President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, paying due attention to education and making many suggestions for dealing with the problems at hand.

Of course, all of his recommendations are contingent on Congress’ ending the gridlock they’ve been in for so long that has kept them from addressing key issues. This is a problem that affects all of us, and the trend needs to change.

One of the biggest problems with our education system, as many of you are aware, is the cost of a college degree. The president proposed several acts that would make education more affordable for all of us.

Obama suggested, of course, increasing student aid in order to help people make it through college. He did recognize, however, that it would be foolish to think the government could continuously subsidize tuition that just keeps going higher.

To address this problem, Obama requested two things: that the states make higher education a higher priority in the state budget, and that schools keep their costs down. If they aren’t able to, Obama promised that any school that can’t keep tuition down will get less money from taxpayers.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury–it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford,” Obama said.

Another undeniable problem that Obama addressed is the issue of citizenship for so many students. He called for immediate immigration reform that would allow people who are educated here to legally live and work here.

He said that, even if Congress couldn’t come up with a cohesive plan, they should at least “agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses and defend this country.”

He went on to say that if Congress sends him a law that will help these people earn their citizenship, he will sign it right away.

This leads to the inevitable question: Will Congress follow through with anything Obama asked of them? Cooperation has not been Congress’ strong suit recently, especially when it comes to things the President asks them to do.

It can be argued that legislation is being blocked simply to spite the president or prevent him from making major changes before the 2012 elections. This, of course, is childish and counterproductive.

Obama addressed this in the very beginning of his speech after he talked about the withdrawal of the final troops from Iraq and recognized the great things our armed forces have accomplished since the beginning of the war.

He discussed the breaking of al Quaeda, for which our troops are responsible. Obama called these accomplishments “a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s armed forces.”

The president encouraged Congress to take note of this. “Imagine

what we could accomplish if we followed their example,” Obama said.

It leads one to think, “Why can’t we?”

This is an issue bigger than a recessed economy, bigger than tax increases and bigger than health care. If Congress can’t learn to get along, the economy won’t recover, employment won’t go up, and no advances will be made toward a better tomorrow.

The president laid out a plan to make America the country it once was, from offering tax breaks to American companies that don’t outsource, to proposing the education reforms mentioned above.

His recommendations are reasonable and would certainly help improve the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Congress just has to act.

The time is now. Congress has spent countless hours in session without voting on the major issues. The Obama administration has been criticized for not taking action against our nation’s greatest problems, but the president can’t accomplish anything without the House and Senate.

It’s time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and work toward a common goal: creating a better America.