Make sure to read about the other candidates
Admittedly, I supported President Barack Obama long before I understood his policies. Though at the time of his election I was mostly excited by my flashy Obama campaign shirt, I now follow his every speech with great interest. What I used to think of as casual promises I now regard as critical strategies that will frame the nation my generation will soon inherit.
As a junior striving to perform as well as possible in school, Obama’s dedication to improving public education has had a direct effect on my life. The Obama administration has put forward bills to send tens of thousands of teachers back to work and has modernized at least 35,000 schools.
Even though I have always planned to attend a university after graduation, when the president recently spoke to high school students about the importance of college, I listened intently. Not only did he speak of creating a better society through education, he also proposed measures to ease the financial burden of college on students.
In his College Affordability Plan, Obama proposed that federal student aid be easier to obtain, college grants be increased in amount and availability and states be granted $25 million to initiate an early assessment program for high school juniors.
Beginning with the midterm elections, Obama’s ideas have been consistently shot down by the Republican majority in Congress in what appears to be a concerted effort to deprive him of any meaningful political victories before the 2012 elections.
Despite the challenges, the president has still managed to accomplish a great deal. Militarily, Obama has ended combat operations inIraq, repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and relentlessly fought terrorists around the world, even ordering the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. Economically, the Obama administration has overseen the reemployment of approximately four million Americans. If the president is not re-elected, the significant progress he has made in the last three years will go to waste.
It is crucial that Obama be re-elected so that he is able to fully complete his agenda. Many Republicans argue that President Obama has not carried through the plans he promised during his first campaign, but he has not been given the opportunity. Obama deserves another term to continue to set the nation on the right course for growth and prosperity- if only to give me the chance to wear my sparkly campaign shirt for another four years. •
