UTM responds to State of Union speech

President Obama delivered his State of the Union address last Wednesday to Congress and, more importantly, to a nation seeking answers in troubled times. UTM students and faculty shared their opinions with The Pacer regarding not only Obama's speech, but also their reflections on his first year in office.

Michael Boyd, a freshman Political Science major, was enthusiastic over Obama's address last Wednesday.


"President Obama's State of the Union address was incredible politics. In a country where there seems to be a growing independent movement, President Obama set himself up to be very centrist on the majority of issues.

"His speech reminded me why I liked him so much during the campaign, but a speech is just words. Let's see if those words become action," Boyd said.

Christopher Capua, a sophomore Music Education major, shared a few concerns about the nation and also on Obama's first year in office.


"Overall, I felt Obama's State of the Union address was true to his campaign persona of being a progressive, but at the same time bothered me somewhat. After his first year in office, I've lost some (not all) respect for him," Capua said.


"As far as getting bills passed, a lot of it is out of his control. The majority of the congressmen and women in Washington are being stubborn and spiteful when it comes to getting things done."


Boyd, too, said that his overall impression of Obama and his administration has declined.


"My opinion of the president has declined over his first year in office but still remains positive. I believe his administration has failed to live up to the level of transparency he promised during the campaign. I also feel that his handling of the health care legislation shows that he might have issues in the future organizing his party over major legislation if he must continue to face an obstructionist party," Boyd said.

To Capua, one issue stood out most against all others addressed during Obama's speech.


"The issue that concerned me the most, though, was the Supreme Court ruling that will allow corporations to spend freely to support or oppose candidates. The conservative justices sitting on the bench essentially said that money equals speech and the corporations are human beings that deserve First Amendment rights. Corporations still cannot give directly to candidates, but the limits on ad spending that were in place were struck down. This means that McDonalds, Wal-Mart, health insurance corporations, defense contractors, or pretty much any corporation you can think of will be able to reach into their vast coffers and potentially buy out every commercial slot on a given television or radio station for several days leading up to an election. The potential amount of corruption this unleashes on national and even state elections is disturbing and, frankly, disgusts me."


Richard Garlitz, Assistant Professor of History, shared his view on the Obama administration and its foreign policies- a topic often lost in today's debate over healthcare and the economy.

"According to the President, leaving Iraq frees the U.S. to refocus its priorities in the War on Terror: 'As we take the fight to al Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people.' It's been nearly seven years since President Bush proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. Yet, during that time, the United States was forced to spend hundreds of billions of tax-payer dollars and lost over four thousand American lives rooting out extremists from a nation where they did not operate before the U.S.-led invasion. It is time to leave the crusades behind and concentrate resources on real threats to our security," Garlitz said.


"The President also vowed to put pressure on Afghanistan to improve its own security and to safeguard the rights "of all Afghans - men and women alike." It is a laudable and necessary goal, but it will be a difficult challenge in a nation where the government does not enjoy popular confidence."


Garlitz argued that American values and ideals should lead foreign policies into the new decade.


"The most important component of the President's foreign policy remarks came in his discussion of values, not Democratic or Republican, but shared American values: 'Let's reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values . Abroad, America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals,'' Garlitz said.


"Those values - liberty, justice, and rule of law, have to guide our nation's foreign policy. It will do little good to hunt down every member of al Qaeda if our use of force is so reckless as to nudge more disaffected youth toward extremism. We cannot credibly talk about - let alone accomplish - democracy and human rights promotion if we ourselves trample on the rule of law and basic human rights," Garlitz said.

"Finally, the War on Terror will not and cannot be a unilateral action. It affects the entire world and requires the world's cooperation. For those reasons, the President emphasized his administration's prohibition on torture and efforts to strengthen international partnerships."


Visit utmpacer.com to share your own views of President Obama's address.