With presidential elections less than a week away, The Kirkwood Call decided to endorse the candidate the staff believes is most qualified to run our country for the next four years. Even though a large portion of the school cannot legally vote, every student has the right to believe one candidate is better for this country than the other. In a 38-14 vote, the staff voted for Barack Obama for the next presidential term.
Four years ago, every U.S. citizen was glued to a TV screen for the exact same reason. There was so much tension in the country, it could have been cut with a knife. Four years ago as the country held its breath, President Barack Obama was officially voted into office. This year, he should be reelected.
Although the majority of The Kirkwood Call is supportive of Obama, there is no denying the past few years have not been perfect. The economy has yet to stabilize and the national debt continues to rise. Republicans and Democrats alike have been skeptical of President Obama’s health care program currently in place, and many believe welfare could be more selective. But the good that has come out of this presidency cannot simply be overlooked.
The president inherited one of the biggest unemployment rates since the Great Depression, and it has not been an easy recovery. According to factcheck.org, when Obama was sworn in Jan. 2009, unemployment rose to 10 percent in his first four months in office, and over 4 million Americans lost their jobs. Since that peak, unemployment has decreased to 7.8 percent. All 4 million jobs that were lost have been regained, plus another 300,000.
We must come to terms with the fact that Obama cannot fix the entire unemployment situation in four years, so there are industries facing major job losses. But more than 4 million people are employed again, and that is a huge step forward for the president and our nation.
Since the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the nation waited for him to follow through on his promise of taking U.S. troops out of Iraq. Without disappointment, the last of the U.S. forces were pulled from Iraq Dec. 2011. The war that raged on for a decade came to an end and plenty of families across America celebrated the return of their loved ones.
While we still have many troops stationed in Afghanistan, the war there is beginning to wind down. As of now, over 33,000 troops have left and more continue to leave, and Obama continues to show his diplomacy skills as a leader.
For over 10 years America has been battling terrorism and doing it’s best to keep this country safe. Ever since the SEAL mission that took place in 2010, our country has one less terrorist threat to worry about: Osama Bin Laden. President Obama made terrorism one of his main priorities throughout his presidency, and now we have less to fear as Americans.
Obama also supports gay marriage, a controversial topic in America. In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts May 2012, Obama officially stated people of the same sex should have the right to marry. Since his presidency began, eight states have legalized same-sex marriage and numerous states continue to debate.
Not only has Obama backed gay marriage, but he has genuinely worked for the rights of homosexuals in the military. Obama pushed and he succeeded for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for the brave soldiers who battle for our safety, because who you love should not matter if you love your country. The president has supported and recognized this issue.
Although this does not change much politically, socially it is a huge milestone. People who are homosexual have been striving for equal rights and recognition for years, and are finally beginning to achieve them. Obama is supporting those rights and therefore should be reelected.
Obama has proven himself over and over as a leader. Multiple times throughout his presidency, he showed he can handle challenges and is here to help and do anything for those who struggle. While there will always be opposition, Obama deserves a second term, if not for what he has done but for what he will do.
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