OBAMA - What next?

mumhaabu

Following on from my thread about George W. Bush, I wonder what do people think will happen between here and ethe next four years with regards Obama. What changes will he make? What can he do? How will he do it?

I think the things Obama will deliver on or at least attempt to will probably be:

• Universal Healthcare: How he will do this is mind boggling, Will he nationalise the Heathcare system? or just simply sub-vent the existing system? I think to do this they should introduce a new PRSI style tax on every single person but allow the two tier system to exist. Could some Irish legislators also impose a travel ban on the Obama Government for fear they would adopt anything we do here >I'd actually like it to succeed unlike our Irish system!

• Carbon Emissions: I think he will introduce a carbon trading scheme, how it will work is beyond me and I can see new Gas taxes on the horizon especially if Oil continues to drop allowing scope for a new Tax.

• The Economy: It will be hard but is very easily doable, he should cut taxes on those affected worse and introduce some sort of Mortgage or Rent Relief. The National debt is now over $10trillion and will need to be cleared asap. Military spending will have to be cut and the Democrats are the ones to do it, America spends around $.5 trillion a year on the Military this must be halved and more conservative financial policies introduced. Drill Baby Drill will also have to come and America needs to end it's dependence on Foreign Oil. Expect the Obama factor to cozy up to African nations in return for Oil they will receive foreign aid and access to the US market. There a multitude of remedies I could suggest ranging from the green left to Neo Conservatism.

• Social Policy: This election is a major social upheaval in America and if anything it defeats Racism while igniting it. The mass claim from Blacks that Whites are Racist really doesn't have too much credibility anymore since they elected a Black/Mixed Race man to the white house. However it is now black on white racism which will emerge and like it or lump it blacks are just as racist as whites. Black People have it all to lose now while White America looks on with intrigue. America internationally will shed its racist image though it still exists in the south the Red-Blue Divide is a hangover from the Civil War just like our Fine Gael - Fianna Fail divide. Other Issues such as Gay rights and Abortion will remain as is for fear of upsetting the conservatives within the Democratic Party. Southern Baptist Blacks are more conservative than any any NRA Gun toting Republican yet vote Democrat.

• Iraq: Will Obama pull out? I don't think so however he will draw down the troops to less than 30 or 40k and spending savings will be pumped into the Economy. Expect Iran and North Korea to be bought out which will later bite the US in the ass. Military cuts will bite hard, expect strong attempts to sweet talk Europe and the UN into shouldering the burden although billions will be pumped into Iraq.

• Northern Ireland: Barack has already implemented a team on Northern Ireland so things are looking good, expect it to be used as a model of what can be achieved - alot of praise will be heaped on the Clinton’s too.

• Immigration: The mass legalisation of Immigrants will happen and expect around 12 to 15 million new US citizens over the next 4 years. I can see Immigration laws relaxed and this will be of advantage to Ireland considering our situation. Expect new visa Regulations admitting the new states in Eastern Europe into the Visa Waiver Programme.

• Scientific Research/Moral Ethics: I think we will see Stem Cell Research and I support this as I personally suffer from a disease which it may give me hope of a cure for. I am against Abortion as I think it is absolutely terrible and hope that through better sex education and availability of contraception that the need for it becomes less. Abstinence programs are a failure and should only be used to supplement better sex education, as a conservative I believe that this is better because as a Catholic/Christian it is better to sin and use contraception to minimise and stop disease than not use it and sign a death sentence for yourself and others which I believe to be a bigger sin. Liberal social attitudes will probably see the decisions on gay marriage and legalisation of cannabis given out to the states and similarly with Prostitution (which is legal in parts of Nevada) a bill on this was defeated in San Francisco, I support this as it allows great protection for the women involved who are the real victims of it, also it gathers taxes from an otherwise black economy. Gay Marriage I am opposed to as I believe Marriage is exclusively for men and women, Gay people could be given civil partnerships allowing similar rights to Heterosexual's in relationships but Marriage and Adoption is a step too far imo, especially in a Male - Male relationship adoption might succeed better amongst lesbians however given the natural caring instinct of females.

Your opinions and thoughts?

Black Swan

mumhaabu wrote: »

Universal Healthcare

Although needed by 47 million US citizens that are currently without health care insurance, universal health care will not happen during the next 4 years in the US. The AMA lobby, and other powerful private sector for-profit lobbies with interests in keeping the expensive, highly profitable, and exclusionary medical system alive will influence Congress in such a way as to block any bills that might lead to universal health care. Obama is not a god, but rather a president that can encourage health care legislative reform by the US Congress and states, and can only sign or veto bills passed by the Congress as president. Having said this, I believe he will propose legislation that may or may not be adopted by Congress that would make health care insurance coverage more affordable to those 47 million currently uninsured. Will he succeed, only time will tell?

mumhaabu wrote: »

The Economy: It will be hard but is very easily doable

Huh? Are you contradicting yourself? There will be nothing "very easily doable" in this "hard" to solve economic mess left by the Bush Administration. It will require difficult decisions by the brightest minds available, and years to begin digging the US economy out of the mess it's in (and 4 years will not be enough). For example, when the Clinton Administration left office in January 2001, according the US Treasury, the federal deficit was approximately $5.6 trillion dollars. After 8 years of the Bush Administration, the federal deficit will more than likely double, in October 2008 it already had reached $10.6 trillion dollars (and Bush will still be in office until 20 January continuing to build his federal deficit legacy). For comparison purposes, during the 8 years of the Clinton Administration, only $1 trillion dollars in debt was added.

mumhaabu wrote: »

Social Policy: This election is a major social upheaval in America and if anything it defeats Racism while igniting it.

Huh? Yet another contradiction? Defeats and ignites? This sounds like one of the Sarah Palin points she made while campaigning, with a little old lady in a small Pennsylvania town saying she (on the mic given to her) was "afraid of Obama" and the consequences if he were elected. For comparison purposes, why don't you go back and read Martin Luther King's speech about "I had a dream." His dream was peaceful, when the whole nation would someday overcome bigotry and embrace each other as a nation with common purpose. Bigotry is not over in the US, but Obama is a beginning on a long journey that's worth pursuing.

amacachi

Yup, he should cut taxes while he spends spends spends :rolleyes:

Jesus Wept

Perhaps someone should explain to Americans that the universe extends beyond America.

Black Swan

The-Rigger wrote: »

Perhaps someone should explain to Americans that the universe extends beyond America.

Hi Rig! Talking about a blast from the past!:D

Oh... back on topic. Indeed, Americans need to learn (someday) that they are not an island unto themselves, and that their huge economic failures impact on all of us.

Overheal

Maybe he was only after the bling after all?
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/207897
My those South Park guys work fast.

Hobbes

The Iraq comment. US will be out of Iraq by 2011. Obama and Iraq government have both said this should happen.

wildsaffy

The Economy: It will be hard but is very easily doable, he should cut taxes on those affected worse and introduce some sort of Mortgage or Rent Relief. The National debt is now over $10trillion and will need to be cleared asap. Military spending will have to be cut and the Democrats are the ones to do it, America spends around $.5 trillion a year on the Military this must be halved and more conservative financial policies introduced. Drill Baby Drill will also have to come and America needs to end it's dependence on Foreign Oil. Expect the Obama factor to cozy up to African nations in return for Oil they will receive foreign aid and access to the US market. There a multitude of remedies I could suggest ranging from the green left to Neo Conservatism.

Hey mumhaabu - I like the way you have laid out your thoughts like this.

In reply to the above re the economy - I see (and I may be wrong) - the reason why the USA and the world is in a financial crises is because:

The Iraq war has driven everyone deeply into debt. America has borrowed $700 to $800 billion to finance that war, mainly from foreign companies, which has flooded the markets with investments — like subprime mortgages. Then asking for a tax cut in the midst of a war made things worse.

Now - between the rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, AIG, Bear Stearns, and the new bailout package, the accumulated exposure added to the national debt over the last several weeks equals the entire debt that the US has accumulated in its entire history.

The war has also raised oil prices by at least $5-$35 per barrel.

So – Obama will have a challenge. This was leaves him with the larges budget deficit in history.

So – whatever he does – can’t be worse -- and won't be "easily doable" than any of the mess we have seen building up over the last few years. And hopefully he will listen to advice – not like bush – from his own economists and those of us sitting over here ticked off because our own finances are affected by gung ho politics.

BenjAii

I have a feeling Guantamano Bay will be closed, and he will reverse Bush's policy of OKing the torture of prisoners. Giving the official green light to torture has been one of the most reprehensible lows of the outgoing administration.

Healthcare is a huge, and Clinton tried and failed before him. Considering the US spends an unbelievable twice as much of its GDP as European countries, 50 million have no access to it and they are less healthy than us, their healthcare is a stunning case of failure.

God knows what he can do, but I suspect there would be public support for radical meeting the industry head on if he can convince people he has a solution that is worth it.

When a market gets that full of cronyism, cartellism and inefficiency it has to be dealt with head on.