STATE, LOCAL
™ INTERNATIONAL
SOTU (continued)
encouraging research of natural gas
energy sources.
President Obama drew attention
to America’s aging infrastructure. He
proposed a “fix it first” program to put
people at work as soon as possible on
the most urgent repairs.
Another issue raised was educa
tion. Many families cannot afford
preschool, and it can affect children
for rest of their lives. Obama said, “I
propose making high quality preschool
education available to every child in
America.” He asserts that every dollar
invested in early education can save
the government seven dollars in the
future. He also challenged the educa
tion system to redesign high schools to
better equip students for demands of
a technology-driven economy. He also
said that colleges must do their part
to keep costs down, and he proposed
a college scorecard to help families
determine “where you can get the most
bang for your educational buck.”
Obama also addressed the issue of
immigration. He said, “The time has
come to pass comprehensive immigra
tion reform. Now is the time to get
it done... Send me a comprehensive
immigration reform bill in the next few
months and I will sign it right away.”
The plan includes implementing
stronger border security, establishing
a responsible path to earn citizenship,
and fixing the legal immigration sys
tem to cut waiting periods and attract
highly skilled workers that will help fix
our economy.
Obama urged the House to pass
''Let’s tie the
minimum wage to
the cost of living so it
finally becomes
a wage you can
live on.”
the Violence Against Women Act and
asked Congress to pass the Paycheck
Fairness Act this year.
He also requested Congress to raise
federal minimum wage to nine dollars
an hour. “No one who works full time
should live in poverty,” Obama said;
“Let’s tie the minimum wage to the
cost of living so it finally becomes a
wage you can live on.”
President Obama announced that
by the end of the next year, “Our
war in Afghanistan will be over.” He
plans to help countries to provide for
their own security while taking action
against those terrorists who pose the
greatest threat to America. He also
"Let’s agree right
now... to uphold the
full faith and credit
of the United States
of America:
Everyone Asks, “Will Hillary Run?”
emphasized the need for the deten
tion and prosecution of terrorists to be
transparent and consistent with our
legal system.
Obama raised concern regarding
the threat of cyber-attacks to Ameri- -
ca’s power grid, financial institutions,
and air traffic control. Today, he issued
a new executive order to protect na
tional security against cyber-attacks.
In the face of possible budget cuts.
President Obama insisted, “We will
maintain the best military the world
has ever known.” His plan is to invest
in new capabilities, reduce waste, and
implement equal treatment and ben
efits for all service members. “Women
have proven under fire that they are
ready for combat,” he said.
The President announced a nonpar
tisan commission to improve the vot
ing experience in America. Everyone
has the right to vote, but some cannot
afford to wait seven hours to cast a
ballot. The system, Obama argues,
needs to be improved.
President Obama concluded his
speech by discussing the issue of gun
violence. He demanded “common
sense reform” including background
checks for gun purchasers. “These pro
posals deserve a vote,” he declared; “It
remains the task of us all, as citizens
of the United States, to remain the
authors of the next great chapter of
our story.”
Jessica Feltner, staff writer
Hillary Rodham Clinton has re
cently resigned as Secretary of State.
Her replacement, former Senator John
Kerry, admits that the he has “big
heels to fill.” Many speculate that Clin
ton will seek the Democratic Party’s
nomination in 2016. In the month of
January, Clinton suffered a concussion
which,
result-|
ed in j
blood
clot.
How-
ex-
pectec
to
make
a full recovery. As of right now, she is
enjoying simply being a private citizen
for the first time in over 20 years.
Though Clinton has resigned, the
question still remains - Will she give
the presidency another shot in 2016?
If she does, her chances may not be as
slim as people assume.
Currently, Clinton is ranked the
second most powerful woman in the
world by Forbes magazine, behind
German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
She is also considered to be the most
admired woman in the world, accord
ing to a Gallup poll from December.
Recent polls indicate that Clinton may
be able to take Texas and Kentucky if
she were to run in 2016, showing that
she has the ability to reach demo
graphics that previously eluded Presi
dent Obama. Feeding this theory is the
potential growth of Hispanic votes in
the coming years, which some believe
could eventually turn the state blue.
What’s more, Clinton did much better
than Obama among working-class
whites in the 2008 primaries. Clinton
would benefit from Obama’s progress
in the Midwest, as well as improve on
his shortcomings in southern demo
graphics.
Vice President Joe Biden has also
been rumored to possibly seek nomi
nation in 2016. In a pre-inaugural
CNN interview, Biden mentioned
the possibility, saying, “There are a
lot of reasons why I wouldn’t run. I
don’t have to make that decision for a
while.” Although Biden has had many
achievements during his time as vice
president, including helping negotiate
,the fiscal
liff deal,
linton
emains
e party
avorite.
ther
ossible
iDemocrat-
c candi-
ates, such
s Mary-
and Gov.
eorge
’Malley
nd New
brk Gov.
Mark
Cuomo are waiting for the “will she,
won’t she” speculation on Clinton
to play out, eager to begin collecting
donors for their campaigns. If she
were to seek the Democrat nomination
for 2016, there is little doubt that the
party would choose her.
The recent creation of her new web
site, HillaryClintonOffice.com added
to the growing speculation. However,
Clinton told CNN in an interview on
Januaiy 29 that, although she’s not
entirely sure what her next step is, she
is not planning bn seeking the 2016
nomination. Clarifying, she said, “I’ll
be working on behalf of women and
girls, hopefully writing and speaking,
those are the things that I’m planning
to do right now.” However, in the 60
Minutes interview that Clinton and
Obama shared on January 27, she
addressed the 2016 election, stating,
“The president and I care deeply about
what’s going to happen for our country
in the future. And I don’t think, you
know, either he or I can make predic
tions about what’s going to happen
tomorrow or the next year.” Though
Clinton has said that she has no inten
tion to run, the door is wide open if
she were to change her mind.
HERALD@EMAIL,MEREDITH.EDU
Editor; Amy Hruby — Assistant Editors: Jessica Feltner, Cody Jeffeiy — Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Duncan
Staff Writers: Lizzie Wood, Helen Kenney, Larissa Icard, Marzia Nawrozi, Monique Kreisman, Sarah Haseeb, Shanna Alley, Maitlyn Healey,
Emma Johnson, Abigail Gupton, AJ Thompson
The Meredith Herald is produced by the College throughout the academic year and published by Hinton Press. The paper is funded by the College and through independent advertising. The opinions e.xpressed
in the editorial columns do not necessarily reflect those of the College administration, faculty, or student body. The policy of this paper requires that submissions be made by 5 p.rn. the Thursday before publi
cation and that contributors sign all submissions and provide necessary contact information. The editors and staff welcome submissions meeting the above guidelines.