Beech Tree News Network

On television a couple of weeks ago, I watched the 2013 State of the Union Address given by President Obama. Traditionally, the State of the Union Address allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and national priorities. This address included some thought-provoking points.

The State of the Union Address may be read on various websites. One site (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/transcript-president-barack-obamas-2...) posted the speech “as prepared for delivery.” Some of President Obama’s statements from the address are listed below:

•    “Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion – mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.”

•    “Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep – but we must keep the promises we've already made.”

•    “Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.”

•    “After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future.”

•    “I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years.”

•    “America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair.”

•    “It's a simple fact: the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.”

•    “Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship – a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.”

•    “But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line.”

•    “Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.”

•    “And, where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.”

•    “We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.”

•    “Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals.”

The State of the Union Address included many thought-provoking topics regarding the work to be done to ensure our nation’s well-being. As President Obama pointed out in the conclusion, “But as Americans, we all share the same proud title: We are citizens.” As citizens, let’s pray for and support our nation and its role in the global community.