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Update on Domestic Presidential Issues

By Tim Callahan- News Editor

Amidst the current upswing in international activity for the United States, domestic issues tend to be overlooked; however, the importance of these issues must not be downplayed.  Taxes, education, and the economy are all facing major upheaval, as President Obama continues to address each of them. 

While those who opposed Obama's policies celebrated Tax Day by staging "tea parties," the President took the opportunity to outline his most recent tax cut.  During his speech, Obama assured the public that $120 billion in tax cuts will go to 120 million families (which figures to be about $1000 per household).  This substantial tax cut was included in his economic recovery package that was recently passed.  According to Obama, "This tax cut also keeps a fundamental promise: that Americans who work hard should be able to make a decent living."  Thus far, Congress has not made the tax cuts permanent, and they are currently scheduled to last only two years, reports the New York Times.  Obama also has plans to revise the tax code and asked Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, to do so.

Rather than completely scrapping No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the President has chosen to salvage the often maligned law and further attempt to increase educational standards in schools.  The specifics of Obama's plans for the law have yet to released, but there is a great deal of speculation surrounding what those plans might entail.  Critics of the original law are dismayed with Obama’s choice to retain NCLB since they were under the impression that the Democrat would start anew.  Alas, this is not the case.  Where NCLB failed, the President hopes to succeed by injecting more funding into troubled schools and by setting stricter standards for academics.  Arne Duncan, the United States Secretary of Education, will be in charge of many of the revamped law’s finer points.

The precarious state of the economy seems to be an omnipresent issue that pervades nearly every subject.  Obama is preparing to publically release the current status of the country's 19 largest banks.  However, the administration will not use full disclosure in regards to the details of the banks for fear of driving away investors.  The actual status of each bank is determined by a stress test mandated by the government.  Also, President Obama spoke before an audience at Georgetown University to address the worries concerning the economy.  He acknowledged once more that the process of extricating the economy from its current quagmire will not be simple.  "Let's not kid ourselves and suggest that we can solve this problem by trimming a few earmarks or cutting the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts," Obama remarked.  The economy is not likely to spontaneously recover, and people need to get used to that idea.

Although international storylines seem more important in the grander scheme of things, domestic issues are much more likely to affect your everyday life.  Subjects like taxes, education, the economy, etc. crop up on a day to day basis.  Unfortunately, these topics are typically cast aside for more "exotic" stories.  If only people took the time to read and discuss important domestic issues (like Portuguese water dogs), then the general public would have a more educated voice concerning these issues.