By Steven H., Teen Portal Staff Writer
When Barack Obama was elected president, it was not only a historic day because it marked the election of America’s first African-American president, but also because the election of a Democrat was seen by many as an end to a disastrous eight years of failed domestic and international policies. A President’s first 100 days is often judged as indicative of his capability as a leader, because President Roosevelt was able to accomplish a massive amount in terms of combating the Great Depression in his first 100 days in office. Although he hasn’t had to face the Depression and the potential outbreak of a World War, Obama has had to deal with some tough issues. Here are some of the problems and Obama’s response, along with how they may effect teens.
The Economy – When Obama took office, the country was (and still is) facing the most significant drop in total economic output since the Depression. To combat this, Obama and the Democratic Congress have passed stimulus packages that are supposed to jump start the economy by adding billions of dollars to American businesses and markets. Unfortunately for teens trying to get summer jobs, this applies mainly to large corporations such as the auto industry, and does little to remedy the teen unemployment rate which has hit record levels.
The Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan – Many people, including teens, feel strongly one way or another about whether or not these two wars should continue, or even whether they should have begun in the first place. Obama has kept his campaign promises to withdraw troops from Iraq, with plans to do so by 2010, and to add troops in Afghanistan.
No Child Left Behind – The Bush era No Child Left Behind Act has been a major source of conflict between teachers and schools because of the standardized testing that it requires. Unfortunately, Obama seems to be in favor of the act and is likely to reaffirm the additional standardized testing in the upcoming year. Better news is that Obama has fulfilled his campaign promise to teens of providing scholarships to those who do community service through the Summer of Service program.
Swine Flu (H1N1 flu) – So far Obama has reacted to the possible pandemic with caution and by attempting to have a calming influence on the American people. Although it would’ve been nice if Obama had closed all public schools just to be careful, sadly the children’s lobby within congress does not yet exist.
Obama’s certainly dealt with a wide variety of serious issues early on in his presidency but he still has a lot to do. In four years we’ll be able to see how well the first 100 days predicted the other 1,340.
