Introduction
President Barack Obama was elected so that he could help improve the living standards of American citizens. When he was elected into office, Americans had hoped that the economic situation would improve and get better services from public institutions. The efforts by Obama to deliver this promise has been dealt a big blow due to the problems he is encountering and which he has to fix to continue with his bid to fulfill his promises to Americans.
For instance, Obama is expected to solve the security issues facing the country. His idea of removing troops from Afghanistan before the war against terrorism is won has attracted a lot of criticism, with observers saying that this will threaten America’s security. Obama should fix this problem in order to assure all Americans their security. Also, there have been issues of gun control rules that have initiated a heated debate among various leaders.
The idea of citizens holding guns is seen as a threat to security since they are likely to use the riffles for the wrong purposes. The debate got heated following a schoolhouse shooting that occurred in Connecticut. The President is, therefore, expected to fix the gun control problem to enhance national security. Finally, the use of contraceptive pills is another issue that the President needs to address. Obama needs to address this issue and clear the question of the age bracket of women who should get pills. This essay will discuss the three problems differently and the reasons why the problems should be fixed.
“Obama’s Wars”
America as a nation has been involved in wars with other nations for quite a number of years, currently and in the past. Despite the fact that Obama was elected so that he can bring reforms to the nation and improve on the prevailing economic conditions to make life better for Americans, he cannot ignore the fact that the nation is at war with other countries. Obama has been opposed to the wars that the country has been involved in against Iran and Afghanistan. In fact, the issue of the Iran War was a central issue in his 2008 campaign. It followed that upon his election to office for his first time, the first thing he did was to remove the American troops from Iran.
Obama has gone ahead to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan. Islamic terrorists are known to be a big threat to American security. This was evident in the famous September 11 attacks where the property was destroyed and people died in the attacks. This was an eye-opener that there are active terrorist threats staged by Islamic terrorists targeting the US. According to Woodward, the Islamists are a great threat to American security, with “serious and active Islamist terrorist threats posed to America’s national security, the majority of them based in the lawless tribal territories between Afghanistan and Pakistan” (para 9).
The issue of national security is important to every American. Insecurity is known to affect the national economy and the lives of many citizens. It is very difficult for a nation that has no security to prosper in any field. In fact, insecurity is likely to even affect the education system. Therefore, by Obama fixing this problem, I will be able to complete my education smoothly. In addition, the quality of life increases when the economic situation is not affected by insecurity. This will be of great advantage to me since I will be able to focus on other things in life that will help me achieve my goals. Security will go a long way in encouraging investors into the country.
It is common that in a country where there is no security or there is no guarantee of security, people and companies fear to invest since they are likely to incur losses in case of any act of insecurity. With the Americans fearing attacks by terrorists following Obama’s withdrawal of American troops from Iran and Afghanistan, there is a possibility that many people will fear to invest in America, especially with the memories of the September 11 attacks still in their minds. The idea by President Obama to withdraw troops is seen by Americans as a failure and a threat to national security. Obama should, therefore, fix this problem soonest possible.
“The White House wants pastors to promote gun control”
It is legal for people to own guns in the United States of America. The move is meant for individuals’ own security purposes. Despite the fact that holding firearms has been of help to the Americans in that they are able to maintain their own security, the same has been associated with a number of negative incidences. For instance, cases of homicide have been associated with citizens owning guns. Robberies and kidnappings have also been partially facilitated by the laws that allow people to own guns.
It is important to note that not all people who own guns commit crimes with guns. As a result, there is a check system known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that was formed to help in regulating gun sales to people who are likely to misuse them. These are people who are prohibited by the law from purchasing guns or people who are deemed to have mental problems. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act helps in providing data to the courts on people who have mental health problems and who are not supposed to own guns.
The gun control policy proposed by the President requires that background checks be conducted before guns are sold to anyone. This proposal did not pass in the US Senate. This has initiated a lot of debate over gun control. It has even promoted the US Vice President to call religious leaders to request them to use their influence to help the gun control measures proposed by the President pass. According to Baldwin, “Vice President Joe Biden wants pastors, rabbis, and nuns to tell their flocks that enacting gun control is the moral thing to do” (para 2).
After the efforts to implement the gun control measure failed to pass through the Senate, the White House has now turned its focus on religious leaders and wants them to help preach the importance of gun control to the people. The clergy is known to have massive influence among Americans. Therefore, the Vice President believes that they can help in the implementation of this policy by convincing citizens that gun control is moral and should be embraced. When Obama proposed the gun control measures, pastors did not support it at first. According to Baldwin (para 11), the silence by pastors and religious leaders was deafening. Given their influence, Obama should first win their support as part of solving the problems associated with firearms.
Bearing in mind the insecurity associated with guns, Obama should fix the problem by ensuring that the gun control measures have been successfully implemented. This will reduce cases of homicides and robberies. The recent case of schoolhouse shooting that led to the White House stepping up efforts to implement the regulations is an indication that failure to implement the measures might also be a threat to students. Being a college student, I believe that if the President fixes this problem I will be assured of security since cases similar to the one in Connecticut would not happen or would reduce significantly. Cases of homicides would also reduce, as well as kidnappings and robberies.
“Jude Refuse to Drop his Order Allowing Morning-after Pill for all ages”
The Obama administration has been under test again after women rights activists and the courts of law led by Judge Edward R. Korman of the United States District Court opposed the move by the government to prevent the sale of the morning after pill to women and girls of all ages. The pill prevents pregnancy, thereby reducing cases of abortion. However, President Barack Obama believes that the pills should not be sold over the counter.
He also believes that the pills should not be availed to young girls, citing increased cases of sexual immorality among young girls. According to Judge Korman, the move by the government to block the sale of pills to women of all ages is more political rather than scientific. There is no scientific evidence supporting the move by the government to prevent young girls from accessing the pills. The government argued that “women might be confused about the drug’s availability if it was made available to everyone without a prescription and then later restricted because the government won its appeal” (Shear para 17). Judge Korman was against the argument by the government, terming it an insult to women’s integrity.
This is a problem that the Obama administration needs to fix as fast as possible since it has the ability to affect the development of government projects by taking the attention of leaders. If young girls are allowed access to the pills, there is a possibility that the demand for these pills will be too high and will create uncertainty to women on whether they will get the pills or not. This is an issue that is likely to affect the productivity of women and the national economy in the long run.
Blocking access to morning-after pills to young girls is also likely to increase cases of abortion, an issue that poses more threat to their health. Sale of pills over the counter might result in young girls being sold pills without prescription, an issue that might also affect their health. Bad health to citizens will have an effect on the economy since the government will be forced to spend a lot of resources on health issues. This is likely to affect the lives of many citizens. If the President fixes this problem, it will help me in that I will not be affected by the economic effects that may result from the government spending a lot of resources on health issues.
Works Cited
Baldwin, Chuck. “White House Wants Posters To Promote Gun Control.” NewsWithViews.com, 2013. Web.
Shear, Michael, D. “Judge Refuses to Drop His Order Allowing Morning-After Pill for All Ages.” The New York Times. 2013. Web.
Woodward, Bob. “Obama’s Wars by Bob Woodward: Review.” The Telegraph. 2013. Web.