Obama’s Final Address to the Union

President Barack Obama gave his eighth and final State of the Union address on January 12, 2016.  The Address to the Union occurs yearly, and gives the president of the United States a chance to deliver the administration’s view of the state of the nation and plans for proposed legislation.  In the United States Constitution, Article II, Section 3 states the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

        After the President entered the United States Capitol, he began his speech that was filled with optimism for a nervous nation.  Obama started with giving examples of the problems that the nation plans to solve, like giving a fair shake to everyone in this economy, having technology work for us to solve problems like climate change, how to keep the world safe without being policemen, and how we can make politics look more positive.  He switched to a positive perspective and listed the various changes we have made to our nation for the greater good, such as the legalization of gay marriage and the positives to dismantle ISIS.

“The United States of America is the most powerful nation on the earth”, Obama said confidently.  Our country has a very strong military, so when the president said, “When you go after Americans, we go after you,” this was no lie.  ISIS’s actions and propaganda that is focused to scare the world will be stopped in the means of safety.  While staying on the topic of our nation being so powerful, Obama says that the environment of America is changing for the better.  He gave examples of how our gas prices are at the low price of two dollars.  The president believes that by being such a powerful nation will help us into the future.

The president compared the “Space Race” to finding the cure of cancer.  These events are very unalike, yet Obama drew a very distinct line between them.  When Russia beat us into space by sending a small satellite, into outer space; the United States panicked.  Practically over night the United States space program was created, and twelve years later America won the “Space Race” by walking on the moon.  The point is, America became more united and got the task done.  If America became that united with the same determination, we can be the country known for finding the cure for cancer.

As Obama came to an end of his State of the Union address, he looked ahead eleven months from now.  The president categorized himself after the 2016 presidential election as an ordinary citizen, just as us.  President Barack Obama concluded his final address by saying, “I believe in change because I believe in you.  That is why I stand here as confident as I have ever been, that the state of our union is strong.  God bless you, God bless the United States of America.”