He could be the most ambitious leader of America. In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Mr. Obama offered a distant promise of a brighter future, a theme deeply rooted in American political mythology.
“If we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then some day years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, 'something worthy to be remembered.' "
He renewed his call for investments in all areas, particularly finding a way to create energy resources that do not rely on foreign sources of oil.
“Let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year,” claiming the budget he will release on Thursday will make a down payment on the goal of “quality, affordable health care for every American.”.
Perhaps what truly outlines his ambitious goals in his term, Mr. Obama pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term, saying his administration had “already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.” including reduced spending on the war in Iraq and higher revenues from letting the Bush administration’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans lapse after 2010. He would also eliminate education programs that did not work, end excessive payments to large agribusinesses and overhaul the military budget “so we’re not paying for cold-war-era weapons systems we don’t use.”
Sparing no specifics, Mr. Obama called for stricter regulatory reforms of the nation’s financial institutions. He also mentioned creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.
“My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited — a trillion-dollar budget deficit, a financial crisis and a costly recession,” Mr. Obama said. “Given these realities, everyone in this chamber, Democrats and Republicans, will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me.”
If he can fulfill his promises, Mr. Obama will surely go down in history as the most ambitious and successful leader.
3 comments:
what do you make of people calling his plans "irresponsible" because "increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt"?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090225/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_gop_reaction
I have watched Jidal's response to Obama's address. Honestly, I think he is full of BS.
He is propagandaing "We Americans can do anything" every few sentences. He also claims that Obama is putting the power in the government instead of giving it to the Americans.
Come on. I think we are way past the stage where tax-cuts to the poor is going to stimulate spending simply because they are broke!! Obama's plans for taxation is actually quite reasonable and would be more effective. For one, he is increasing taxation for the big corporations and taking away their tax reliefs.
Tell me how you are break this stalemate without incurring more debt? It is impossible. The best you can do is revise the system so that it is built more to be more self-efficient and accountable. Only so can you expect the democracy system to not collapse, mass riots to not break out and even the distant possibility that one day America can be free of debt.
Don't listen to all these idiots who are just playing politics. They just know how to make noise but their reasoning and claims are crap.
Well-said. =)
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