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Declaring victory over vicious recession, US President Barack Obama today said the shadow of crisis has passed and the world's largest economy has turned the page on years of costly wars as he pledged economic policies to help the middle class and target the wealthy.
He also vowed to relentlessly hunt down terrorists from Pakistan to the streets of Paris and called on Congress to approve new war powers against Islamic State militants.
"Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis," Obama said in his prime-time State of the Union Address.
"With a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production - we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth...we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years," he said.
"The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong," he said, adding its now up to Americans to choose what they we want to be over the next fifteen years.
"We are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world," he said.
"We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we've done relentlessly since I took office to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to us and our allies. Instead of sending large ground forces overseas, we're partnering with nations from South Asia to North Africa to deny safe haven to terrorists who threaten America," he added.
In view of the recent hacking into the network of Sony Pictures, Obama said, "No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids."
Obama also argued that new policy proposals - which include an ambitious plan to raise taxes on wealthy Americans and financial institutions to pay for progressive priorities - favour the middle class, and that "middle-class economics works."
"And these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don't get in the way," he said and threatened to veto any legislation that would challenge his key decisions.
"We can't slow down businesses or put our economy at risk with government shutdowns or fiscal showdowns. We can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unravelling the new rules on Wall Street, or re-fighting past battles on immigration when we've got a system to fix. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, it will earn my veto," he warned.
The president called for tax reform that eliminates corporate-friendly loopholes, highlighted his earlier proposal for free community college.
"As Americans, we don't mind paying our fair share of taxes, as long as everybody else does, too. But for far too long, lobbyists have rigged the tax code with loopholes that let some corporations pay nothing while others pay full freight.
"This year, we have an opportunity to change that. Let's close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest in America. Let's use those savings to rebuild our infrastructure and make it more attractive for companies to bring jobs home," Obama said.
"We need a tax code that truly helps working Americans trying to get a leg up in the new economy, and we can achieve that together," said the US President.
