Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world.

For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country.

The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations.

At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations.

They’re not consumed with personal ambition.

They’re not consumed with personal ambition.

They don’t obsess over their differences.

Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores.

A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.

A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.

A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.

An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known.

My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism.

No challenge is more urgent.

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, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.

Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete.

Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete.

Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete.

We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them.

Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.

And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hardworking Americans holding the bag.

And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hardworking Americans holding the bag.

Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion.

As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse.

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country.

Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it.

Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years.

With the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law, we’re on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule.

Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires.

We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money.

There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders.

At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.

A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance.

Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies — just to make a difference.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college.

States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets.

Higher education can’t be a luxury -– it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Higher education can’t be a luxury -– it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration.

The opponents of action are out of excuses.

We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now.

It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

After all, innovation is what America has always been about.

So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed.

In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries.

I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense.

I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.

I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.

We’ve subsidized oil companies for a century.

So here’s a proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings.

The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure.

Rules to prevent financial fraud or toxic dumping or faulty medical devices — these don’t destroy the free market.

In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.

And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices — those days are over.

That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing.

So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile.

In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions.

You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages.

We don’t begrudge financial success in this country.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

Who benefited from that fiasco?

Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow.

Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa — an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.

That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy, so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy, so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common-sense ideas.

We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common-sense ideas.

We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common-sense ideas.

We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common-sense ideas.

That’s the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies.

This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana’a to Tripoli.

A year ago, Qaddafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators -– a murderer with American blood on his hands.

And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed, and that human dignity cannot be denied.

And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed, and that human dignity cannot be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain.

And while it’s ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well.

And while it’s ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well.

We will stand against violence and intimidation.

We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one.

Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one.

The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent.

The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent.

But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever.

From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies, to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.

But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs –- and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way.

To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I’ve already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing dangers of cyber-threats.

Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes.