“Tonight the state of our union is strong — and together we will make it stronger,” President George W. Bush declared in the annual State of the Union from Capitol Hill.

The president focused on many controversial topics including terrorism, the economy and education.

“We need to encourage children to take more math and science,” Bush said, “and to make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations.” If we ensure that America’s children succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world.

Bush commented on multiple issues and topics dealing with the economy and presented plans for improvements in the future.

One of the goals that the president proposed to make the United States more competitive was permanent tax relief. “Because America needs more than temporary expansion, we need more than temporary tax relief. I urge the Congress to act responsibly and make the tax cuts permanent,” Bush said.

He stated that to keep the United States competitive, it requires a healthy economy, secure borders, affordable health care and affordable energy.

Bush introduced the Advanced Energy Initiative emphasizing the apparent danger in the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.

He encouraged the use of alternative energy sources and presented the ultimate goal of using those sources, such as solar and ethanol, to replace 75 percent of oil imports by 2025.

“For people everywhere, the United States is a partner for a better life,” Bush said, speaking of the importance of influencing the spread of democracy in the world.

He acknowledged that Iraq and Afghanistan’s freedoms had come at great cost to Americans, but he continued by saying, “Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer, so we will act boldly in freedom’s cause … we seek the end of tyranny in our world.”

Republicans rallied behind the president and Democrats criticized him, but Bush’s call to act was directed at both sides.

“The destination of history is determined by human action, and every great movement of history comes to a point of choosing … And so we move forward, optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause and confident of the victories to come,” Bush concluded.