the
dailynebraskan.com
dn 2009
4.9% Lowest in past 4 years
UNEMPLOYMENT
volume 112, issue 100
wednesday, february 13, 2013
10%
8%
6%
4%
2008
Jan. 20, 2009 President Barack Obama is inaugurated as the first black president in U.S. history.
To FINISH
the JOB
10.0% Highest in past 4 years
2011
2012
“The tax increases and the deficit spending you (Obama) propose will hurt middle-class families,” Rubio said. “It will cost them their raises. It will cost them their benefits. It may even cost some of them their jobs.” The GOP prepared responses for both English and Spanish listeners. Addressing the rising cost of college, he mentioned cultivating existing community college programs by increasing the number of students who receive associate degrees while in high school and developing partnerships with businesses. Obama plans on releasing a “College Scorecard” Wednesday, which would provide an additional resource for students and parents to gauge the cost of college. He also called on higher education leaders to keep college costs down. Obama proposed Congress alter the Higher Education Act by reappropriating aid to colleges that are trying to reduce cost. Closing his speech, Obama mentioned the need for action on gun violence. He listed former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Aurora theater shooting, Newtown and Chicago violence as a call to action.
oBAMA ADDRESSES JOBS, guns, war IN STATE OF the UnION
P
resident Barack Obama outlined his secondterm plans to fix the economy and address several other issues during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. At the outset, Obama called on Congress to act on the planned spending cuts on March 1 and asked Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. Obama said Congress should: end loopholes, alter Medicare spending and institute reforms suggested by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Commission to overcome budget and deficit issues plaguing the economy. “None of us will get 100 percent of what we want,” Obama said. He described an economic plan focusing on the middle class as “the North Star that guides our efforts.” He said raising the federal minimum wage would create a “livable wage” and bring more families above the minimum wage. In the Republican response, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Obama’s expansion of government will hinder growth and stunt the middle class.
2010
“Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.”
7.9% Current Rate
2016
“Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.”
2017
“Overwhelming majorities of Americans – Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment – have come together around commonsense reform – like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun.”
“We will ensure equal treatment for all service members and equal benefits for their families — gay and straight.”
2015
for more state of the union see page 3
s t o ry b y d a n i e l w h e at o n a n d r e e c e r i s ta u | g r a p h i c b y g a b r i e l s a n c h e z
2014
“Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.”
2013
Obama is sworn in for a second term.
Jan. 20, 2013
Sept. 21, 2012 American military finishes withdrawal of all troops deployed in Obama’s 2009 surge. June 28, 2012 U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Dec. 18, 2011 Withdrawal of American forces from Iraq is completed. June 22, 2011 Obama announced a significant withdrawal of troops that would end in 2014, when the U.S. would transfer security responsibilities to Afghan authorities.
March 23, 2010 Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Feb. 17, 2009 Obama orders a 30,000-troop surge in Afghanistan.