It’s been two years since President Obama was sworn into office. He’s faced unprecedented challenges, and a constant flow of criticism. But you know what? He’s accomplished quite a bit – he just doesn’t publicize it. So without further ado, here’s a refresher course on the good that Obama has done for us.
Economy
Obama inherited a downright economic mess. During a recession, the federal government can increase government spending and/or lower taxes. So Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a.k.a. the $787 billion fiscal stimulus package, into law in February of 2009 to create or save 3.5 million jobs.
This past August, USA Today published an article in which a variety of economists agree that the fiscal stimulus has created 2.7 million jobs and contributed $460 billion to our GDP. The unemployment rate would have been as high as 11% in August if the stimulus hadn’t been passed, and if neither the stimulus package nor the banks’ financial reform bills were passed, it would have been at 16.5%. So, yeah, I think the stimulus package was a pretty smart idea.
And about our $1.29 trillion fiscal deficit – our nation cannot go bankrupt; the debt can be refinanced and the government can always increase taxes. Check an economics textbook if you don’t believe me.
Health Care
The Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010. The bill is projected to extend health care coverage to an additional 30 million Americans. Two weeks ago, the House voted to repeal the bill. But keep in mind that the bill requires the majority of Americans to carry health insurance, creates a private health care market, ends discrimination against Americans who have pre-existing conditions, and (what is most relevant to us students) parents can keep children on their policy until the children are 26.
Environment
The environment has also benefited from Obama’s presidency; the stimulus package allocated $80 billion to clean energy, automobile and truck efficiency standards were passed in 2009, the Omnibus Public Land and Management Act of 2009 augmented land and water conservation, and a global treaty that was signed by over 140 nations reduces mercury emissions. Obama admittedly took too long to respond to the BP oil spill, but BP needed to be held accountable for its mistakes.
Defense
Obama promised that the US’s combat troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this August, and in that regard, he has kept his promise. According to USA Today, though, 50,000 service-members will remain in Iraq to train Iraqi forces, and Obama is increasing the number of troops U.S. in Afghanistan.
2011 State of the Union Address
Obama’s SOTU eloquently described America’s current situation and what his proposals to help it. I agree that it is time to invest in clean energy, that we need to continue encouraging schools to improve themselves through programs like Race to the Top, and that America needs to improve its infrastructure. Overall, I laud his proposals..
The last time that I checked, Obama is one person, not hundreds of Supermen who can magically solve every issue that this country confronts. We should not blame our current situation on one person; it is the result of years of actions on both our leaders’ and our parts. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and everyone needs to be patient. And if you’re still saying that you could do a better job than Obama is doing, I’d like to see you try.
