Another closing chapter for America

THIS IS FAREWELL — President Obama presented his fin-
ishing speech in Chicago on Jan. 10. He closed with thankful-
ness, accomplishments and hope. (CNN)

After eight long years in office, President Obama took the stage in Chicago, giving his final goodbye. He left the podium as America was touched by his speech.

He opened his speech with many thankful wishes and all the accomplishments that changed America as he said, “those conversations are what have kept me honest and kept me inspired and kept me going.” He continued explaining, “And every day, I have learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man.”

Obama mentioned his goals of equality involving the economy, race, gender rights, foreign policies and even contributing the constitution. “We, the people, give it power.”

President Obama addition- ally dedicated all those who have supported him along the way, including his wife, Michelle, his daughters, Malia and Sasha, and his staff, including Joe Biden and every American that helped with his goals.

He ended his speech with a final request for America say- ing, “I’m asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change—but in yours.” With his heart-touching speech, President Obama has brought powerful accomplishments to this country. According to CBS News, Obama listed his top ten accomplishments that had the greatest impact on America.

Economy
Businesses added 13.7 mil- lion new jobs over a 70-month streak. Unemployment also fell to 5 percent, showing additional support for a strong economy.

Health care coverage
Despite several opinions on the Affordable Care Act, it de- creased the rate of the uninsured in America, dropping below ten percent. Up to 17.6 million people and counting have gained health insurance coverage.

Climate Change
In the past year, President Obama and several other nations united in France, where they reached a new deal with motivated goals to reduce green- house gas emissions. U.S.-Cuba relations In Aug. 2015, the U.S. re- opened its embassy in Cuba, taking one step closer to stabilizing relations with these countries. Since then, officials are taking additional steps to make Cuba accessible for travel and business. Iran nuclear deal In July 2015, the U.S. and five other countries struck a land- mark nuclear deal with Iran, which persisted and survived a vote in Congress. This deal was beneficial to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Terrorism
While terrorism has been a long stretching issue to destroy, Obama mentioned that the U.S. is leading a global coalition as this country defeats ISIS harder than ever.

Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Trans-Pacific Partner- ship involves the U.S. and 11 other countries to strengthen economic ties between each other, similarly to the EU. This deal was seen as a significant achievement that included environmental protection, workers’ rights and regulatory laws.

Bipartisan budget & education
President Obama chose to highlight two bipartisan legislative achievements with an edu- cation overhaul of No Child Left Behind and a budget deal that avoided the threat of a government shutdown.

Same-Sex Marriage
Love won in the year 2015, when the Supreme Court voted 5-4 giving same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide. Since then, couples have their freedom to love and marry their significant other.

“The American people”
“All of this progress is because of you,” said President Obama, thanking Americans. “Because of teachers and health workers and parents—all of us taking care of each other. Because of our incredible men and women in uniform serving to protect us all. Because, when we’re united as Americans, there’s nothing that we cannot do.”