The last eight years have taken a toll on America. Cowboy diplomacy has squandered our moral standing around the globe. Thousands of American lives and billions of dollars have been lost fighting an unnecessary war in Iraq. Our failure to find alternative sources of energy has left our environment in peril and our nation reliant on unsavory nations for oil. The number of Americans without health insurance has increased and now numbers more than 46 million. We face a national debt so large that it has outgrown the debt clock itself. The financial crisis we face has left thousands of Americans struggling to stay in their homes and left even more worried about their jobs.
As a generation, we face tremendous uncertainty as we move towards graduation from college. Our prospects for good jobs with good health care have been dramatically decreased. Financing for the next step of our education will come at a significant cost and may not even be attainable.
In the face of these challenges, we need a new approach. If elected, Barack Obama will bring that new approach.
Obama will bring a fresh approach to the economy that gives relief to a middle class that has been constantly squeezed and creates the jobs we will need in the future. Ninety-five percent of middle class Americans will see a tax cut if Obama is elected president, money that will go right towards to people who need it. He will invest millions of dollars to create jobs and strengthen our nation’s crumbling infrastructure fixing bridges, schools, and improving our roads. An Obama administration will also invest in innovation, funding the core scientific research that was behind the creation of the Internet and that will create the jobs our generation needs, keeping us a leader in the world.
Obama take on the challenge posed by finding new energy and will invest heavily in a green energy, moving us toward energy independence. This investment will create well-paying green jobs that will go a long way towards solving our energy crisis. Our lack of attention to finding alternative fuels has made us dangerously dependent on other nations to power our nation. An Obama administration will set a goal of having 10 percent of our energy coming from renewable sources by the end of a first term. We must also begin reducing the damage that is the result of global warming. Without action, we will see a dramatic damage to our environment, making the air harder to breathe and rising sea levels.
As the richest nation on earth, it is unacceptable to allow 46 million Americans go without healthcare. We can no longer allow children to go without healthcare and force millions of Americans to fight the insurance companies and HMOs for the healthcare they deserve. Obama has a plan that starts by covering children, and makes coverage available and affordable to all Americans. His plan would also work to reduce the dramatically increasing cost of coverage by using preventative care and new technology.
Lastly, Obama will bring an end to cowboy diplomacy, repair the United States standing in the world and fight terrorism where it lives. To defeat terrorism and reduce nuclear proliferation worldwide, we must work with our allies around the world to dismantle global terror networks. We must restore American diplomacy that is consistent with our values and that will win the global war of ideas. The war in Iraq must be responsibly brought to a close and we must work to bring stability to the region. Without these steps and without partners we will not be able to confront the threats of the 21st century.
Barack Obama brings the right approach to these challenges. From his experiences as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago to his work as a senator at the state and national level, he understands the challenges faced by the American people each day. He has consistently shown the right judgment, from opposing the war in Iraq to his reaction to the financial crisis in recent weeks. He has a calm, discipline, and ability to bring different viewpoints together that is needed in the world we face today.
While we will face many challenges in the next four years, the American people deserve a new direction. Electing Barack Obama, will put us on the right path.
-Joshua K. Robin is a senior political science major and political director of the Northeastern University College Democrats.
