State of the Union: "Getting Stronger"--Preserving American Dream "Defining Issue"

“The state of our union is getting stronger,” no thanks to Congress, President Barack Obama proclaimed in his third State of the Union address, and vowed to “fight obstruction with action” to build on the economic recovery. In framing his re-election campaign message, he said that reclaiming “American values” was “the defining issue of our time.” “No challenge is more urgent,” he said. “No debate is more important. “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore our economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone gets their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.” Obama repeated his call for the wealthy to bear more of the tax burden. He also proposed more refinance held for homeowners, ending tax breaks for businesses that outsource jobs, the creation of a China task force to monitor trade violations, a clean energy initiative, a renewed commitment to job training, and an extension of the tuition tax credit. He also called on states to requite that children stay in school until they graduate high school or turn 18. The president in part blamed “the way Congress does its business these days” for America’s challenged recovery. In the Republican rebuttal, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels countered, “It’s not fair and it’s not true for the President to attach Republicans as obstacles. They and they alone have passed bills to reduce borrowing, reform entitlements, and encourage new job creation, only to be shot down time and time again by the President and his Democratic Senate allies.” Daniels called the president’s agenda “pro-poverty,” and added, “We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have nots; we must always be a nation of haves and soon to haves.”