I could not tell you much about last year’s State of the Union address. In fact, without going back to check the transcripts, the only thing I do remember is his “spilled milk” joke — which besides a few sympathetic congressmen, I was probably one of very few people to actually laugh. What can I say? I love puns and corny jokes. So I was let down this year because it lacked a standout line. In fact, there was nothing too special about it.

A good friend of mine did not watch the annual address. But while I was watching it, he messaged me with the following: “So how is our Union looking? Strong, but still have challenges to face together?” He was being entirely sarcastic. But, he was not wrong. In one sentence, he summed up the entirety of the speech.

Every year the address comes down to the same thing from almost all presidents no matter what party — we need to stand together to make our country as strong as possible.

The thing about the State of the Union address though, is that it is always quite clear that we are a country divided. The congressmen do not even try to hide it — the Republicans prove this when the Democrats stand and they do not when in disagreement. And when there is a Republican president, the exact opposite happens. By one group standing and the other sitting, it sends a clear message of “we don’t want to work together to improve the Union.” Although, if you want to put a positive spin on it, it shows politicians being relatively honest, at least once a year. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due.

But that is just the problem; too often you see them clap along party lines. Is it wrong to stand up against your party and yell a jaunty “hear-hear?” But it’s hard to believe Congress plans on working together when Speaker of the House John Boehner refuses to work one-on-one with the president. But I would be lying if I said the speech did not have a predominately Democratic spin on it with harsher gun laws and education — themes that tend to scream liberal nowadays.

As for the speech itself, I was glad the president spoke about climate change for the second time this year. But I must once again ask: Where was this during the election? It was ignored for so many months; I honestly feared the PR campaigns against global climate change were going to win out. More people in 2008 seemed to believe humans were the main factor in causing a change than the natural environment than just a few months ago. But at least it is back in the political realm. I hope with that, more and more Americans can realize just how much we are at fault with driving gas guzzling cars like Hummers. Yes, people still drive those.

I was also disappointed that as a supporter of same-sex marriage and the LGBT community, he did not mention it once in his State of the Union especially when he had such a great line during his inaugural address on gay marriage (“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to another must be equal as well”). I thought he might have dedicated some portion of his speech to revive the LGBT community in his talks after the let-down that was the Boy Scouts decision, or should I say, lack-there-of. While they are a private organization, the president could have addressed the issue nonetheless.

He did address the costs of a college education, stating that although tax credits and loans have made college more affordable, “taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do.” With that he announced a new “college scorecard” his administration is releasing that allows families to figure out where students can get the most “bang for [their] educational buck.” It’s greatly needed with many high school seniors deciding now where they want to attend school.

Overall, it was a solid speech. Maybe it would have been good if he had one corny joke because it would be nice to see the Supreme Court laugh — or even just smirk. But whatever it is, it will be interesting to see just what happens with the president’s initiatives within the next few years, especially between now and the State of the Union 2014.

Joanna is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].