Residents give their take on State of the Union address
by Anna Oakes
An estimated 38 million viewers tuned in to watch President Barack Obama deliver the annual State of the Union address to the nation Tuesday evening, according to Nielsen.
As expected, Obama's hour-and-15-minute-long address hammered home a message of fairness and income inequality. The president asserted that those who make more than $1 million a year should pay no less than 30 percent of their income in taxes.
“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,” Obama said before both houses of Congress.
The president called for a restoration of American manufacturing by offering tax incentives to companies that keep jobs in the U.S. and announced the establishment of a Financial Crimes Unit to crack down on fraud and protect investments. Obama also emphasized the country's military successes, notably the May 2011 mission taking out Osama bin Laden.
Watauga Democrat went to the streets Wednesday and Thursday to solicit local reaction on the president's statements, claims and proposals. Those who shared their opinions generally agreed with parts of Obama's speech, but expressed skepticism about his ability to carry out his plans.
Perhaps that skepticism is why so few bothered to watch or listen to the State of the Union address — of about 35 people approached for this story in Boone and Blowing Rock, only six said they saw the president's speech.
“I'm not an Obama supporter at all, so I've been displeased with his job, but I thought his address was very good, very positive. It spoke to the collaboration between Democrats and Republicans, which I'm strongly in favor of. I like some of those ideas, but they're all rhetoric. As an observer of Washington politics I strongly agreed with his observation that there is a huge split between what goes on within Washington and the rest of the world.”Doug MayBlowing Rock
“It was alright, but who knows if he's going to follow through with it? I guess the whole education thing, the tuition prices, how it shouldn't go up … that was the only thing that hit home with me.”Katie StargoGastonia
“I agree with a lot he said. I think the business of income tax needs to be worked on a lot. It doesn't seem fair, really, the way it's done. I don't know what all it would take to correct it. We've got to, as they say, level the playing field for everybody.”John MoretzBoone
“My fiancè watched the address, and he thought it was more of a kickoff to the Obama campaign rather than a real update on what's going on.”Mary CarmichaelWinston-Salem
As expected, Obama's hour-and-15-minute-long address hammered home a message of fairness and income inequality. The president asserted that those who make more than $1 million a year should pay no less than 30 percent of their income in taxes.
“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,” Obama said before both houses of Congress.
The president called for a restoration of American manufacturing by offering tax incentives to companies that keep jobs in the U.S. and announced the establishment of a Financial Crimes Unit to crack down on fraud and protect investments. Obama also emphasized the country's military successes, notably the May 2011 mission taking out Osama bin Laden.
Watauga Democrat went to the streets Wednesday and Thursday to solicit local reaction on the president's statements, claims and proposals. Those who shared their opinions generally agreed with parts of Obama's speech, but expressed skepticism about his ability to carry out his plans.
Perhaps that skepticism is why so few bothered to watch or listen to the State of the Union address — of about 35 people approached for this story in Boone and Blowing Rock, only six said they saw the president's speech.
“I'm not an Obama supporter at all, so I've been displeased with his job, but I thought his address was very good, very positive. It spoke to the collaboration between Democrats and Republicans, which I'm strongly in favor of. I like some of those ideas, but they're all rhetoric. As an observer of Washington politics I strongly agreed with his observation that there is a huge split between what goes on within Washington and the rest of the world.”Doug MayBlowing Rock
“It was alright, but who knows if he's going to follow through with it? I guess the whole education thing, the tuition prices, how it shouldn't go up … that was the only thing that hit home with me.”Katie StargoGastonia
“I agree with a lot he said. I think the business of income tax needs to be worked on a lot. It doesn't seem fair, really, the way it's done. I don't know what all it would take to correct it. We've got to, as they say, level the playing field for everybody.”John MoretzBoone
“My fiancè watched the address, and he thought it was more of a kickoff to the Obama campaign rather than a real update on what's going on.”Mary CarmichaelWinston-Salem