President Obama talks economy in State of the Union address

In what could be his second-to-last last State of the Union address, President Barack Obama all… In what could be his second-to-last last State of the Union address, President Barack Obama all but hung a banner that read “America is Back.”

The Pitt College Democrats who gathered in 1501 Posvar Hall to watch the speech enthusiastically laughed and cheered at several points during the address.

Obama focused on economic issues in his yearly address to congress. He said it was a priority of his to prevent a tax hike for 160 million middle-class Americans, who he said are already struggling. He went on to say that he would end the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, who he said are costing the nation $1 trillion every year.

“Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense,” he said.

He also brought up what he considered some of his foreign policy successes, such as the killing of Osama bin Laden and the full withdraw of U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Energy was an issue as well. Obama said that while domestic U.S. oil production was the highest it has been in the last eight years and consumption of oil is the lowest it has been in the last 16 years, it was important for the nation to use its natural gas resources and to develop clean, alternative energy means.

Concerning domestic issues, Obama said that his administration has made American industry stronger, stating that General Motors, which was on the brink of failure when he took office, is stronger than ever today.

Obama credited this success to federal assistance for which his administration campaigned. In exchange, the White House demanded accountability from automotive manufacturers. Because of the recovery, he said the entire industry has created 160,000 jobs.

Rick Hill, the public relations director for Pitt’s College Republicans, was skeptical about Obama’s claims that his measures are succeeding. Hill pointed to the national unemployment rate, which is at 8.5 percent.

“We have yet to hear any concrete plan to get America on top,” Hill said. “Whereas [Obama] said we’re already back on top.”

Hill felt that despite the rhetoric, rather than creating a climate in which the American economy could grow, Obama’s policies still focus on incresing government and making it harder for businesses to create jobs.

During his address, Obama also proposed ending tax breaks for companies that outsourced jobs. Instead of subsidizing these companies, he said, he intends to create incentives for companies that bring jobs back into the country.

The president also discussed a goal he set two years ago to double American exports over the following five years, saying that trade agreements he had signed were helping to open new markets for American products.

Lara Sullivan, president of the Pitt College Democrats, organized the viewing of the address in Posvar Hall last night. Sullivan’s reaction to Obama’s remarks was optimistic. “He definitely emphasized the fact that [members of the middle classes] are the ones who deserve the tax break, not the millionaires,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan also enjoyed other measures Obama said would help working Americans, such as his exhortation to Congress not to raise interest rates on college loans in July.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury — it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford,” Obama said.

Additionally, Obama said that U.S. troops had stopped fighting in Iraq after nine years, and that 10,000 U.S. troops have returned from Afghanistan. The president said he would bring another 23,000 home by the end of the summer.

He also said that the world had joined with the U.S. to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons, and that world leaders’ sanctions were crippling Iran’s government.