Many believe that President Barack Obama hasn’t been that effective as president of the free world. Some people believe it’s because he lacks experience, is afraid to ‘rock the boat’, can’t enforce policies because he wants to be bi-partisan or just can’t complete his work because Republicans don’t want him to…..whatever the reason, we can’t deny what his administration has accomplish in the last six years, here are some:
- Nearly 300 million acres of land and water preserved for future generations
- 11.2 million private-sector jobs over 58 straight months of growth
- 165,000 fewer troops in harms way in Afghanistan and Iraq
- 645,000+ young people protected from the threat of deportation
- Gay and lesbian service members no longer forced to hide who they are to serve
- 10 million Americans have gained health coverage
- 7 million minimum wage earners will get a raise
- In 36 states, gay marriage is or will soon be legal
**These facts can be found via http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu
Whatever you think of this president or the party he represents, you can’t deny that when he was elected he really had some hard work and rebuilding to accomplish. Here are some of my favorite moments from the State of the Union address on January 20, 2015 from President Barack Obama:
“And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: if you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it.”
“I intend to protect a free and open internet, extend its reach to every classroom and every community and help folks build the fastest networks, so that the next generation of digital innovators and entrepreneurs have the platform to keep reshaping our world.”
“2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record. Now, one year doesn’t make a trend, but this does – 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.”
“I’ve heard some folks try to dodge the evidence by saying they’re not scientists; that we don’t have enough information to act. Well, I’m not a scientist, either. But you know what – I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and NOAA, and at our major universities. The best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we do not act forcefully, we’ll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heatwaves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict, and hunger around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.”
“As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we’re threatened, which is why I’ve prohibited torture and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained. It’s why we speak out against the deplorable anti-Semitism that has resurfaced in certain parts of the world. It’s why we continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims – the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace. That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoner’s, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We do these things not only because they’re right, but because they make us all safer.”
“We may go at it in campaign season, but surely we can agree that the right to vote is sacred; that it’s being denied to too many; and that , on this 50th anniversary of the great march from Selma to Montgomery and the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we can come together, Democrats and Republicans, to make voting easier for every single American.”
“To every CEO in America…if you want somebody who’s going to get the job done, and get it done right, hire a veteran.”
“I still believe that we are one people. I still believe that together, we can do great things, even when the odds are long.”
It is sometimes difficult for people to have faith restored in their members of parliament and governments especially when they only show us greed, corruption and scandal. This State of the Union gives me hope that our governments – not only in the United States of America but around the world, can actually restore that lost faith and hope.
I don’t believe I have ever heard a living president say the words ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender’ in one sentence. If the purpose of the State of the Union address is to lift the spirits of the people of the world and give them hope for a brighter tomorrow…than President Obama has accomplished that for me and for many people around the world. This State of the Union really encompasses the idea of creating positivity right across the globe.
To view the complete State of the Union address – please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 