4 Things President Obama Said In His Last SOTU That Affect You
Though all we hear about anymore is this year’s Presidential election, Donald Trump’s hair and the bickering of one party against another, Barack Obama is still our President. Tonight, he showed us that by delivering his last State of the Union address — which felt like a farewell speech.
“I want to focus on the future,”
the President began, before laying out his goals for his final year in office.
It can be challenging to feel like the President is speaking to our generation when all we hear is talk of party lines and lofty goals. Yet, President Obama showed that millennials are at the top of his priority list in 2016. Here are four ways his State of the Union address affects you.
1. It’s easier to get a job today than 5 years ago.
To start his speech, President Obama boasted that the United States is in its longest period of private-sector job creation in history, generating over 14 million jobs and cutting unemployment in half. He shut down the national sentiment that our economy is still in decline.
That’s good news for current college students and recent graduates, who can benefit from one of these 14 million jobs this year. All of our hard work can only pay off if the economy is ready to receive us.
2. Future generations may avoid our student loan debt.
Though most recent graduates face crushing student loan debt, the President assured Americans that he will continue to strive to cut the cost of college by providing two years of community college for free for every responsible student.
While that seems like a lofty goal for the President’s final year in office, the idea behind it is important: college has to be more affordable. We’ve heard since we were babies that the path to success includes a college degree. It would be nice if we didn’t have to sell a kidney to get there.
3. You should probably get into a science or technology field.
Calling to mind the American spirit of innovation that let a man walk on the moon, the President talked up a cancer research initiative, hoping that the United States would be the first country to cure cancer. In addition, he plans to support and implement projects to develop clean energy sources.
If 2016 is the year of innovation, you don’t want to be left behind. If you have an idea or a great project, try to see it through this year. You never know what will be the key to a revolutionary idea.
4. Lastly, the President advised not to be afraid of the future.
“America has been through big changes before,” he says. “Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears. We emerged stronger and better than before.”
Though President Obama is talking about larger global changes, his words resonated with me, as I’ve left my comfortable college life and my mother’s house to try out my own big girl adventures. With a big bad future in front of us, why should we be afraid? Instead, let’s be excited for all of the possibilities that this next year has in store for us.
The President’s State of the Union address wasn’t too surprising: he set a lot of goals, took a few jabs at Republicans, and tried to leave Americans on a hopeful note. However, I think millennials every where can take a renewed sense of inspiration and confidence from his speech.
We are entering the real world at a complicated time, but it’s one that’s ready for us. Jobs have been created, and new innovations have begun so that we can take them over. It is time for us to leave our mark on the world, and 2016 looks like the year to make change happen.
Featured image via The Telegraph.
