Editorial: Can Obama achieve his goals?
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Feb. 13, 2013, Los Angeles Times.
In his first State of the Union address of his second term, President Obama delivered the most forceful defense of liberal values uttered on this occasion by any president since Lyndon Johnson. Obama argued for progress on the environment, common sense on guns, decency on immigration. On those issues, he has the support of the American people.
Yes, there are problems left over from his first four years: high unemployment and slow economic growth. He rightly called on Congress to close the nation’s long-term budget gap by reforming entitlements and simplifying the tax code, rather than making across-the-board reductions that only chip away at the deficit. But it wasn’t clear how he’d get his ideas, many of them recycled from his first term, through a polarized Congress.
President Obama
Many of the proposals Obama laid out — initiatives to promote manufacturing, shore up infrastructure, expand exports, develop clean energy technology, prepare American workers for the demands of today’s job market and fix a broken immigration system — would help build a stronger foundation for economic growth. He added a new wrinkle to several of these proposals, calling for public-private partnerships in construction and education to reduce the cost to taxpayers.
The president also renewed his call to reduce carbon emissions, suggesting that he may spend some political capital on that vital issue. He endorsed sensible steps to deter gun violence, including new protections against sham sales that arm criminals. And he reconfirmed his commitment to ending the U.S. war in Afghanistan next year.
Leaders have to do more than set the right goals; they have to find ways to achieve them. There, Obama’s course is unclear. In the first term, he courted Republican support and was rebuffed. With his inaugural address, he suggested a new approach: rallying the public in support of common values, transcending partisanship. This speech extended that idea, but achieving it won’t be easy.
Obama did make one significant nod to the other side, announcing that he would pursue a free-trade agreement with the European Union. Although his own party may balk, it was a smart and bold move.
The president rightly argues that Washington should re-prioritize, not just cut back. Before him and Congress stand great opportunities to do just that. Pass immigration reform. Pass sensible gun laws. Work to improve the lives of average Americans regardless of which party benefits. Those are ambitions worthy of a great nation.
America once the greatest health system in the world now on the fast track to middle at best.
All the lies the left brought to this argument are now being exposed few Americans seem to know or care.
From what I have read about Obama Care in recent weeks.
Costs are going way up.
Level of care is declining rapidly.
Medical device companies are laying people off.
Thousands of IRS agents have been hired due to the Obama Care enforcement and assessment mandates.
Over 1000 Obama political cronies such as Warren Buffet sought and received wavers. Just like Obama says a level playing field for all. Except for his supporters of course and government employee unions.
The rest of you people as you get older the new medical industry will look at your IRS info to determine what type of coverage you should get.
Yup, just like was warned about. It’s in there.
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Same old pontification, more money spent and no results from the inept one!
Let’s find out where he was on Sept 11, 2012, what is being done about the Fort Hood criminal, where’s the money from the “Shovel Ready Jobs” stimulus??? So, so much BS!
Disgusting that he uses “People Props”
Don’t know where you read about Obamacare–probably a blog. Fact is, no one knows what the costs of Obamacare are. Except for right-wing pundits who keep an eye on their ratings and not on the nation’s best interest.
I just went to http://www.coveredca.com and used the insurance calculator to see what I can expect from the health exchange. Its basically the same as what I pay now with some minor modifications for maximum out of pocket and primary care visits etc.
They are predicting subsidies for folks making less than $92,500.
I suppose the calculator could be accurate plus or minus 10%. But in reading the details I would take the number with a large grain of salt.
Polarazation of the people, divide and conquer. We are all victims of a well planned and executed scenario where the elite wealthy keep the rest of us at odds with each other while they just keep getting more and more for themselves. Wall street KNEW what they were doing with the housing pyramid scheeme and didn’t care. Congress KNOWS they have a different set of rules for themselves and they don’t care. Corporations KNOW they are taking advantage of their workers being down due to the economic crisis and they don’t care. In fact, they are all laughing their butts off all the way to the bank. They look at the middle class (what’s left of it) as “Sheeple” that they can fatten up and then fleece. Keep us divided on “right wing” and “liberal” agendas that they structure and then present to us on the media they control. They back BOTH sides in elections, spend billions to make sure they get the lawmakers and judges in office that will follow their agendas and then tell us WE are the ones that controll our own destiny. Presidents are now just part of the program. Money equals power. It’s all about the money. What’s needed is a complete restructuring of the political system where there are no PAC’s or Super PAC’s, where lobbies are limited in what they can spend to influence politicians and massive rule changes on what financial institutions can do. Economics as if PEOPLE really mattered. In the meantime, question authority. They may not have YOUR best interests in mind.
Ummm, could someone correct me if I’m wrong but don’t we already have:
Some of the toughest environmental laws on the planet?
Some rational and reasonable gun laws that just are not enforced?
Don’t we already have immigration laws that have been deemed fair and reasonable by multiple courts?
Basically everything he wants to do, we already have. If we have it, we don’t enforce it, or is cluttered with bureaucracy and his changes would add more bureaucracy.
How would this be a win?
the fracture is so wide and deep between ideologies only a war, where we are attacked, (God forbid) will unite us. America is through as the global leader, are days are numbered. We don’t build things anymore, we expect others to do for us, in short we are spoiled, selfish, self centered.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country.” JFK
It’s the only way back home.
Healthcare costs have been increasing for decades.
Can you remember when you first had to pitch in with your employer to pay for your healthcare? Though I know some jobs never covered their employees.
What job out there today pays it’s employees medical insurance in full? and their dependents?
It’s not Obamacare, it’s decades of letting the money makers, make the rules, and tricking the peasants (us) into purchasing stock in the market, so we’re all in this together making money, manipulation, plain and simple, as my pocketbook feels lighter ;)
Care, why should an employer pay for healthcare? Why is it rational that of all of the things I need, food, water, transportation…why healthcare?
Care, I would suggest that having healthcare tied to employment is both destructive to the company and causes consumers to make poor choices that actually do drive up healthcare expense…and cause insurance premiums to rise.
John, I agree, it never should have been tied to the employer, it’s a huge burden, and really has no ties to employment. I guess it was originally given as a perk to the benefits package, to lure employees in, but it has since gotten out of control for all.
The Healthcare system now has become a big unwieldy monster, and it doesn’t matter who you are: Employer, employee, self employed, or retiree, our costs have gone through the ceiling, and outcomes compared to dollars spent have decreased.
Our healthcare system needs a drastic overall, or it’s just going to get worse, and become a larger part of GDP, as well as the family budget ;)
John:
You may not be wrong, but we are tied to our past. A single payer system would probably have provided a more cost effective model. We pay more than twice as much of our GDP to health care cost then all of the other industrialized nations and have poorer health to show for it (we rank about 34the in important health metrics).
It was almost impossible to get the system we ended up with (which is close to the Swiss system) because the Republican party was more willing to use the health care issue (see Mitch McConnell’s comments if you do not believe me) to defeat Obama, instead of solving a various serious problem affecting all Americans. Excessive health care cost is the leading cause for bankruptcy in the middle class Americans and it puts us at a serious disadvantage with the rest of the world.
As long as one party is more willing to put their party first instead of solving very challenging and difficult problems, then we are not likely to come up with the best solutions. Lively debate, and eventual compromise is what solves problems. Being intractable solves nothing and usually makes matters worse.
Rick
Just as background, in 1943 there were wage controls because labor costs were spiking. Labor was scarce, costs go up. So a lowly bureaucrat at the IRS wrote a Revenue Ruling that stated that companies could pay health benefits and deduct the cost and employees would not have to count it as income, hence the end run around the wage control. That souless bureaucrat’s ruling ended up in the 1954 tax act and here we are folks. So, if we ever end up in another worldwide shooting war, maybe the current system makes sense.
Darn you guys have been looking at this. This is the first time I have seen the Swiss system mentioned. Yes, we can get there. It is the only system I see that can reduce costs, maintain political support from current insurance providers and maintain the notion of benefits for employees.
Its sort of depressing, no very depressing that Tip O’Neill – Reagan or Clinton – Gingrich were able to get things done and our current leaders are willing to sacrifice the good of the country for political gain. Very very sad.
http://www.coveredca.com California is stepping up. Pretty cool. I am a guinea pig in this because I pay for individual health and I have already been notified that my current insurance carrier is getting all the way out of California on 12-31-2013. I have no choice but to get into the health exchange. I was a supporter of Obamacare. I guess we will see if I was right.