PRESIDENT OFFERS NEW CHALLENGES, IDEAS TO A DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

MADISON HOWE
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Just three weeks after the Tucson Tragedy, an empty chair remains in the chamber of the House of Representatives for the wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), and the president opened his remarks about the meaning of that event. In sum, “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 combined his “schlacking” in the midterms, the sober tone of the new Congress, and a tempered optimism to forge not just political reconciliation but a moderate agenda. President Barack Obama focused primarily on the issues of jobs, education, infrastructure, energy, and the national debt.

Using Robert and Gray Allen’s Michigan roofing company as an example, the president discussed American innovation that can help spur our economy into the “green revolution” and how government loans and grants, like the one the Allen Brothers received, is helping a nuclear power plant produce more energy, and developing solar and water into energy for our automobiles. To balance his speech, he humorously asked the new divided Congress to end subsidies for oil companies, and invest that money into all sectors of the clean energy market from wind to natural gas.

The second issue President Obama discussed was education. Comparing developing countries’ advancements in the field of science and math, he asked parents to turn off the TV and push their children to do their homework, and asked Congress to replace No Child Left Behind. He also discussed his Race to the Top initiative which has pushed standards in over forty states. President Obama shifted to immigration reform, asking for the new Congress to pass it for the sake of students who are children of undocumented workers.

Finally, the president ended on three issues: tax reform, the deficit, and infrastructure. In discussing America’s infrastructure problem, President Obama placed high speed rail and Internet at the forefront of his new plan. Expanding both projects to cover all portions of the country, and connect nearly every home to the Internet. He then took what is typically a Republican issue and made it his own when he asked for the divided Congress to reexamine the tax code. The ultimate objectives are to lower taxes, close loopholes, and create a fairer system for the American people. On the debt and deficit issue, he called for a reorganization of the executive branch, and major budget freezes for the next five years. The president concluded with our success in ending major troop deployments in Iraq, our continued commitment to Afghanistan, and with confidence that America’s future will be brighter than its past.