talks about his current withdrawal plan from Afghanistan on July of 2011. Obama wasn't clear whether this is a complete withdrawal or not. I'm hoping he means that on this date, we will begin a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan. A gradual withdrawal will better enhance the COIN and counter terrorism strategy in Afghanistan. The US leaving Iraq is a strong proposal. Iraq is in a strong nation building momentum and leaving now will allow Iraq to become more dependent on itself, rather than depending on the US and our aid.

I'm glad that I got a chance to listen to the State of the Union address. I certainly learned a lot more about what is going on in our government system and potential reforms in the future. However, I hope Obama keeps true to his word, and this wasn't just mindless babble. As the saying goes, "If you're going to talk the talk, you better be prepared to walk the walk." Overall, Obama communicated well at the emotional level, and his confidence for a prosperous future leaves me optimistic for what is to come in the future.