Editor’s Note: The broadcast of the State of the Union address was viewed via live stream at whitehouse.gov.

President Barack Obama heralded to a “breakthrough year” for America during his State of the Union address Tuesday, specifically in terms of using executive force to work around Congress.

Obama spoke about using his executive orders on a slew of issues during his speech – such as minimum wage and tax code reform.

“In the coming weeks, I will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour – because if you cook our troops’ meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty,” Obama said.

The minimum wage hike is a response to the federal minimum wage being worth 20 percent less than when Ronald Reagan first stepped into office, Obama said.

Retirement and saving for retirement came at the tail end of his portion on minimum wage.

“Today, most workers don’t have a pension. A Social Security check often isn’t enough on its own,” he said. “And while the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesn’t help folks who don’t have 401ks.”

Obama said he would be directing the Treasury to create a new way for Americans to start their own retirement savings, what he calls MyRA.

“It’s a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in,” he said.

Obama also urged Congress to support him and help work toward fixing the tax code through reform.

“If this Congress wants to help, work with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little to nothing for middle-class Americans,” he said. “Offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job, so they can save at work just like everyone in this chamber can.”

Obama also made note of how both Democrats and Republicans argue that the tax code is “riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish business investing here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad.” During his speech, Obama called for a turnaround on the argument, urging Congress to unify.

“Let’s work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here at home,” he said.

He also said he needs Congress to protect more than three million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills during the summer.

“But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible,” Obama added.

Along with raising the minimum wage for workers, Obama also called out the fact that female employees make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

“That is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment,” he said.

Without outlining specifics on how to increase wages for women employees, Obama instead urged everyone to “do away with workplace policies that belong in a ‘Mad Men’ episode.”

“This year, let’s all come together – Congress, the White House and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves,” he said.

Continuing with his theme of executive orders to get by any stalemated Congress, Obama also pledged to connect 99 percent of students to high-speed broadband during the next four years.

He announced that with the support of the FCC and companies like Apple, Microsoft, Sprint and Verizon, he has a down payment to begin fulfilling this pledge in more than 15,000 schools and 20 million students during the next two years – without adding to the deficit.

Obama also went through issues such as soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, going through his last five years of pulling troops out of the conflict.

Along with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama also mentioned Syria, and the chemical weapons and the process of eliminating those weapons.

“We will continue to work with the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve – a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear,” he said.

Obama peppered his speech with his usual vignette of Americans, from schoolteachers to pizza shop owners, using each one to illustrate his points.

Faced with a 42 percent disapproval rating, based on Gallup Polls, Obama stepped into the chambers with a clear message: this could be the year of change for America.

“After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth,” Obama said.

Bob Galuski can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].