The president’s first 100 days (April 27)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
President Obama, like presidents before him, has tried his best to cram a lot of activity and thought-provoking oratory into his first 100 days, and he deserves credit for action and intelligent discourse.
Whether those actions and words will make a difference in the life of the nation is too early to tell.
Obama’s critics are saying he has taken us into socialism, but that isn’t true. That journey started when President Bush, in the waning days of his administration, began the bailouts which have morphed into public financing and public management of huge private enterprises such as Wall Street banks and auto manufacturers. Obama and his administration have merely continued down the path Bush blazed.
Where will it lead? What companies will next find themselves in bed with the federal government?
Don’t be surprised if firms that write medical insurance policies are next on the list. Obama, in step with many other Americans — perhaps even a majority — is determined to make sure every American has medical coverage. That can only be done by federalizing the health insurance business, either by forcing changes in how that business is conducted, or by setting up a competing system supported by the taxpayers, on the order of Medicare.
Obama’s willingness to use the public purse as a rescue vehicle for the economy isn’t all that original, but he can make it original if he knows when to stop.
His willingness to move more troops into Afghanistan enjoys widespread support, but he has to be sure Afghanistan doesn’t turn into a tar baby for him, as it did for the Soviets and the British before them.
And, yes, he got his family a puppy. Bo, the Portuguese water dog, has captured the country’s imagination. As long as Bo doesn’t bite him, Obama’s honeymoon with the American people will last quite a bit longer.
