President Barack Obama delivered his third and final State of the Union address before voters head to the polls in November. Unlike last year’s State of the Union in which he focused on securing the nation’s place in the global economy, this address prompted the need to mention the nation’s continuing disparity within itself:
“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can 
restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
Stressing an America built to last — “an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values” — the president called upon each American to share in the responsibility of creating such and offering “no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts”. He commented, in the vein of Abraham Lincoln, that “government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves”.
A strong advocate of the middle class, Pres. Obama proposed the Buffett rule to tax reform: “If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes” while adding “if you make under $250,000 a year, your taxes shouldn’t go up”. Continue
In November, we mentioned the House hearing regarding the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its possible ramifications if passed. On Wednesday (January 18), thousands of websites (including Concrete Loop) participated in a widespread blackout in protest of SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).
While these bills are aimed at fighting online piracy, the methods used to do so could essentially allow the government and corporations to dictate everything about the internet experience for you, as demonstrated in the video below. Continue
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia Obama joined volunteers in a service project as part of a Big Brothers Big Sisters and Greater DC Cares collaborative effort at the Browne Education Center on Monday (January 16). The president commented “there’s nobody who can’t serve, nobody who can’t help somebody else”:
At a time when the country has been going through some difficult economic times, for us to be able to come together as a community, people from all different walks of life, and make sure that we’re giving back, that’s ultimately what makes us the strongest, most extraordinary country on Earth, is because we pull together when times are good, but also when times are hard.
The President and First Lady also attended the Let Freedom Ring concert, which was streamed live online. That means the First Lady, who celebrates her 48th birthday today, missed the premiere of her scripted television debut on the hit Nickelodeon series iCarly. Check out a preview of the First Lady in action.
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the Tuskegee Airmen prior to a movie screening of “Red Tails” in the Family Theater of the White House, on Friday (Jan. 13, 2012).
Some of the cast was also at the screening including pictured below: (L-R) Ne-Yo, Tristan Wilds, Nate Parker, Cuba Gooding Jr, David Oyelowo, and Director Anthony Hemingway. The movie will be released on January 20 in theaters, but an exclusive seven minute clip of the movie was released earlier this week. Continue
