Last Night’s State of the Union

Tonight was the first time I actually sat down and watched a State of the Union speech.  At first, I thought it would be like any other somewhat dull and self-serving speech that you hear from a politician.  However, I was surprised to find myself immediately in rapt when President Obama began the State of the Union speaking about the war in Iraq and the veterans that have come home or are in the midst of returning.  Hearing the President talk confidently about the end of the war in Iraq and welcoming home our troops confirmed that veterans like myself and my friends and family members that did not make it home were truly being honored by our fellow Americans.  Veterans have been through so many trials and tribulations; it was humbling to hear the President tell America, “[i]magine what we could accomplish if we followed [the military’s] example.”  It truly felt good to have the President state that America could learn something from little ole’ me.

The issue of college affordability and student loans also struck a chord with me.  The President even challenged college presidents “to stop tuition from going up” and that “Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.”  I know how hard it is to find not only a job that pays the bills — especially when you choose to serve rather than to go to college — but also to obtain an education that provides the skills that employers need.  Hearing that it might be easier to pay for college and obtain the job skills needed to survive in the 21st century workforce really resonated with me.  There are just so many obstacles that veterans have to overcome to re-enter civilian life, and all of that felt a little less burdensome when I heard the President say he had plans to take action on these issues.

The President also spoke about the importance of staying in school and “call[ed] on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.”  Speaking for myself, I truly wish that my home state had required me to graduate from high school.  I wish I could have walked across the stage to receive my high school diploma instead of just obtaining a GED.  With no other option but to stay in school, I would have strived harder and made more out of the education at my fingertips.  I know we all have regrets, but none of those regrets should include anything about one’s education.  The President’s right; youth shouldn’t be given the option to just drop out when things get tough. I think a mandate like that would be better for the youth of tomorrow, don’t you?

During the end of the State of the Union, the President spoke again about service and mentioned the importance of unity within the service and the United States. It was touching when he spoke about what the American flag from the Navy SEALs meant to him.  As the President said, when we serve, we are a family, and it’s imperative that we have each other’s “backs.” In the army, we worked hard and as the old service proverb goes, we truly “rise and fall together and no one is left behind!” According to the President, that kind of unity will keep America on top.  Do you think these are the basic values that we have been missing for much of this past decade?  Let’s hear from you, America — now is the time to speak up!

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Tags: Barack Obama, President Obama, State of the Union

KristinKenney Bio: Kristin is an intern with Rock the Vote. Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 11:36 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.