President Obama visits Forsyth Tech; talks education, technology

"What's snow doing on the ground? I remember warmer weather in North Carolina," President Obama said, softly musing as he made his way into the Forsyth Technical Community College West Campus.

Despite the cold weather, the president received a warm welcome from more than 350 students, staff and guests Dec. 6 that came to hear him speak.

President Obama visited Forsyth Tech to commemorate the college's 50th anniversary. Prior to taking the lectern, the president toured the school's biotechnical facilities.

The Commander-in-Chief took time to honor those in attendance, including Gov. Bev Purdue (D- N.C.), Sen. Richard Burr (R- N.C.) and Sen. Kay Hagan (D- N.C.).

Forsyth Tech's golden anniversary was not the only reason for returning to this city. After a two-year stretch, President Obama had much to discuss with Winston-Salem.

He began to talk about the work that needed to be done in Washington, D.C., but insisted that it start with the public.

"In order for us go further…I need you to act as citizens and not partisans," President Obama said.

The president did not cut any slack for lawmakers either, noting "there are bigger issues than politics" at stake. Instead of competing amongst each other, "the competition should be between the other countries around the world."

"America was built to be competitive," President Obama said.

To help America regain its competitiveness on an international scale, President Obama's administration has proposed big investments into the country's advancements in technology. He wants to take 3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product and invest it in research and development. He also wants to propose bigger tax cuts for companies who are willing to take on that task.

President Obama spoke on the state of higher education in America. The president noted that the United States has fallen to ninth place in higher education, which placed first in the world just one generation ago. His mention of America's ranking was a segue into an education proposal called "Race to the Top."

President Obama wants to launch a plan, which includes investments in education and infrastructure, that will give America the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

He alluded to his tour of the campus earlier, stating the "cutting edge" technology in those classrooms is needed for the country to regain its place as an academic powerhouse amongst other nations. President Obama boasted that North Carolina is the third largest employer in biotechnology, adding that these are "investments we need to keep making across America."

The president also addressed the mistakes that were made in the past decade, touching on unemployment, the economy, and the real estate market. He has decided to extend unemployment benefits until next year. This includes those who have been drawing unemployment for more than 26 weeks. Conversely, the administration has also chosen to freeze civilian federal worker pay.

The nation's economy and real estate market has been making a progressive yet quiet turnaround, the president noted. Although things seem to be improving, President Obama commented that there needs to be a change in the way America does business.

"Folks weren't doing a good job with their math the last decade," President Obama said.

Invention and a push for more American made products were also on the president's agenda. He wants to see more products with "[these] three words; made in U.S.A."

President Obama said it was time for the country to "flip the script" by selling more American-made products and buying less from other countries.

President Obama strongly encouraged a return to American ingenuity and invention.

"We're a country full of firsts," President Obama said, recalling the country's benchmarks in space and technology.

"We introduced the world to the Internet."

President Obama concluded with a call for unity and a resurgence of the American spirit.

"We're all Americans, we're in this race together," President Obama said.

"The idea of America is alive and well."