President Barack Obama called on the nation to help jumpstart the economy during his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night.

“It is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth — a rising, thriving middle class,” he said.

Obama delivered the address to the nation and Congress at 9 p.m. The State of the Union address is an annual speech in which the president reports proposals for the upcoming legislative year.

The president covered many issues in his speech, including education, weapons of mass destruction, women’s and gay rights, health care, and gun violence. Two topics he especially highlighted were job creation and economic growth.

Rather than make cuts to education and social security, the president proposed tax reforms that eliminate loopholes for the upper class and the “well-off.”

Comprehensive, bipartisan tax reform is one that “encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit,” he said.

Next on the legislature’s docket for this year is creating new jobs, he said, emphasizing that companies need to bring jobs back into the United States. If the job market returns to the United States, the government will be able to lower taxes on small businesses, which, in turn, will help bring money back to America. Companies such as Apple, Ford, Caterpillar and Intel will bring jobs back to America, he said, which will lower the unemployment rate and boost economic growth.

The president proposed no cuts to science, technology or innovation, saying these elements are pertinent to the growth of the economy.

Obama also discussed the environment during his address, saying his goal for the future is to cut energy use in half in the next 20 years.

This is a topic relevant to Syracuse University, said Alec Reimel, a freshman in the School of Information Studies.

Riemel said he believes SU has taken steps to reduce waste and be eco-friendly, citing reusable takeout containers in the dining hall to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified buildings on campus, as examples.

This year, a new tool called Citizen Response was launched for the address. Citizen Response allows viewers to highlight a section in the official transcript, inform the president of how they connect with his speech and share their responses with friends on social networks, according to the White House’s website.

Jacob Rosen, a freshman in the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics, said he would have liked to see more publicity around the tool.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) presented the Republican response to the address and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) spoke on behalf of the Tea Party wing of the GOP.

Shortly after the President’s address, U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.), who attended the president’s address, released a statement.

Said Maffei: “I was encouraged by the President’s focus on growing the middle class, creating jobs, and growing our economy as they are my top priorities as Central New York’s new representative.”

Published on February 13, 2013 at 1:47 am

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