Ahh... College

   It is a frigid morning here in Cedar Falls. I am fortunate enough to not have set foot outside yet, and do not need to until this afternoon. Instead, my morning has been filled with homework, oatmeal, and cleaning up after my mess.
    Last night I received an email from the professor of the only class I have on Thursdays letting me know we did not have class today. That was by far one of the best emails I have received in my life. However, I knew I still had to get up and do homework today. So I got up, made some oatmeal, cleaned up after that mess, and began my homework. Mid-way through my homework I decided I need to take a break, so for the last half hour I have been on Facebook and Twitter. Being the productive person I am, I switched to creating this blog post! Also, notice the nifty little Spotify play button over there ---------------->---------------->------------------>------------------->--------------------->-------------------> I'm going to try to change the song every week, so stay tuned for some quality songs! Well, time to get back to actual work, nice talking with you! Have a wonderful day!

Mr. Obama, time to change your address.

   As president of the United States, Obama has eight main jobs to fulfill. To begin analyzing the job he has done over the last three years, we will start where Obama is doing a good job.

   When President Obama took office, he first signed into law a bill which gave women more rights in wage discrimination disputes. The bill removed the requirement that a grievance must be filled within 180 days of a woman receiving lower wages than a male coworker doing the same job. With this act, President Obama showed his power and fulfilled his duty as chief executive. As chief of state, Obama has the duty to be the ceremonial leader of the United States. Acting as chief of state, President Obama hosted a diner for British Prime Minister David Cameron. Although there was some debate over whether it was officially a state diner, because the President was acting as chief of state, I will qualify it as such. In one more area, the President gets my approval, chief citizen. As chief citizen, the President is to act in a manor that embodies American ideals. He demonstrated this by filling out a NCAA men’s basketball bracket for March Madness. Although he did not pick the winner, he showed America he is also a citizen who is not solely concerned with government matters, but has time to have fun as well.

   Although these three parts of his job have been done well, there are still five roles I have not yet mentioned. As chief manager of the economy Obama is trusted to implement policies to help America grow and prosper economically. To assess the President's job on the economy I turned to someone who has a firm handle on how our economy is doing, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue. Mr. Donohue called the President's new health-care and financial over hall laws "overreaches that were hurting the economy." Donohue also criticized tax increases recently proposed by the White House. In the end Mr. Donohue gave President Obama a C+ on his handling of the economy, a barely passing grade. Who am I to argue the state of our economy with a man whose job is heavily dependent on the United States economy?

   As chief legislator, Obama passed his health-care reform act entitled the Affordable Care Act. However, President Obama's largest policy achievement is in danger of being partially or completely struck down in the U.S. court system. According to the Wall Street Journal, courts across the country have found reason to strike down the individual mandate, while others have found reason to strike down the entire law. 

   As commander in chief Obama is the head of United States armed forces whose commands are to be followed above any other officer. As Commander in chief, Obama made the decision to go forward with a mission to infiltrate Osama Bin Laden's camp where the Navy SEALs killed the man wanted world wide on terrorism charges. This would be a great thing, had Mr. Obama not made this accomplishment seem so reliant upon him. Yes he authorized the mission, but Mr. President, you did not risk your life to fight and kill the terrorist, which would be the SEALs.

   Being president also gives President Obama the duties of chief diplomat, making him the head of all foreign policy. As the leader of the most powerful nations in the world, the president is supposed to convey just that to the rest of the world. The rest of the world does not want to be allies, let alone friends, with a weak nation. Therefore it is important to convey the strength of the nation he is leading. At the beginning of his first term, President Obama made it a priority to visit other countries in an attempt to fill his role of chief diplomat. In doing so, Obama ended up apologizing for America rather than conveying the true strength of this great nation. In fact while speaking in France Obama was quoted as saying America "has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" in regards to U.S. relations with Europe. While in Latin America Obama claimed that America had "failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas." If there is one thing I must disagree with President Obama on, it has become the strength and power of this great nation. The United States of America does not need to put itself down, or apologized for.

   Now, as elections near, the President has one more duty to complete, chef of party. This would put him as the leader of the Democrat Party. This would suggest that in state's primaries he would be the only one to receive votes. This is not true however; in West Virginia a man serving time at a federal correctional facility in Texas received 41 percent of the vote in a primary race against Obama. West Virginia is not the only state to give votes to someone other than the man who is supposed to be the head of their primary. Instances like this happened in other states such as Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Alabama. Why should an entire nation support this man, when even as the supposed head of the party, his own party cannot fully support him?

Citations:

MCAULIFF, M., & BAZINET, K. R. (n.d.). President Obama signs his first bill and gives women more rights in wage discrimination disputes - New York Daily News. Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-01-29/news/17913726_1_lilly-ledbetter-first-lady-michelle-obama-wage-discrimination#ixzz0TIHUJ9Tb

ers., & Dylan. (n.d.). It's a 'state dinner' if the president calls it one - POLITICO.com. Politics, Political News - Election 2012 - POLITICO.com. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/03/its-a-state-dinner-if-the-president-calls-it-one-117332.html

Obama's Bracket For 2012 NCAA Tournament: President Picks UNC To Win March Madness (VIDEO). (n.d.).Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/obama-bracket-2012-ncaa-tournament-north-carolina_n_1344468.html

Paletta, D. (n.d.). Chamber’s Donohue Grades Obama on Economy: C+ - Washington Wire - WSJ. WSJ Blogs - WSJ. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/04/20/chambers-donohue-grades-obama-on-economy-c/

RAGO, J. (n.d.). Obama's Health Care Gamble - WSJ.com. Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204777904576653221457413448.html

AJAMI, F. (n.d.). Fouad Ajami: Can Obama Run on His Foreign-Policy Record? - WSJ.com. Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304050304577376424124490992.html

ROVE, K. (n.d.). The President's Apology Tour - WSJ.com. Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124044156269345357.html

MESSINA, L., & Press, A. (n.d.). The Associated Press: Against Obama, even a jailbird gets some votes.Google. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWQ-cJ-KrSa-U01TruFH5lBTZUQg?docId=eba119f171fb4132a6f875cf8d29a1de