Ann Marie Buerkle

Last night, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address to Congress and the American People. In his speech he claimed that “the state of our union is stronger.” While I applaud the President’s words of support for crucial tasks such as improving our economy, helping the middle class, and reducing the deficit, I cannot ignore the fact that his policies have done anything but that. For the past four years there has been a 49.3% increase in the number of Americans on food stamps and there are 3.2 million fewer jobs than there was in 2007. Mr. President, the state of our union is not stronger, but it can be. It can be if we work together to unite America by setting aside the partisanship and divisiveness that was conveyed last night and in this year’s inauguration speech. We can build a stronger America for our children and grandchildren if we unite and work to develop real, bipartisan solutions to grow our economy, get the American people back to work, and create more opportunities for the next generation.