The shadow of the crisis has passed and the state of the union is strong!

No one else could have said it better!

If you missed the 2015 State of the Union address, you have got to watch it - linked below - because if you listen to Republican congressional lawmakers and pundits, you will think that you and they viewed two completely different addresses.

The President’s State of the Union was inspiring and exhilarating! 

It focused on two key themes: 1) how far we've come, and 2) how much farther we can go with better politics!

Our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest past since 1999.

Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis.

More kids are graduating than ever before.

More of our people are insured than ever before.

We are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we’ve been in almost 30 years.

For the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over.

We have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth.

Our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs.

Manufacturers have added almost 800,000 new jobs.

America is number one in oil and gas.

America is number one in wind power.

Thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save $750 at the pump.

Our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs.

Our younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record.

Our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high.

More Americans finish college than ever before.

Today, we have new tools to stop taxpayer-funded bailouts.

Today, we have a new consumer watchdog to protect us from predatory lending and abusive credit card practices.

In the past year alone, about ten million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage.

We’ve seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade,

Our deficit cut by two-thirds.

A stock market that has doubled

Health care inflation at its lowest rate in fifty years.

The Recovery is touching more and more lives.

Wages are finally starting to rise again.

More small business owners plan to raise their employees’ pay than any time since 2007.

In West Africa, our troops, our scientist, our doctors, our nurses and healthcare workers are rolling back Ebola – saving countless lives and stopping the spread of disease.

Thanks to Vice President Biden’s great work with our job training system, we’re connecting community colleges with local employers to train workers to fill high paying jobs.

The Joining Forces national campaign launched by Michele Obama and Jill Biden has helped nearly 700,000 veterans and military spouses get new jobs.

Not bad for a President who inherited a 1.3 trillion deficit; a horrific recession and little to no support from the other side of the isle!

As a matter of fact, the only individuals in the room who were not happy about our country doing well were Republican lawmakers and their guests who didn’t stand up or applaud for any of the above positive developments!?!?!

How sad!

Moving along, President Obama proceeded to list ways in which he and the Republican Congress can advance the country even further by promoting  Middle Class Economics.

The President defined Middle Class Economics as the idea that this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules by... 

Closing loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest in America.

Closing loopholes that lead to inequality by allowing one percent to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated wealth.

Using loophole money to help more families make quality childcare more available and more affordable providing every middle class and low income family with young children in America a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child per year.

Using loophole money to send young, older, single parent and veterans to college using Tennessee – a state with Republican leadership and Chicago – a city with Democratic leadership – as models for a chance to graduate from a two year community college free of debt.

Urging the Republican Congress to help families afford health care, a home with lower mortgage premiums, and retirement.

Urging the Republican Congress to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own giving every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave.

Urging the Republican Congress to [finally] pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work.

Urging the Republican Congress to [finally] pass a law to raise the minimum wage stating: If you truly believe you could work full time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.

Urging the Republican Congress to [finally] pass a law to protect voting rights [currently being challenged by conservative Supreme Court justices’ decision to deny voting rights].

Urging the Republican Congress to pass legislation giving working families a fair shot by passing laws that strengthen rather than weaken unions, and give American workers a voice.

Other topics covered by the President appear as follows:

Diplomacy – The strength of diplomacy is in leveraging the power of coalitions rather than with bluster. As an example, the President cited how diplomatically orchestrated international sanctions opposing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has left Russia isolated with its  economy in tatters.

ISIL -The President urged the Republican Congress to pass a resolution authorizing the use of force [absent ground troops] against ISIL.

Climate Change – According to the latest, internationally combined  scientific reports, 2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record. The President emphasized that if Congress doesn't work with him to act forcefully, we will continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict and hunger around the globe.

Cyber Security – President Obama noted that intelligence agencies have worked hard, with the recommendations of privacy advocates, to increase transparency and build more safeguards against potential abuse. A report on how the President is keeping his  promise to keep our country safe while strengthening privacy will come out next month.

The President summed up his address with a discussion of Better Politics emphasizing that Republicans and Democrats in Congress can focus on appealing to each other’s basic decency instead of on basest fears..

Where we spend less money drowning in dark money for ads that pull us into the gutter.

Where more time is spent on  lifting young people up with a sense of purpose and possibility. 

Where agreement could be reached considering that every woman should have access to the health care she needs.

Where agreement could be reached that it’s possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

Where agreement could be reached for Republicans and Democrats coming together towards making voting easier for every single American.

Where agreement could be reached for Democrats, Republicans, community leaders and law enforcement to ensure that a father who fears his son can't walk home without being harassed and a wife who won't rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift will evolve into a reformed criminal justice system so that it protects and serves us all.

That’s a better politics. That’s how we start rebuilding trust. That’s how we move this country forward. That’s what the American people want. That’s what they deserve.

Well done Mr. President! Well done!

SOURCES
Obama State of the Union 2015 Address: President's [FULL www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8LqG_Ld0Dw

Transcript:President Obama's State Of The Union Address

NPR‎ - 2 hours ago