To start off this year’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama highlighted the progress that America has made during his time in office including, but not limited to, surviving the Great Recession, emerging economically stronger than in previous years, and nearing the end of the longest war in American history. The president discussed his goals for the year and urged Congress to take action. He emphasized areas to focus on, ranging from education, to foreign policy, to economics. Obama’s proposals, if enacted, will have positive effects on the country as a whole, both at home and in the workplace.

Enacting these critical changes will be no easy task for the Obama administration. For the heavily Republican House of Representatives, Obama’s grand plans for 2014 appear “too ambitious.” Similarly, the Obama administration faces challenges garnering support with the nearly 50 percent Republican presence in the Senate. Republicans simply must realize that Obama’s proposals are essential for ensuring every day, middle class Americans’ ability to thrive in this country. America relies on its citizen base to continue to build the greatness of the nation. Obama realizes that this is a government by the people, for the people, which is why he focuses so heavily on legislation and goals that help out ordinary citizens. After all, these ordinary citizens constitute the vast majority of the American population. Obama realizes that these hardworking individuals are the foundation upon which the current state of the nation rests. These people that fall into the the middle and lower class are typically among many of those only making minimum wage and barely making ends meet.

Obama wants to aid the citizens of America. Consequently, he has called Congress to action to pass legislation raising minimum wage, bridging the gender gap in wages and salaries, offering incentives for businesses to insource instead of outsource jobs, reforming education, funding high school and college job training programs, preventing the repeal of the healthcare reform law, changing immigration laws, and promoting diplomacy in foreign policy. These suggestions posed by the president remain crucial to America’s continued success as a world power. It is impossible to ignore the crucial role Obama played in rescuing the nation from the economic turmoil our last president left us in.

Yet, despite all the Obama administration has done for our country, many issues remain. The nation’s citizenry is still struggling to pay their bills. Congress needs to collaborate with our president and listen to his proposals to tackle this problem. Unfortunately, while such divisions continue to exist in Congress, Americans will continue to struggle while the politicians in Washington continue to squabble over their own interests.