Obama is No Hoover (...This is a compliment)
After eight years of mismanagement, misinformation and poor communication
about the state of American crisis, a new chapter in American History began last night.
During his address to Congress and the American people, President Obama clearly articulated a call for economic recovery and responsibility for America, and he did it in a tone that resonated with the American people. Last night, our President demonstrated that he is in tune with the needs of his countrymen. He began with a critical acknowledgment of the depth of our crisis by recognizing how every day Americans are being impacted by the recession. Once he established his understanding of the crisis, and the freeze in the credit markets, he explained how we will inch towards job retention and job creation by investing in ENERGY, HEALTHCARE and EDUCATION.
In the face of this incredible economic downturn, President Obama could have acted as President Herbert Hoover did after the stock market crash in 1929 - doing too little, too late. Initially, Herbert Hoover underestimated the financial crisis and did not take immediate action. He did not act decisively, nor did he provide timely communication to the American people about the impact of the financial downturn. As the crisis deepened and the unemployment rate ballooned out of control, leaving Americans homeless and hungry, Hoover appeared aloof and out of touch with the needs of his constituents. Then, by the time Americans were living in shantytowns with Hoover's namesake ("Hoovervilles"), Hoover initiated some federal spend and volunteer projects that were poorly timed and of inadequate scale to make an impact. President Hoover failed to act quickly and to connect with American people to discuss the humanity of the crisis.
Conversely, President Obama has taken swift and bold action by signing The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, and communicating frankly with the country about the hardship that they are enduring. He recognized that inaction would have meant greater loss and collateral damage for our economy. With the stimulus in place, the President is now positioned to deliver on many of his campaign pledges; 1) tax cuts for 95% of Americans as of April 1st, 2) $2,500 tax cuts a year for college students - for all four years of college, 3) Invest heavily in the Green Energy Economy to create jobs and minimize our reliance on foreign oil, and 4) Raise military pay and veterans benefits. The act will also provide services that are imperative to surviving this economy; extended unemployment insurance, and he has created a fund to provide loans to students and small businesses.
President Obama is also proactively managing the difficult task of transparency around the allocation of federal funds through the historic Recovery Act legislation. He has; 1) Appointed VP Biden to personally oversee the management of the Recovery Act expenditures, 2) warned governors and mayors that they will be held accountable, 3) primed the Inspector General to watch the process like a hawk, and 4) launched Recovery.org.
If President Obama ended his address there, it would have been sufficient to exceed my expectations, but in true Obama style - he did more. Most impressive was the President's call to Congress and the American people to step up their efforts, and to take responsibility for their actions. President Obama asked Congress to send him legislation to; 1) tackle carbon emissions through a cap and trade system, 2) begin the difficult work of comprehensive healthcare reform and 3) to pass the Hatch-Kennedy Act that will expand national service programs like Americorp that empower Americans to volunteer for their country and receive a stipend, or offset college tuition. (After high school, I participated in the Americorp program and benefited greatly from the civic education and the college assistance it afforded me).
It was also incredible to hear President Obama raise the bar for accountability for all Americans, including himself. He has publicly committed (at least twice) to reduce the national deficit by half by the end of his first term! He also pledged to terminate wasteful, no-bid federal contracts, and end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Most poignant, was his challenge to parents - to parent their children (turn-off the t.v., turn-off the video games, and encourage your kids to study), and to students - every high school graduate should pursue post-secondary education.
Please do your part to support the noble and ambitious efforts of our president. If you are a parent, stay connected with your children and push them to work hard. If you are a student, commit to higher-education after high school and take advantage of opportunities to volunteer in your community. And to all Americans, monitor the actions of your Congressmen to ensure an unswerving commitment to President Obama's plan for America.
During his address to Congress and the American people, President Obama clearly articulated a call for economic recovery and responsibility for America, and he did it in a tone that resonated with the American people. Last night, our President demonstrated that he is in tune with the needs of his countrymen. He began with a critical acknowledgment of the depth of our crisis by recognizing how every day Americans are being impacted by the recession. Once he established his understanding of the crisis, and the freeze in the credit markets, he explained how we will inch towards job retention and job creation by investing in ENERGY, HEALTHCARE and EDUCATION.
In the face of this incredible economic downturn, President Obama could have acted as President Herbert Hoover did after the stock market crash in 1929 - doing too little, too late. Initially, Herbert Hoover underestimated the financial crisis and did not take immediate action. He did not act decisively, nor did he provide timely communication to the American people about the impact of the financial downturn. As the crisis deepened and the unemployment rate ballooned out of control, leaving Americans homeless and hungry, Hoover appeared aloof and out of touch with the needs of his constituents. Then, by the time Americans were living in shantytowns with Hoover's namesake ("Hoovervilles"), Hoover initiated some federal spend and volunteer projects that were poorly timed and of inadequate scale to make an impact. President Hoover failed to act quickly and to connect with American people to discuss the humanity of the crisis.
Conversely, President Obama has taken swift and bold action by signing The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, and communicating frankly with the country about the hardship that they are enduring. He recognized that inaction would have meant greater loss and collateral damage for our economy. With the stimulus in place, the President is now positioned to deliver on many of his campaign pledges; 1) tax cuts for 95% of Americans as of April 1st, 2) $2,500 tax cuts a year for college students - for all four years of college, 3) Invest heavily in the Green Energy Economy to create jobs and minimize our reliance on foreign oil, and 4) Raise military pay and veterans benefits. The act will also provide services that are imperative to surviving this economy; extended unemployment insurance, and he has created a fund to provide loans to students and small businesses.
President Obama is also proactively managing the difficult task of transparency around the allocation of federal funds through the historic Recovery Act legislation. He has; 1) Appointed VP Biden to personally oversee the management of the Recovery Act expenditures, 2) warned governors and mayors that they will be held accountable, 3) primed the Inspector General to watch the process like a hawk, and 4) launched Recovery.org.
If President Obama ended his address there, it would have been sufficient to exceed my expectations, but in true Obama style - he did more. Most impressive was the President's call to Congress and the American people to step up their efforts, and to take responsibility for their actions. President Obama asked Congress to send him legislation to; 1) tackle carbon emissions through a cap and trade system, 2) begin the difficult work of comprehensive healthcare reform and 3) to pass the Hatch-Kennedy Act that will expand national service programs like Americorp that empower Americans to volunteer for their country and receive a stipend, or offset college tuition. (After high school, I participated in the Americorp program and benefited greatly from the civic education and the college assistance it afforded me).
It was also incredible to hear President Obama raise the bar for accountability for all Americans, including himself. He has publicly committed (at least twice) to reduce the national deficit by half by the end of his first term! He also pledged to terminate wasteful, no-bid federal contracts, and end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Most poignant, was his challenge to parents - to parent their children (turn-off the t.v., turn-off the video games, and encourage your kids to study), and to students - every high school graduate should pursue post-secondary education.
Please do your part to support the noble and ambitious efforts of our president. If you are a parent, stay connected with your children and push them to work hard. If you are a student, commit to higher-education after high school and take advantage of opportunities to volunteer in your community. And to all Americans, monitor the actions of your Congressmen to ensure an unswerving commitment to President Obama's plan for America.
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