President Barack Obama talks "middle class economics" at State of the Union


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President Barack Obama delivers the State of The Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

U.S. President Barack Obama focused heavily on domestic economics, Tuesday Jan. 20 during his annual State of the Union address, demanding congress to support the middle class.  

Obama also highlighted plans he said he will soon bring to Congress to lower the cost of higher education, and focus on bringing more jobs to America. 

He said he would veto any bills that come to desk aiming to reduce government aid for health insurance or reignite the immigration debate.

"We can’t put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when we’ve got a system to fix," Obama said. "And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, it will earn my veto."

President of Central Michigan College Republicans Ottorino Schincariol said he predicted the Obama administration could expect resistance from the Republican-led Congress as he threatens vetoes and executive orders. 

"I'm really not surprised, I'm not sure how many times he's threatened to veto things, but he's been saying that a lot lately." Schincariol said. "I almost want to say he's abusing his executive order powers. There is definitely going to be some opposition now that Congress is Republican."

Pointing to increased wages for America's working class, Obama said more and more small businesses are raising wages, bringing them higher than they've been during the past eight years.

"Today, thanks to a growing economy, the recovery is touching more and more lives," he said. "Wages are finally starting to rise again. We know that more small business owners plan to raise their employees’ pay higher than at any time since 2007."

President of CMU College Democrats Sam Mcnerney said Obama's fight for the middle class would help rebuild the economy. The U.S. government has in the past, he said, struggled to support the middle class. 

"America can only survive if we have a thriving middle class," Mcnerney said. "The government has done a very poor job protecting them. Special interest groups control how things are done in Washington. The fact he wants to shift back to a middle classed focused economy is exciting to me."

Regarding higher education, Obama unveiled a $60 billion proposal to congress that would offer to pay two years of tuition for community college students. He said higher education is now more essential than ever for employment.

"By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education. Two in three," Obama said. "And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It’s not fair to them, and it’s not smart for our future.

"That’s why I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college – to zero." 

Schincariol said Obama's 10-year plan is unclear of how the $60 billion price tag will be paid for.

"He never proposed a plan on how that will get paid for," Schincariol said. "The word free usually means higher taxes. You can't use $60 billion and free in the same sentence. It doesn't work that way."  

Mcnerney said despite the high cost of the proposal, free community college is a step in the right direction.

"The very least is give them two free years and that is just the start," he said. "Making it something that doesn't hold us in debt and hold us back. (It's the) first step in a brighter future for education in America. I say that a lot but the reality is I am exctied to see he is back to the core of our democratic ideals and say this is the vision for the future."

Nearing the end of his second term, and career as president, Obama said he plans to continue working toward bettering America as he sees fit. 

"I have no more campaigns to run," Obama said. "My only agenda for the next two years is the same as the one I’ve had since the day I swore an oath on the steps of this Capitol – to do what I believe is best for America." 

Although Obama will not be able to see re-election in 2016, Schincariol said there will still be Congressional resistance in the next two years. 

"The next two years are going to be very interesting to see how things will unfold," he said. "It's really hard to tell how they will go, but there will be a lot of opposition from Congress."

Hoping bipartisan efforts will continue to thrive in Congress, Mcnerney said cooperation between the parties is essential for America to move forward. 

"We need that bipartisan support and action," he said. "Im not sure how much of that we will see. We've been through six years of this hyper-partisan experience. I don't know how easy it will be to switch into bipartisanship. It is something we need moving forward."

On Tuesday night, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder also gave his State of the State address. 

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