As a registered Democrat, it has become very easy for me (as well as the majority of the United States population and rest of the world) to join in the banter mocking President George Bush.
There have been books published making fun of the President’s speeches and intelligence. Recently with the presidential campaign for 2004 underway, much of Hollywood has decided to join the rest of the world and ridicule the President in many of their scripts.
The Department of Labor announced today that 308,000 jobs were added last month, greatly increasing the job growth and providing much-needed employment to many American citizens. The Bush administration has faced many hardships resulting from and including the attacks on Sept. 11. Bush and his associates deserve more recognition for the good they have accomplished in a very trying time.
Such economic growth in the area of employment was much needed and helped many Americans find a job. For students attending a state-funded university, we can all appreciate the increase. Many students at the University of Massachusetts will be graduating at the end of the semester, not to mention the students graduating at hundreds of other colleges and universities across the nation. To have more available in terms of employment, specifically employment warranting a college degree, is a step in the right direction.
The Chicago Tribune reported that within one year after the attacks on Sept. 11, an estimated 146,100 jobs were lost just in the aftermath alone in New York City. That is to say nothing of the millions of people laid off in the months to come. Although 308,000 jobs may not be that many in comparison to the amount lost almost four years ago, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
In addition to the recent job increase, the Bush administration has also helped to decrease the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States, and succeeded. On Feb. 20, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis, and public education, released a report announcing the decline of teenage pregnancy and abortion among all racial and ethnic groups and in every state in 2000. The drop in number is attributed to better use of contraception and less, or more cautious, sexual activity, according to the AGI. The decline is an undeniable accomplishment that the Bush administration should be proud of and deserves recognition for.
As Americans, we cannot soon forget the recent capture of Saddam Hussein back in December. After many American soldiers gave their lives for this country while trying to apprehend the Iraqi leader, it is somewhat comforting to know that their deaths were not in vain. It was through the administration’s aggressive, and highly controversial, continuing efforts to capture Hussein, that he was eventually detained by American soldiers and will soon be brought to justice. While their tactics involving foreign affairs in Iraq presented much controversy, Hussein was ultimately captured and, thus, a major threat to America and many other countries was averted.
In life, there are always two sides to everything. President Bush has also backed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, enforced antiterrorism laws, such as the PATRIOT Act, that hinder many rights of citizens, and has taken the American people on a wild-goose chase for weapons of mass destruction.
Hollywood has taken pains to point out all of the President’s seemingly apparent “bad” policies and actions through many television shows currently on the air. For example, on the NBC show, “Whoopi” starring Whoopi Goldberg, a supposed President Bush enters her establishment and asked to use the facilities. In response, while the “President” was in the bathroom, Whoopi’s character said, “I can’t believe he’s in there doing to my bathroom what he’s done to the economy!”
It is obvious that Bush and his administration appeal mostly to conservative Americans. And in this day and age, as liberalism seems to expand, his viewpoints clash more and more with the youth of America.
The administration has accomplished both good and bad in their four-year run so far. That is not to say that the good outweighs the bad or vice versa, but it merely goes to show that you can’t please everyone.
When the presidential election rolls around in November, I will most certainly cast my vote for Kerry. But, that is not without acknowledging the accomplishments of the Bush administration, in addition to its flawed policies.
Allison Edles is a Collegian columnist.
