From the date when he was sworn in on January 20 to April 29, US President Barrack Obama has been in power for a milestone of 100 days. Results of an opinion poll jointly carried out by the Washington Post and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) reveal that as many as 69 percent of the American public are satisfied with his job.
There are several bright spots regarding Obama's accomplishments during the past 100 days. First, his efficacy in organizing the cabinet has impressed many. Within a very short time span he has gathered fairly competitive persons from different ethnicities and quickly formed an efficient, capable and experienced administrative team.
Obama won the general election by promoting "change", and after taking office, he immediately embarked on governance reform. The first batch of administrative rules he approved and signed on included orders freezing payments to senior-level White House bureaucrats, new rules on open and transparent running of his administration, and shutting down the "revolving door" between lobbyists and government employees. As a result, lobbyists are no longer permitted to engage in politics and become government officials during the first two years after leaving their posts, and likewise, government officials can only register to be lobbyists after two years have passed since their demission.
With regard to legislation, President Obama moved to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legally binding equal pay for equal work irrespective of sex. That was followed by the Children's Health Insurance Bill which has incorporated 4.1 million children from poor families into the government's healthcare program. Then, Obama acted to lift the restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research, resumed funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), increased efforts to advance the development of renewable and clean energy, and actively participated in the global agenda for controlling climate change.
In fact, the Obama administration's most marked achievement to date is probably the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was approved by the Congress involving a total fiscal spending price tag as high as US$ 787 billion. He also persuaded the Congress to agree to a massive US$ 3.55 trillion budget for the fiscal year of 2010. Obama's economic recovery package is reportedly focusing on three key areas: First, it should develop renewable and clean energy, reducing American dependence on imported oil. Second is huge investment on education. President Obama regards cultivation of young talents as the linchpin for the US to maintain its global competitiveness and its leading position among nations. Third, the US should fix its broken healthcare and social security systems, which feature increasingly expensive costs.
A highlight of Obama's economic stimulus package is his administration's efforts to bail out troubling American banks and ease housing mortgages. The measures are now in the process of implementation. President Obama believes that his bailout plan has achieved initial results: US schools and policing systems have given up their downsizing plans; energy, road and bridge construction industries have restarted to recruit workers; each home owner with a mortgage has received US$2,000 in federal subsidies through tax relief, and house buyers now enjoy historically low mortgage rates. The decline in house prices has slowed. The loans for car purchases, students and small-sized enterprises have started to be freed up. Some banks have also begun to make a profit and asked to return government bailout funds.
In the area of foreign policy, through his European tour and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Asian trip, Obama administration has strengthened relations with allies in Europe and Asia. He has improved relations with close neighbors after the Summit of the Americas. Obama has also made a new start with Russia, initiating a new round of negotiations over the reduction and limitation of offensive strategic weapons with Russia. President Obama made the decision to withdraw troops from Iraq in a responsible and orderly manner, and then announced a "new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan" featuring the combined efforts of civilians and military personnel. With regards to the issue of US relations with Iran, the US announced it will become a "full participant" in talks with Tehran. Finally, in order to improve the battered image of the US, Obama ordered the closure of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and the secret prisons that CIA funded and built outside American borders.
It should be noted that the first 100 days following inauguration, President Obama has made a remarkably good start to his first term. However, in view of the evolving conditions, including a fragile security in Iraq, a bloody war in Afghanistan that has not come to an end, and a possibly prolonged contraction and hardship though economic decline has slowed a little bit lately, Obama administration has a long way to go, and an uphill road to amount.
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