In the hour-long speech, Obama reaffirmed his support of many issues that have become synonymous with his presidency, including monitoring climate change, immigration reform and stricter gun control laws.

But he didn’t stop there.

The president also introduced numerous new policies he plans to move to the forefront during the next four years.

Of these, three of the most intriguing included raising minimum wage, lowering the amount of debt college students will have to take on and removing troops from Afghanistan.

Although these are policies he has addressed in the past, they reflect the greater amount of attention the president is planning to direct toward young professionals in this country.

The most drastic request the president made to Congress was to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour, and to automatically adjust it with inflation.

This change would be extreme and it is certain to be politically divisive. But it also has the potential to redirect the frightening levels of income inequality existent in this country and make the lives of many young college students much better.

Obama stood firm on his belief that — as the wealthiest nation on earth — living in poverty shouldn’t be a fear that exists to those who work full time. And it’s hard not to agree.

Raising the federal minimum wage would directly increase the earnings — and quality of life — for millions of low-wage workers, including cooks, janitors and aides to the elderly. But it wouldn’t just stop there.

By increasing the federal minimum wage by $1.75, the other goals the president set out in his State of the Union address begin to seem possible — especially for young professionals.

Imagine how much more money high school students could save before coming to college if their first jobs paid $9 an hour. And imagine how much current college students could make if the jobs they had in school paid this amount.

Don’t these all seem like ways to reduce the extent of loans used to pay for school?

Raising the federal minimum wage satisfies the goal Obama has of limiting the amount of debt young individuals take on to afford higher education.

But it also improves the lives of many of the troops he plans to return home from Afghanistan — especially those who choose to go back to school after their time in war.

Obama made it clear during his State of the Union address that he plans to bring back 34,000 troops during the next year. Since a major complaint of soldiers is the difficulty to build a life around the income they receive from the jobs available to them upon returning home, this increase also helps make their suffering limited to their time in war.

Political opposition has been no stranger to Obama throughout his time as president, and these new policies are likely to generate a great deal more. But the good these policies could accomplish is something Congress shouldn’t ignore.

Instead of putting political party before country, hopefully the goals Obama set out in his State of the Union address are considered — and set forth — to limit the economic strain levied on all Americans.