Friday, March 19, 2010
David Copeland
Sports Editor
During a time of economic instability and uncertainty, it is essential that the people of America support their leader, President Barack Obama. However, people are choosing to rethink their choice of president, and it seems as if they have forgotten how to approve of the actions their president is taking. People should not be so quick to condemn Obama’s actions.
According to a recent Marist University poll, Obama’s approval ratings have dropped to a new low, with 47 percent of voters disapproving of the job that Obama is doing.
In addition, a recent poll says that about half of the people that helped to elect Obama last year would take back their vote. Obama also has the lowest approval rating after one year in office of any president in the last 10 years.
Yet, Obama has made more beneficial contributions than either of these his predecessors with his economic stimulus and healthcare reform.
Obama has attempted to reach across party lines to pass a moderate health care bill. He has also tried to gain the support of Republicans before acting on such a controversial issue.
Obama has also refocused the war in Afghanistan. In 2009, a surge of 30,000 troops was sent to support deployed U.S .forces.
Obama also signed the stimulus bill which put $787 billion back into the economy.
President Obama has expanded scientific research, by directing funds to stem cell research. He also chose to put an end to torture and close Guantanamo Bay. He set aside $15 billion to help alternative energy and transportation.
Last January, when Obama was running for president, the public was quite pleased his policies. In one short year, 83 percent of the population changed its mind.
One of the big issues of the 2008 presidential election was the economy. When Obama was giving his heart-warming speeches about the country’s financial situation and how he planned on fixing it, the majoirty of Americans supported him. Americans wanted the “change” and the “hope” that Obama was promising. However, now that he is in office and trying to actually pass this progressive legislation, people are displeased.
A recent Gallup poll showed that 83 percent of people are worried about the steps that Obama is taking to reform the economy. In January of 2009, many of these same people showed that they were in favor of Obama’s policies when they elected him with the same economic principles.
One of the major differences between the politcal left and the right is the issue of government intervention in everyday life.One of Obama’s main policies involved government aid and regulation of the economy, and his election is proof that two years ago people supported this strategy.
Now, it seems as if everyone is complaining about how the government won’t leave them alone. In the same Gallup poll, the results showed that 69% of people wanted less government intervention in regards to economics. It is amazing how quickly people can change their political views and beliefs.
This issue goes deeper than politics; it stems from man’s nature to criticize. It is much easier to complain about something than it is to compliment it. People seem to never be happy with what they have; it seems that there always needs to be debate about how someone else could do the president’s job better.
This same “grass is greener” mentality applies to presidential politics. Now that Obama is in office, people are not happy with him. People assume that their lives would be better with something different.
Leave a Reply