When presidents enter the White House, they have approximately 100 days to show what they are made of and in the case of our current President-elect, Barack Obama, the stakes have never been higher. 

The notion of the first “100 days” is an artificial creation and has become a benchmark for evaluating the early success of a president. The term is more than symbolic. Some presidents have been able to do a lot with those hundred days.

Beginning January 20, 2009, the next President of the United States will have his hands full leading this country and keeping it safe. Below are the biggest priorities for the 44th Commander-in-Chief.

1) Begin the motions needed to end the war in Iraq and bring home the troops. The war in Iraq is of the biggest concern for the citizens of this country and as a result should be addressed immediately upon taking the oath of office. A plan to withdraw troops and decrease spending in Iraq should be given for Congressional approval within the first 100 days.

2) Bring health care reform legislation to Congress for a vote. This is one of the most discussed and debated topics of the election and thus the new president should address this issue immediately. Being productive on this issue during the first 100 days will not only legitimize what they have been arguing in the campaign, but will instill faith into the public that what has been said over the last year will actually be put into action.

3) Begin to balance the budget. No true budget has existed over that last eight years, and that must change. The President must be willingly to make the tough decisions and spend money in the areas more in need. Pork barrel spending must be eliminated and the President must show that he cannot only balance the budget, but stick to it as well.

4) Repair America’s image abroad. The President needs to immediately begin to heal wounds created by the Bush administration. The President needs to address the world and begin the steps needed to help rebuild Americas reputation.

5) Reestablish open communication with our allies and our enemies, including Iran and Korea. Diplomacy has been lost in the last eight years and must be reinstated. Talking out problems and disagreements does not create bloodshed but peace, and creating positive international relationships will help keep this nation and the world in harmony.

6) Sign the Kyoto Treaty and begin measures to produce alternative energies. This nation needs to decrease its dependency on oil as a whole and joining the Kyoto Protocol will aid this change. The United States needs to take an international stand on climate change, by joining our allies and signing the Kyoto Protocol.

7) Pass legislation that publicly funds elections in order to reduce the influence of lobbyists and powerful organizations. I think this speaks for itself. We must demand that elections are fair, so that the best person can win, not the person with the most money.

Cut taxes for the middle class and poor while increasing taxes for large corporations, the wealthy, and companies that ship jobs overseas. Although this may sound socialistic, it is necessary. Reagan’s trickle down theory does not work and tax cuts need to be taken away from the rich and given to the poor where the money can help those who truly need it.

9) Close Guantanamo Bay and make the records of this prison available to the public. This jail does not represent what America was founded on and should not be used in such a despicable manner. This nation needs to promote adequate care for prisoners of war while publicly opposing torture of prisoners.

10) Establish responsibility, integrity, reliance, and accountability into the executive branch of government. The citizens of this country want to respect and believe in the President’s ability to lead American in the right direction, thus that feeling needs to radiate from the White House until faith in the American government is reinstated.

AROUND the BLOGOSPHERE:

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