Thoughts on the State of the Union

Last night the President delivered the State of the Union Address, his last in office. It was an admittedly subdued event with most of the media attention focused on the race for his successor (I was a bit surprised this morning to find that even The Washington Post did not publish the text of the speech).

I do believe, however, that we can take several key intergenerational points from the speech last night. The President discussed the need to increase access to childcare and assistance for military families. I commend the president for his proposal to allow spouses and other family members of veterans the ability to use their unused education vouchers. These families, many of them held together by grandparents, need our support while their loved ones serve abroad.

I also commend the President for challenging both young and old to volunteer and serve in AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps. The President also said we need to prepare our kids to read and succeed in school with improved early childhood development programs. We certainly do – that’s why GU’s Seniors4Kids (http://www.seniors4kids.org) is committed to mobilizing older adults in support of universal, high-quality pre-kindergarten for three- and four-year-olds. Education benefits all. What better legacy can older adults provide than offering top-notch education for children, the leaders of tomorrow?

As attention increasingly turns to the upcoming presidential campaign, I encourage all of you to examine what the candidates’ proposals are to unite generations and find solutions that benefit all.