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Weekly Address: President Obama – State of the Union Is This Tuesday

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The President’s Weekly Address post is also an Open News Thread. Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.

 

From the White House – Weekly Address

In this week’s address, the President recounted the stories of letter writers from around the country who will be joining him when he delivers his annual State of the Union address this Tuesday: Carolyn, who was able to expand her small business through a Small Business Administration loan, and this year raised wages for their hourly employees; Jason, a wounded warrior who served in Afghanistan and is now back home with his wife and first daughter, born in November; and Victor, who affords his student loans with help from the Income Based Repayment Plan, and has health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.

Stories like theirs are proof of the progress our country has made. The President encouraged everyone to tune in Tuesday evening to hear more about America’s comeback, and the steps we can take to ensure all Americans – not just a fortunate few – benefit from our American resurgence.

Transcript: Weekly Address: State of the Union Is This Tuesday

Hi, everybody.  Every day, we get thousands of letters and emails at the White House from Americans across the country – and every night, I read ten of them.  They tell me about their hopes and their worries, their hardships and successes.  They’re the Americans I’m working for every day – and this year, several of these letter writers will join me at the Capitol when I deliver my annual State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.

Carolyn Reed wrote to me from Colorado to tell me she was able to expand her business, thanks to a loan from the Small Business Administration.  Today, she and her husband own seven Silver Mine Sub Shops – and last year, they raised wages for all their hourly employees.

Victor Fugate, from Butler, Missouri, wrote to tell me that he was unemployed for a while a few years ago, but today he’s earned his degree and found a full-time job.  Victor said that he and his wife were able to afford their student loans because our country offered millions of Americans the chance to cap their monthly payments as a percentage of their income – and, because of the Affordable Care Act, they now have the security and peace of mind of affordable health insurance.

While serving in Afghanistan, Jason Gibson was gravely wounded-he lost both his legs.  When I first met him in the hospital, he was just beginning his long, difficult road to recovery.  But last year, Sergeant Gibson wrote to tell me that with the help of our extraordinary doctors and nurses, he’s making extraordinary progress.  He just moved into a new home, and he and his wife just had a baby girl.

Stories like these give us reason to start the new year with confidence.  2014 was the fastest year for job growth since the 1990s.  Unemployment fell faster than any year since 1984.  Our combat mission in Afghanistan has come to a responsible end, and more of our heroes are coming home.  America’s resurgence is real.

Our job now is to make sure that every American feels that they’re a part of our country’s comeback.  That’s what I’ll focus on in my State of the Union – how to build on our momentum, with rising wages, growing incomes, and a stronger middle class.  And I’ll call on this new Congress to join me in putting aside the political games and finding areas where we agree so we can deliver for the American people.

The last six years have demanded resilience and sacrifice from all of us.  All of us have a right to be proud of the progress America has made.  And I hope you’ll tune in on Tuesday to hear about the steps we can take to build on this progress, and to seize this moment together.

Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend.

Bolding added.

~


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 14 Comments

14 comments

  1. JanF

    From Email:

    We’re heading to the Capitol this Tuesday, where President Obama will deliver his sixth State of the Union address since taking office in 2009.

    Now, the idea of the State of the Union is as old as this nation itself — it’s literally written into the Constitution.

    But new technologies have transformed the address from a simple letter to Congress into something that was broadcast over the radio and then over the television — and the Founding Fathers wouldn’t believe how folks are able to watch the speech today.

    I’m telling you this because now the very best place you can watch the speech is not on the House floor — it’s at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.

    Be There

    There, you’ll find all kinds of charts and graphics and data that you give a deeper look at the points the President will make in his speech. Because, as citizens, every one of us ought to be as informed as we possibly can about the actions our government takes. That’s exactly what this “enhanced” speech does.

    You won’t just get an opportunity to hear, straight from the President, where we stand as a nation and what this Administration wants to see happen this year — you’ll get context that helps tell the story of where we’ve been and what these ideas mean for you personally.

    It’s the same opportunity Americans have been getting for more than 200 years. It just looks a little different now.

    Make sure you’re watching this Tuesday.

    Thanks,

    Vice President Joe Biden

  2. JanF

    America’s New Congress(tm) doesn’t sound much interested in doing the people’s business:

    – Forced birth. Check.

    – Immigrant bashing. Check.

    – Unneeded and dangerous XL pipeline. Check.

    – No upgrade to Voting Rights Act. Check.

    And on the environment:

    A majority of U.S. voters think the government should be advancing policies that promote the growth of renewable energy, protect public lands, and strengthen protections against pollution of drinking water and air, according to a poll released Thursday by the Center for American Progress.

    Conducted by national research firm Hart Research Associates, the poll of 1,101 American voters found that 72 percent strongly support more pollution controls, 70 percent strongly support protecting public lands like monuments and wildlife refuge areas, and 66 percent support the expansion of wind, solar, and renewable energy development. Sixty percent of voters surveyed also said they strongly supported setting limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants – a number that rose to 82 percent when including voters who said they somewhat support that proposal.

    The Republican Party’s response?

    … efforts to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed limits on greenhouse gases from power plants; efforts to increase the amount of Canadian tar sands oil entering the United States via approval of the Keystone XL pipeline; and a bill to lengthen and complicate the process for designating national monuments.

  3. JanF

    From justice.gov

    Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear four cases on same-sex marriage equality:

    “After the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, the Supreme Court sent a powerful message that Americans in same-sex marriages are entitled to equal protection and equal treatment under the law.  This landmark decision marked a historic step toward equality for all American families.

    “The Supreme Court has announced that it will soon hear several cases raising core questions concerning the constitutionality of same-sex marriages.  As these cases proceed, the Department of Justice will remain committed to ensuring that the benefits of marriage are available as broadly as possible.  And we will keep striving to secure equal treatment for all members of society-regardless of sexual orientation.

    “As such, we expect to file a ‘friend of the court’ brief in these cases that will urge the Supreme Court to make marriage equality a reality for all Americans.  It is time for our nation to take another critical step forward to ensure the fundamental equality of all Americans-no matter who they are, where they come from, or whom they love.”

  4. Diana in NoVa

    If our President had support; if the “Republic” Congress wanted to make the country a better place instead of just bowing down before the one percent; if the entirety of the voting public recognized how dangerous it is to ignore climate change (refusing to believe the evidence of their eyes in the form of horrific weather and rising seas, extinction of species)–then we might see improvement in our daily lives.

    My sister-in-law in Australia writes that Tony Abbott is also a climate change denier and that they’re experiencing huge heat waves, bush fires, etc. over there. This very morning, Saturday the 17th, The WaPo is reporting that 2014 was the hottest year in recorded history.

    We are doomed as a species unless we act now, and–we’re not going to act now because of the Republicans.

  6. JanF

    Fingers crossed:

    “Keep in mind: 2016 could be a do-or-die moment for our party,” [RNC Chairman Reince] Priebus said in his acceptance speech on Friday. “I’m not one to be dramatic, but I want you to know I’m serious. We’re feeling good about 2014, but midterms are our natural strength. … Now we’re playing on their turf.”

    If 2016 could be the end of the Republican Party, we need to redouble our efforts to elect a Democratic president. At some point, midterms will cease to be their “natural strength” and we can get back to enacting our agenda.

  7. JanF

    McConnell to House GOP: Don’t expect miracle on immigration

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told House lawmakers that he needs at least six Democrats to pass legislation approved by the House that funds the Homeland Security Department and repeals Obama’s actions deferring deportation for millions of illegal immigrants. […]

    “You look at the hand you’re dealt. There are not 60 Republicans, so you have to convince six Democrats to move with them,” said one border-state Republican congressman. “Pigs will fly out of my rear end before that happens.”

    It’s also far from clear that all 54 Republican senators would support the House bill, which would also undo Obama’s 2012 order that gives legal status to certain people who entered the U.S. illegally as children.

    Twenty-six House Republicans voted against that portion of the bill on Wednesday.

    Senate Republicans have already taken shutting down Homeland Security off the table, much to the dismay of Rep. Steve King (R-IA), the leader of the anti-brown movement.

    “We should never … say ‘fait accompli, we can’t do this,’ and then give up,” [King] said.

    He said McConnell should spend a month whipping votes before putting the House bill on the floor.

    “I want to see them build all of the votes that they can and then put it up for a vote. I think it’s going to take a month to do that,” he said, vowing a lobbying campaign by outside groups to pressure wavering senators.

  9. JanF

    BREAKING NEWS Saturday, January 17, 2015 8:06 PM EST

    President Obama Will Seek to Reduce Taxes for Middle Class

    President Obama will use his State of the Union address on Tuesday to call on Congress to raise taxes and fees on the wealthiest taxpayers and the largest financial firms to finance tax cuts for the middle class, administration officials said on Saturday.

    The proposal – which will also push to reshape the tax code to help working families and raise $320 billion over the next decade – faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, led by lawmakers who have long opposed raising taxes and who argue that doing so would hamper economic growth.

    But the decision to present the plan signifies the start of a debate over taxes and the economy that will shape both Mr. Obama’s legacy and the 2016 presidential campaign.

    READ MORE ยป http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01…

    President Obama has boxed in the Republicans in Congress. How can they diss this plan without exposing the ugly truth about their party: that the only tax cuts they support are the ones on the wealthiest?

    The plan will go nowhere in this Congress but it will, as the article suggests, help shape the 2016 presidential campaign. With this, the Democrats are the party with middle class tax cuts and fees on financial institutions (banksters!!) and the Republicans are the party of protecting the wealthy and sheltering the banks.

    This plan is similar to the one that Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced earlier in the week:

    In a sharp departure from party leaders’ proposals over the last few years, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today announced an action plan to create, in his words, “the kind of economy where the pie is growing and everyone is getting a better slice.”

    Van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, plans to introduce a series of proposals to create or expand tax breaks for child care, apprenticeship programs, middle class working couples, those who save for retirement, and companies that raise worker wages, while at the same time scaling back the tax break corporations currently claim for CEO bonuses. The plan would be funded by a tax on Wall Street – a tiny fraction of a percentage levied on trades in stocks, equities and derivatives. Long demanded by progressive groups and labor unions, this tax has been introduced many times before but failed to pass even when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate.

    Van Hollen defended the proposal Monday as one that would both curb “irresponsible” trading and provide a source of revenue.

    Win-win for middle class taxpayers and for whoever our 2016 candidate is.  

  10. JanF

    John Lewis tells his truth about ‘Selma’

    The role of art in our society is not to reenact history but to offer an interpretation of human experience as seen through the eyes of the artist. The philosopher Aristotle says it best: “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance.”

    The movie “Selma” is a work of art. It conveys the inner significance of the ongoing struggle for human dignity in America, a cornerstone of our identity as a nation. It breaks through our too-often bored and uninformed perception of our history, and it confronts us with the real human drama our nation struggled to face 50 years ago. […]

    But now this movie is being weighed down with a responsibility it cannot possibly bear. It’s portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s role in the Selma marches has been called into question. And yet one two-hour movie cannot tell all the stories encompassed in three years of history – the true scope of the Selma campaign. It does not portray every element of my story, Bloody Sunday, or even the life of Martin Luther King Jr. We do not demand completeness of other historical dramas, so why is it required of this film?

    He does not have concern about a few historical inaccuracies:

    This film is a spark that has ignited interest in an era we must not forget if we are to move forward as a nation. It is already serving as a bridge to a long-overdue conversation on race, inequality and injustice in this country today. It may well become a touchstone, a turning point for another generation of activists who will undertake the next evolutionary push for justice in America.

    It would be a tragic error if Hollywood muted its praise for a film because it is too much a story and not enough an academic exercise.

    The stories make people interested and that is a BHD.  

  11. JanF

    With Republican Obstruction, A Last Resort For Fixing Our Roads And Bridges

    On Friday, the Obama administration will announce tax measures and other actions to encourage a flow of private investment into fixing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure without having to use any new federal funding.

    One proposal would be to create and issue the first-ever public infrastructure bonds to finance upgrades to roads, water systems, airports, public transit, and other needs that would be exempt from the alternative minimum tax. Another would use existing federal funds at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department to entice private investors into putting money into infrastructure projects. […]

    Last year, government spending on infrastructure, research, education, and other long-term priorities was at the lowest level since World War II, amounting to 3.6 percent of GDP versus 5 percent after the war. Funding for infrastructure specifically has fallen off a cliff since 2010. The Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road upgrades, nearly ran out of money last year and has only been temporarily propped up until May.

    At the same time, the country is in dire need of an upgrade. Multiple bridges have collapsed and some roads were even converted to gravel because there weren’t funds to upkeep pavement. About 8,000 bridges are at risk of collapse but still carry 29 million drivers each day. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gives us a D+ rating on roads, bridges, waterways, electrical grids, and other systems.

    White House FACT SHEET: Increasing Investment in U.S. Roads, Ports and Drinking Water Systems Through Innovative Financing

    Building a 21st-century infrastructure is a critical component of the Administration’s efforts to accelerate economic growth, expand opportunity, create jobs and improve the competitiveness of the American economy. As part of this effort, President Obama launched the Build America Investment Initiative in July 2014, calling on federal agencies to find new ways to increase investment in ports, roads, bridges, broadband networks, drinking water and sewer systems and other projects by facilitating partnerships between federal, state and local governments and private sector investors.

    Today, the Obama Administration is announcing new steps that federal agencies are taking to bring private sector capital and expertise to bear on improving our nation’s roads, bridges, and broadband networks. First, the Administration is launching a new Water Finance Center at the Environmental Protection Agency and highlighting the progress of the Rural Opportunity Investment Initiative at the Department of Agriculture. These efforts will help local and state governments access federal loan and grant programs to get more projects off the ground. The Administration is also announcing a new set of infrastructure tax proposals that will level the playing field for projects that combine public and private investment so that local and state governments can more easily work with the private sector to advance the public interest.

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