Spartan Echo

Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Copyright 2008, The Associated Press Vice President Cheney, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi listen as President Bush delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress, Monday Jan. 28, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Monday, January 28, 2008 marked the last State of the Union address from our current president of the United State George W. Bush. In his standard black suit and Carolina blue tie, Bush made his way through the crowd of standing applauders to the stage in which he would be given his final state of the union.

Almost a year to the date of his last address that caused much debate over his move to send 20,000 more troops over to Iraq, the audience seemed to be quite pleased with his many acts of change that he will propose to congress in the coming months.

The first act of business on the long agenda of the night he addressed the receding economy, and the tax relief that will hopefully cause for a more booming financial system in months to come. During this bout of tax relief, Bush showed his human side by making a joke about those willing to pay higher taxes.

"The IRS will happily take cash, check, or money orders," Bush stated given a half smile. Bush also stated to the audience, which consequently gave a roar of applause.

"Any bill of raising taxes reaching my desk will be vetoed," said Bush. Bush started his speech off very strong showing us Americans viewing at home that he seemingly does care about our tax dollars.

"If American families have to balance their budgets so should their government."

Bush concluded by stating that he would make tax relief permanent, thus leading to another bout of applause.

Healthcare was another big topic in Bush's address. He, like many of the democratic candidates in the upcoming election, agreed that healthcare should be affordable and assessable to all Americans. Bush also stated that over the course of the next five years $30 billion would go toward the research and treatment of the HIV/Aids virus.

Six years ago, Bush implemented the No child Left Behind Act. Due to the implication of this act, fourth and eighth graders have had the highest math scores on record, stated Bush. Blacks and Hispanics have also posted all time highs in test scores. Bush's plan is to further reduce drop-out rates and to increase the amount of Pell grants available to under privileged children whom desire to attend college, but cannot afford it.

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