Written By: Dylan Howdyshell, Reporter
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America, the first African-American to do so. As the Democratic Party candidate, Obama rose through the political ranks on a platform of change: change in government, change in people, and change for the United States of America.
For many people, the presidency of George W. Bush left a sour taste that they were glad to be rid of. For eight years conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, several national disasters, and financial troubles strained the resolve of even the most patriotic Americans. We needed change, and Barack Obama was offering just that.
November of 2008 came and went, and Obama was elected as the next president of the U.S. Throughout his campaign, Obama emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence and providing universal health care.
As I stood on the National Mall among a crowd of about 2 million people, I was confined to less than a square foot of space. It was like standing in a small closet, full of big fur coats, if you can imagine that. And it was only about 15 degrees out —colder if you calculated the wind chill. There were hundreds of port-o-johns, and rows of dumpsters, many of which sported several people who had climbed on top of them for a better view — people who were floating on them, clinging really, to keep from drowning in a human sea. People were climbing in trees and standing around and on top of park benches, just to get a better look at the Jumbo-Trons. These people probably didn’t even see Obama, only his visage in the giant telescreens. Yet we were there, myself included, in a huddled mass, celebrating our new president.
Since then, a year has passed, and Obama has just recently given his second State of the Union Address, naming jobs creation as his most pertinent goal for the year. Today, as I write this, he has been in office one year and twenty seven days. Some of his endeavors have been relatively successful, thus far, but others have given him trouble.
Obama inherited the financial troubles of a nation deep in debt. With Wall Street showing negative trends, and the economy in a deep recession after the stock market crash in September of 2008, Obama made restructuring America’s finances a priority.
The housing crisis became a major issue, as thousands of families lost their homes to foreclosure. To help families keep their homes, Obama proposed TARP funding, which seized at-risk mortgages from banks to prevent further debt from being incurred. This in turn, helped banks to keep from failing. Nearly $700 billion in bailout funds were distributed to banks for just such purposes, and to date, nearly all the funds have been repaid. According to TIME magazine, “his concrete and symbolic steps have restored order and created a foundation for growth,” (November 3, 2009)
Last October, Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for “efforts at dialogue to solve complex global problems, including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons,” according to CNN. In December of 2009, Barack attended COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference to negotiate a treaty for countries to set specific goals for carbon emission reductions for 2020. Obama continuously expresses concern for many humanitarian causes—more recently the disastrous earthquakes in Haiti. He urges all Americans to do what they can to help out, and his wife has even stepped in to help out, appearing in commercials for Haiti Relief.
Healthcare has also become one of Obama’s primary concerns. Future changes in America’s health care system could change the way all of us live and receive health related services. Even students like us should be concerned about changes in things like Social Security, Medicare, etc. These programs focus on older individuals who are of retiring age, and younger individuals who are uninsured, as are many people who “age out” of their parents’ healthcare plans. Considering that fact, I would encourage all readers to heed such politicking and to vote, when able, for individuals who will provide steadfast systems of government and populace care, so as to better preserve our democratic way of life.
At any rate, Obama has successfully passed through the House of Representatives a bill for reforming America’s health care system, updating it to adapt and apply to modern issues. Obama’s health plan focuses largely on reforming the Health Insurance industry to reduce ill practices of coverage discrimination and lack of coverage for individuals altogether.
All these things and more have made Barack Obama’s first year in presidency one to remember. His apparent concern for the people of America and their well being convince me that he will do great things for our country. After only one year, no one can tell for certain whether or not he will follow through with his grandiose plans, but if put to work and found effective, they could usher in a new age of American greatness.
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