President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many. \u201cAt this moment \u2013 with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production \u2013 we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It\u2019s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.<\/p>\n Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cSo the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don\u2019t get in the way.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact, at every moment of economic change throughout our history, this country has taken bold action to adapt to new circumstances, and to make sure everyone gets a fair shot. We set up worker protections, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to protect ourselves from the harshest adversity. We gave our citizens schools and colleges, infrastructure and the Internet \u2013 tools they needed to go as far as their effort will take them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what middle-class economics is \u2013 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.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in a smarter kind of American leadership. We lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don\u2019t let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing right now \u2013 and around the globe, it is making a difference.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIn Iraq and Syria, American leadership \u2013 including our military power \u2013 is stopping ISIL\u2019s advance. Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group. We\u2019re also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism. This effort will take time. It will require focus. But we will succeed. And tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cNo foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids. We are making sure our government integrates intelligence to combat cyber threats, just as we have done to combat terrorism. And tonight, I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children\u2019s information. If we don\u2019t act, we\u2019ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) \u201cWe are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two…<\/p>\n
\nBut tonight, we turn the page,\u201d said President Barack Obama<\/strong> in his State of the Union Address, Jan. 20.<\/p>\n
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