President’s Sense of SOU
President Barack Obama delivered the State of Union address on 28th January 2014. Obama’s sense of the SOU was to highlight some aspects that currently exist in the country. He focused on letting American citizens understand that he is aware of the issues that need to be addressed by his government. Outlining the formulated strategies to solve the prevailing challenges in the country is essential for any democratic leadership. Barack Obama pledged to address the emerging issues such as raising the minimum wage to encourage saving in the American households. State of Union helps to give a nation a sense of direction; leaders can refer to the pledges and strategies to assess their progress in leading the country. The President’s address in the State of Union is essential as he and other administrators can acquire useful information from the public. People react towards the agendas presented, which enables the senate to determine the appropriate strategies to employ to achieve the country’s goals.
President Obama used the State of Union platform to give his opinion regarding legislative activities. The session presented an opportunity to address the congress on his national priorities. The congress’ support is vital in implementing national policies. As the national leader, President Obama’s personal views and contributions to social, economic, and political development are imperative to the congress and American citizens. I agree that a president’s address in the State of Union is essential. It acts as a uniting factor for both sections of the congress to a common goal, the national building. The president’s speech gives an outline for all agendas that are addressed by the joint session of the congress. The president’s speech does not represent the congress address, but outlines some of the issues addressed by the congress.
Administration's major Proposals and Initiatives
The major proposals made by President Obama included the average wages, inequality, security, and health care.
Average Wages
President Obama argued that increasing the minimum wages for the people contracted to the federal government, would increasing saving and investments among the American citizens. Saving and investments increases the disposable income, which helps to reduce the poverty level in a country. People can increase the Gross Domestic Product through local investment plans, and increase employment opportunities in the economy.
Inequality
There is a wide income inequality gap in America today, with 1% of the population getting richer while others struggle to increase their low-income levels. The 95% of net income increment was attributed to the 1% wealthy class in the United States over the past three years. Most People’s income remains stagnant despite the recovery process from the recent global financial crisis. According to the president, there is a need to bridge the gap between the middle-income earners and the wealthy in the society.
According to president Obama, women attain 0.77% for every dollar men earn in the American economy. He argues that the income inequality problem should end; this can be achieved by giving women an equal opportunity to work and take care of their families. Employment opportunities available for male and female workers should exhibit a sense of equality. Women deserve equal wages as men for the work completed. President Obama claims that the work policies should be reviewed to enhance equality between men and women in the American economy.
Immigration
President Obama stated that for America to achieve its targeted economic growth, the immigration policies should be effective. The immigration reform strategy has been dormant for some time now, and it is essential to formulate and implement corrective measures to correct the problem. he argued that the Republican and Democrats were willing to revive the immigration reform, and it was the congress’ duty to support the idea.
Health Care
The Obamacare health plan has had negative reactions from the Americans due to its failure to achieve national health objectives. President Obama argued that it is helpful for people with alternative strategies to outline relevant guidelines to help the health sector progress. President Obama claimed that mixing the healthcare plan with political issues would not help the citizens; instead, the congress should focus on implementing successful strategies to enhance efficiency in the sector.
The Realistic, doable, and Achievable Initiatives, and Proposals
The immigration initiative is achievable; the forum collapsed during the president’s tenure, but with coordinated measures from both the senate and congress members, appropriate measures can help the immigration measures successful.
The average wages proposal
Increasing the minimum wages for the workers contracted to the federal government can help the low income-earners increase their saving capacity. This form of a fiscal policy can help to increase the disposable income for the people, since the revenue is untaxed. People can invest in economic activities that are feasible for increasing their income for speculative measures. This proposal is feasible in bridging the gap between the poor and the rich since it seeks to improve the welfare of the low-income earners in the American economy.
The Unrealistic, Undoable, and Unachievable Initiatives and Proposals
Inequality
According to the Republican congressional representative Cathy Rodgers, President Obama’s perception of inequality is not viable. She claims that Americans face inequality in opportunities more than they do in income related issues. Cathy argues that the President Obama’s administration has played a major role in widening the opportunity inequality gap. The existence of variety conditions in the economy, such as income disparity, hinders the achievement of equality among people.
Healthcare
Implementation of Obamacare health care plan cost the government millions of dollars and time. People lost trust in the initiative, and blamed the Obama’s administration for the expensive healthcare act. Formulating alternative strategies that represent the interests of Americans will be time consuming and expensive to implement. People require immediate and relevant health care strategies.
The Republicans feel that President Obama provided proposals that are essential for national development, but did not formulate an appropriate legislative agenda for implementing the strategies. The republican response to the State of the Union address indicated that the members were not pleased with the president’s approach of handling national issues. Cathy argued that the president’s administration makes life hard through imposition of high taxes and few job opportunities. She claims that the number of people looking for employment opportunities declined because many citizens stopped searching for jobs.
The Left Out Issues
President Obama did not address the guns control act as he had in his speech during the 2013 State of the Union address. He had earlier insisted that action would be taken on those involved in gun violence, but the administration did not take any major measures to address the issue. The citizens expected him to focus on feasible plans to eradicate gun violence in the country, and provide relevant measures to improve national security.
