Between incessant waves of applause breaks and standing ovations, President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union address Tuesday night. Boasting about economic growth and military prowess, the president made several misleading statements while failing to disclose numerous politically inconvenient facts.
"Let me start with the economy and a basic fact," Obama stated on Tuesday. "The United States of America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in the world."
Compared to China's recent economic instability and Russia's rampant military spending, the U.S. economy appears slightly more stable while continuing to recover from the 2008 financial crisis. But according to the U.S. National Debt Clock, the U.S. National Debt currently stands at more than $18.8 trillion with federal spending continuing to rise.
"It's not too much of a stretch to say some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job in the same place with a health and a retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this chamber," Obama momentarily paused as arrogant laughter and adulation filled the room. "For everyone else, especially folks in their 40s and 50s, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher."
While briefly addressing wealth inequality and the necessity of immediate campaign finance reform, the president also called for strengthening Social Security and Medicare programs. Praising Vice President Joe Biden for his work with cancer research, Obama suggested leading a path toward obtaining a cure for cancer.
Comment: The reasons given to the public are probably not the real reasons they are closing up shop. For more on Qatar's Al-Jazeera network, see: