Let's use this space to make sense of the Presidents address from last night.
Each year the state of the union gives the nation time to reflect on the progress it has made and plan for the challenges that it has yet to face. Share quotes from the speech that stick out to you as meaningful or important in the following ways:
- Connects to course curriculum. Be explicit about the connection that you notice and remember class curriculum includes ALL of our class content including conversations and shares about Ferguson, Police Brutality, attacks in Nigeria and Paris etc.
- Connects to your personal story.
- Pose questions about the plans the President has for the nation or about the progress We have made.
Here's an annotated version of the State of Union.
11 comments:
There were a few things that caught my attention during the president’s state of address, the first thing was that president Obama was discussing higher taxes on the wealthy Americans to help pay for the middle class tax credits. The second thing was allowing people to go to community college for a low cost or free. The last topic I thought was very interesting was the equal pay for women. This is an important topic to me because I am a young lady and I think I should have equal pay as a man for doing the same work. It is amazing how it is 2015, and women are still are not getting equal pay as men.
As I listened last night a story the president told about people suffering through the economy and how people were and are forced to change their lives because of the poor economy we had. But the President state that our Economy is growing and is fast paced and it hasn't been like this since 1999. This makes me happy because my family is one of the families that has been effected. He stated that as we are growing, employment is lower and how more kids are graduating high school more than ever before. He also state thatn more people are insured more and ever before. His speech touched on the topic of how America is finally seeing a change and how we are free from foreign grip of oil in years. He stated that combat in Afghanastan is over as of today and how the shadow of the crisis has passed and that the State of the Union is Growing. As Gas prices have dropped and it is hasn't been that way in years, Obama stated that America is Number 1 in Oil and Gas and Wind Power. It seems like the economy is improving everyday and there are changes being made for the better. For example he wants women to be paid the same wage as a man for the same jobs that they do. Another thing that caught my attention as well as my families, he stated how he wants the companies still paying minimum wage to go higher because he said 'If you can raise a family on $15,000 a year I say try it." Raise the minimum wage. He is also trying to get the cost of Community College to “O” for people to go back and better their education to get decent jobs especially if they were forced out of their current employment and change what they are doing. He also stated “I intend to protect a free and open internet and extend its reach to every classroom." Together we said that we stand united and we will continue to hunt down terrorists. He is seeking a way to pass a resolution against Isis. He said we need that Authority. We also need Congress to Combat Identity Theft. He wants everyone protected. His state of the Union Address kept my attention throughout. He is about leading our County and not Acting to Protect it so our Country isnt't vulnerable
While watching the State of the union address there were many important things that President Obama said the caught my attention and that stood out to me. The first thing is the raising of minimum wage , people going to their community college for free or for very cheap , and how the economy is improving and also gas price and how they have been cheaper than how they have been in years.
What stood out the most to me was when the president spoke about the Embargo act and how he wants to lift the act against cuba. It doesnt really realte to me in any way but it find it important because it is the first time i have ever heard about it and it really poked out at me because i started to ask the question of why are we even against foreign countries in the first place? I looked up more about it and honestly the reasons that initially made the rule make sense, but my other question is why does it still exist today and why wasnt abolished years before President Obama even got into office? In the act it really doesnt help america, because there are things that we need in our everyday lives that america cannot provide. When we eat things such as bananas, drive BMW's and import other valuable goods they all play a huge part in th world of international trade and our everyday lives. But then i looked into the case for the man in the embargo case and his situation with hime being locked in prison for many years and him being finally released is really the pin point of that whole segment becuase it speaks to say that the embargo act is really hurting america in the growing economy and the well being of the amercian citizens.
"A women should be paid the same amount as a man for the same work". This really stuck out to me as I watched the State of the union. This stuck out because even as a male I think women should be paid the same amount as men. Some women do the same jobs as men but still don't get the same pay. Another thing that stuck out is that in the time President Obama more Americans have finished college than ever. I think that's a big accomplishment because there alot of students that just find college really challenging and they drop out. I think its about to get even better with the fact that students can go to community college for free. President Obama has done alot for this country and I think more people should give him his credit, even Republicans.
The president's speech was thought out planned and very well executed. While watching his speech president Obama struck me on his very optimistic look on our nation. When he said " The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong." that struck me as odd because of so many people on TV saying that America is in a state of crisis. In the end no president will give a state of the union address and only talk about the negative things of this nation. President Obamas speech was very good and I hope the things he talked about can come to pass but it will take compromise if we want are nation to get better.
There were certain points during the State of the Union stuck out to me. First, hearing that the president’s going give two free years of college to students makes me wonder where this money’s gonna come from. It’s nice and all, but wouldn’t that just mean more taxes? Second, the increased minimum wage is something many have been waiting for. How are people supposed to live off of $7.25 an hour? Many other countries such as the UK, Canada, and France have higher wages than us. Thirdly, the issue about women getting paid less than men. I honestly still can’t believe that something like that is still going on, but I’m glad it will be addressed to.
The increase in graduation rate caught my attention the most not only because public high schools are handing more diplomas than ever before but because more students are taking the initiative to finished their studies and move on to college. As president Obama stated," Students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record". Education is the only tool that can change someones life and that we have to fight poverty. Rebekah's story illustrates that a high quality of education can help you obtain a better job and prevent poverty. As a mother of two kids and a wife she went through a lot of hardships to finished her education. Rebekah's story is similar to the stories of many American's. Education help us built our knowledge of our surroundings and it's the only thing in the world that can't be taken away from us. Thus, education has an important role in our society. As President Obama stated by the end of this decade about two out of three job openings will require a higher quality of education making it harder for people to obtain a job if the college tuition is above their range. The President's plan to lower tuition fee in Community College to zero may increase the number of graduates and encourage students to continue their education. It is a controversy topic because education is fundamental to human development and growth. It can also represent obstacles in society.
The speech that was given to us, the people, by the President of the United States was a very powerful and moving speech in the State of the Union. I think the first thing that really stood out to me at first is when the President said that the shadow of crisis has passed and the State of the Union is strong. This was very powerful to me because he mentioned that we are freer to write our future more than any other nation on Earth. This was also mentioned in English class by Mr. Finn when we were talking about the government and the reading of the book Animal Farm. The second point that stood out to me was the story of Rebekah and Ben and how they represent America and the millions who have worked hard and sacrificed so much for us. The third point that stood out to me was how Barack Obama mentioned that America is number one in oil and gas. We are now also number one in wind power. Now families should be able to save at least $750 at a pump on gas money and fuel standards. I think this is really amazing and heading in a good direction because I have already seen changes in gas every where just by the few times of going to the gas station with my mom. Barack also mentioned our schooling and how we are doing better than ever. Kids are earning higher math and reading scores, more kids are graduating from high school and more Americans are graduating from college more than ever. I also liked the speech he gave about the middle class and how they are raising the wages especially for the ones with financial problems and are trying to take care of young children at the same time. I think what is also good now is that Community College is now free for those who want better jobs or a higher or better education but cant afford it. This is a great opportunity for Americans especially veterans because 40% of Americans apply for Community College. I also like how Barack is working to open more jobs for Americans in the 21st century and starting a new Precision Medicine Initiative to stop diseases like Cancer and Diabetes. Another big point that was mentioned was the tax system and how he is working to better the tax code based on your bank account rather than how many accountants you can afford. It makes no sense to tax someone in the middle class more than someone who is filthy rich in the upper class. Another dangerous task they are still participating in is hunting down terrorists and working to shut down their networking systems. One point I found that related to our course was when he mentioned Ebola and how we have healthcare workers and nurses over there working to help West Africa and cure this disease. One more big point that I wanted to mention was the gathering of economies all around the world working together to protect our Earth and ensuring the safety of our people on this one planet we have especially for the future generations to come.
As I watched the state of the union address I was amazed at all the ideas that the President had and how open he was with saying that he will veto certain bills that go against the progress that we have made so far as Americans. I loved that he proposed the idea of the free first two years of community college. People say that they don't know where the money will come from. I beg to differ because a vast majority of money is either swindled out of the city or state it belongs to, or pumped into incredibly dumb things like a ice skating rink around City Hall which is free to skate in I might add.
I believe that the speech our President gave us to dwell on was very well though out and spoken. However, I agree with James on how when President Barack Obama said "The shadow of crisis has passed, and The State of the Union is strong" struck me as weird because all I hear about is how America is not doing well. President Obama's speech was well prepared and executed, and I hope everything he said will turn out positive and all well in the end. We need unity and strength in order to be the best and most loving country we can be.
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