Obama Stirs in State of the Union

John F. Kennedy delivered those words 51 years ago.  President Obama repeated those words last night in the opening remarks of his State of the Union address.

In the 1st address of his 2nd term, Mr. Obama struck an unexpected bi-partisan tone, while presenting an array of proposals.  Among them:

– Cut in half the energy wasted in homes and businesses over the next 20 years. Those who construct more efficient, energy saving buildings will receive help from the government.

– For the sake of our children, we must do more to fight climate change.

– No one who works full-time should live in poverty. Raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour.

Hadiya Pendleton

Some of the most enthusiastic applause came when the president announced that after 10 years, soldiers in Afghanistan will be coming home.  Another emotional moment came when he introduced Desilene Victor, a 102-year-old African-American woman who waited 6 hours just to cast her 2012 ballot to vote.

But perhaps the most emotional moment of the night was when Mr. Obama spoke of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago, who performed at his inauguration only 3 weeks ago, but was shot and killed in Chicago area gun violence.  The president challenged congress to tackle the issue of gun control, saying “Our action will not prevent every senseless act of violence in America.  We were not sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to do what we can. To look out for our fellow Americans, every single day.”

“Give Hadiya Pendleton a vote!  Give Gabby Giffords a vote!  Give the children of Newtown a vote,” President Obama said to a standing ovation and a room full of tears.