Example Of Report On The State Of The Union Address 2014

The president of the United States of America is required under Article two of Section three of the United States Constitution to give a state of the union address to the nation. It is usually delivered once a year in January or February. The tradition began in 1790 when George Washington delivered a State of the union address before a joint sitting of the congress, usually in the House of Representatives. Thomas Jefferson discontinued the tradition, arguing that it was too monarchical in nature and it was replaced by a written report by the president. In the twentieth century President Woodrow Wilson re-established the tradition and since then the report has been made from congress by the president in person.
President Barrack Obama presented his 2014 State of the union address on 28th January 2014 at Capitol, Washington DC. President reiterated that 2014 should be a year of action and promising to act in his personal capacity to bring about the fruition of his policies. The president talked about climate change, an overhaul of the immigration system to expand the economy by one trillion US dollars, a minimum wage bill for all Americans and gave a signal that the war in Afghanistan was almost over. The president faces a great challenge ahead as he will have to reach out to both the republicans and democrats to pass some crucial bills in congress to further his agenda.
The president began by mentioning the enormous achievements United States of America has made during his administration. Obama said that eight million jobs have been created for the last four years. The jobs came after the economy stabilized and the recession ended. Concerted effort by both the government and teachers, have seen the rise of graduation levels, which are reported to be highest in the last three decades. He thanked the congress for prioritizing education and enforcing cuts in order to provide world class education to young Americans.
President Obama went further to inform Americans that Auto workers have fine-tuned motor vehicles to come up with one of the most efficient cars in history. This new model will help Americans solve its foreign oil dependence problem. On unemployment, the president stated that the levels were lowest ever recorded in five years. The manufacturing sector was adding jobs for Americans, for the first time since the first gulf war. Dependence on foreign oil has been reduced by half over the years. What seemed to be a major change of circumstances, business leaders have declared United States of America as the number one place to invest .This esteemed position was held by the People’s Republic of China for a long time.
Despite all those advances, President Obama made it clear that the USA has faulted on many areas. He said that the average wage has not been budged in the United States. Inequality has increased and in relation to mobility of labor, upward mobility has stalled. As a result of these failures, many Americans have continued to work harder than just to live by and ensure their survival. He urged Congress to be quick in passing bills that expand the opportunities for American citizens. Michelle Obama partnered with business and other nonprofit making organizations and through their efforts child obesity rates have dropped for the first time for the last three decades. In the address Obama said that Jill Biden and his wife launched The Joining Forces alliance that has been in the forefront in training the spouses of war veterans and helping them gain employment.
On the businesses, Obama was quick to agree with most republicans that the tax code is inefficient for the business needs of the twenty first century. American businesses are disadvantaged by the wasteful and complicated tax loopholes that favor foreign companies. He urged the congress to pass the taxation reform bill. The money saved in the taxation transition would help rebuild roads, airport and improve transport by unclogging commutes. The congress was also to help further the American dream of finishing the transportation and waterway bills. The bills will help three million Americans retain their jobs. The country’s chief executive said that he will put personal effort to eliminate the bureaucracy and streamline the process by which key projects are enforced.
The high tech manufacturing sector came to light in president Obama’s 2014 state of the union address. Ina bid to create more manufacturing jobs, the Obama administration has established two high tech manufacturing hubs, one in Raleigh, North Carolina and the other one in Youngstown Ohio. President Obama’s administration plans to start six more in the course of the year.
Small scale businesses have benefited the most from the Obama administration. They constitute 98% of the total exports from the United States of America. Obama said that his administration has made loans available to small scale businesses more than any other administration. The new wave of trade will create partnerships and associations in Europe and Asia Pacific that will be very helpful to Americans in the future.
Obama urged the congress to do away with the tax cuts that did away with research funding. For United States of America to compete favorably with China and Europe, it has to stay ahead of research and innovation. He urged the congress to increase funding to research and innovation centers. The world after that will be able to enjoy the next generation of discoveries from United States of America. President Obama was concerned about the costly litigation processes that businesses got through in order to get patents. He requested the congress to pass the patent bill to enable businesses to focus on innovation instead of the quest for patents.
Energy independence, according to president Obama is one of the main goals of United States government. He postulated that the government is working on ways natural gas can be extracted without releasing enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere that cause climate change. Obama said that four hundred billion will be invested in natural gas to reduce reliance on fossil oil. His administration will put effort to rebuild the filing system for natural gas. The president promised to use his authority to protect the environment for the benefit of future generations. He said that the country has made enormous strides in solar energy. According to Obama every four weeks an American home or business goes solar. He urged Americans to embrace solar to stop giving $ 4 billion to fossil fuels.
On climate change Obama said that in the last eight years America made a greater effort than any other country in the world to avert climate change. He said that climate change is real as opposed to what many people believed and the effects of climate change were already being felt by western communities which has been tackling drought for some time. Coastal cities in America were handling floods as a result of climate change. He urged the Congress to set standards for the amount of carbon that could be emitted into the atmosphere. Obama argued that climate change is a fact and the country ought to shift to new energy sources. The shift to a cleaner economy won’t be easy but Americans should be prepared to be held accountable for the destruction of the environment by future generations.
The president said that on economic growth, the president urged politicians and business leaders to join hands to fix the immigration system. Independent economics have predicted that the immigration reform bill will grow the economy and shrink the deficits by almost a trillion US dollars in the next two decades. He said that immigrants contribute to the economy through innovations and culture, hence making the country favorable to invest in. Americans would benefit from an influx of immigrants through increased jobs. The president urged the congress to pass the immigration reform bill before the end of this year.
Training programs are to be structured to give the employer what he or she needs. Companies are to be connected with community colleges to train young people on the skills required in the job market. Obama believes Americans will return to jobs faster if the congress reforms the unemployment insurance. He urged the Congress to reverse the changes made to the Unemployment Insurance Act to ease life for job seekers.1.6 million Americans would benefit if the expired insurance policy is restored.
Obama requested his deputy to make changes to the education curriculum to give world class education to American learners. Parents were requested to support teachers in the new curriculum to provide quality education to their children. Obama also promised help from the government to students who feel trapped by student loan. The president was impressed with the thirty states that were currently funding the Pre-K program for the benefit of America’s youngest citizens. Obama promised to bring together elected officials, business leaders and wealthy citizens provide funding for the Pre-k program. Quality education, according to Obama is what will cure America of its unemployment woes.
Obama had promised that 99 % of the students in the United States of America will benefit from high speed broad band connection. With the support of FCCs and companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Verizon, 1, 5000 schools have been connected to high speed broadband internet connection. Twenty million students at the moment can access high speed broadband connection. Obama said that within the next two years, all schools in the country will be connected to high speed broadband internet. Obama stated that his administration had requested higher education to give more information to students and the colleges themselves to offer more incentives to ensure that students do not miss out of college opportunities.
The president promised to issue an executive order the following day requiring all federal employees to be paid a minimum of $10.10 per hour. Tom Harkins and George Miller have drafted a minimum wage bill and the congress should strive to endorse them. The president said he would direct the Treasury to come up with a retirement savings plan for Americans. He also urged Americans to start their own savings plans. Obama note with concern the inequality in terms of pay between men and women on jobs done. For every dollar a man makes a woman makes 77 cents. Women make up the majority of the average job workers and should be paid equally as men. Obama argued that women should not lose their jobs because they choose to deliver.
Obama was enthusiastic about the health care system and the benefits it has brought with it. He said that the affordable health care act enabled 3 million Americans under the age of 26 to get insurance coverage under their parent’s plans. Under the health care system no American can ever be dropped or denied insurance cover because of a preexisting condition. Women will not be charged more because of their gender. The Affordable care Act has helped Americans from bankruptcy that will result from emergency treatment. Over nine million people have signed up for private insurance cover.
President Obama made it clear that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over. More than 180,000 troops were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. All the troops from Iraq have returned back home and 60,000 others have returned from Afghanistan. The American troops in Afghanistan are serving supportive roles in maintaining security. After 2014 Afghanistan will take charge of its own future. Small troops of American soldiers will remain to serve under NATO.
On foreign policy Obama said that the United States government is supporting the opposition in Syria to end the tyrannical rule in Syria. He commended the congress for its efforts which has made Syrian government to agree to destroy its chemical stockpile. The president urged Congress to give diplomacy a chance in Iran nuclear deal, saying that he would veto any bill from congress intended to stop the negotiations. Obama said that his administration is supporting the Israeli Palestinian talks aimed at ending conflict in the Middle East. He reminded the legislators that America will always be at Israel’s side. At home the Obama administration is working to combat new threats like cyber-attacks.
Lawmakers were quick to comment on Obama’s state of the union address 2014. The republican response was done by Cathy McMorris. Republicans argued that Obama’s policies were sinking the union. Obama’s administration came up with policies that made the lives of Americans harder. On income inequality, McMorris argued that the real problem was opportunity equality and Obama’s administration had made the gap wider. The Republicans recognized the need to fix our immigration policies but the problem will be solved systematically starting with securing our borders. The Republicans offer a better vision for the country that will free the Americans from living from one paycheck to another. Cathy argued that he Affordable Health care Act had failed average Americans. The premiums were higher contrary to people’s expectations. The tea party also criticized Obamacare for giving too much power to the government.
Just like the majority of Americans, Obama wants the United States of America to be a prosperous nation. However, the methods employed by his administration are leading the union in the opposite direction. Obama care apparently is taking jobs from the American people. It does not cover everybody and attempts to kill established insurance. Some people have complained that the premiums from Obamacare are very high. Another thorny issue of Obama Care is allowing people below the age of 26 years to be under their parents cover. The age ought to be reduced.
The president did not address the spying claims raised against the United States of America. In 2013 it was reported that the NSA had been spying on the Germany Challencelor. These claims distorted the image of states in Europe. Obama should have at least given an explanation to the American people on measures being taken to ensure that the privacy of the American people is not violated. In foreign policy Obama’s statement that he would veto a bill against Iran’s nuclear deal inappropriate and a sheer manifestation of abuse of executive powers. He should have waited until the bill was in its final stages and then say that he would veto it.
The president’s statement on working alone violates the principle of democratic governance and the rule of law. The checks and balances set out in the constitution are there to prevent abuse of power by government officials. They prevent concentrating power on one individual. Although, the president does not promise Americans tyrannical rule, it shows a weak executive, an executive that has lost control of the government. Obama failed to comment on the rise of unemployment rates in 30 American states. Obama had promised jobs for the American people but those jobs have gone to the American middle men. It has benefited a particular class neglecting the others. This has created a big gap between the rich and the poor.
The Obama administration policies have been said to vest too much power in the government. One issue that critics say that has been mismanaged is the administration of federal lands by the government. Residents claim that the government is the government should release the federal lands for the locals to benefit from them.
Despite of its criticism by senator lee and the republican McMorris, Obama’s state of the union address 2014, the administration has shown that it’s taking serious measures in the manufacturing sector to increase jobs. The efforts taken in the Education sector are phenomenal compared to previous administrations. The education sector was neglected and it was the number of school dropouts was very high. The Obama administration has been an exception in this sector. Obama has also done a commendable job in reaching out to the opposition in order to pass crucial bills in congress.
In conclusion, the 2014 state of union address shows the great strides the Obama administration has made and promises a year of action. It also assures Americans of the government commitment in dealing with climate change, achieving energy independence and bringing troops home from the battle field.