In an attempt to rally Americans to compete to increase their investment in both research and education, President Barack Obama said the nation is facing “our generation’s Sputnik moment” that will determine the country’s place in the world during his State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday.
“Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had no idea how we’d beat them to the moon,” Obama said. “The science wasn’t there yet. NASA didn’t even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.”
Obama’s decision to target spending in certain key areas, such as research and education, came the same night as his decision to call for a partial freeze in most discretionary spending and billions of dollars in defense cuts.
Obama also addressed the nation’s nearly $1.3 trillion deficit and current 9.4 percent unemployment rate, saying the U.S. will move forward either together, regardless of political party, or not at all.
“At stake right now is not who wins the next election – after all, we just had an election,” Obama said. “At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress.”
Obama, facing the Republican House for the first time, continued, saying now, two years after the worst recession most U.S. citizens have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back.
“Corporate profits are up,” Obama said. “The economy is growing again. But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. That’s the project the American people want us to work on. Together.”
After the speech, John DuBois, vice president of the University’s College Democrats, said he was most impressed when Obama talked about cutting the country’s dependence on foreign oil.
“Alternate energy and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil should be paramount,” DuBois said. “Reforming education was also an excellent, excellent policy to focus on right now. In the age of foreign competitors pulling ahead of the U.S., our education system must be fixed, especially ‘No Child Left Behind.’”
West Honeycutt, deputy state chairman of the College Republican Federation of Alabama, said he was glad Obama realized that many Americans are still in need of jobs, and was very excited about his pledge to propose to Congress large investments in biomedical research, information technology and clean energy.
“I am also glad that Obama has woken up and realized the world around us has fundamentally changed, and I am inspired by the spirit of bipartisanship that filled the chamber as he spoke,” Honeycutt said. “I do hope, however, that this bipartisanship is also a fundamental change within our government, and not just an illusion created for the election two years away.”
