Yesterday, on the 20th of January, Brarack Obama was officially sworn in to serve the second term as the President of the USA. Watch the live Inaugural Address today, the 21st of January, at 11.00 EST (Washington D.C., USA) / 18.00 EET (Estonia):
Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States in 2009. Four years have passed by now and in 2012 he was re-elected to serve the second term as the President of the U.S. It is now time to summarize what has happened in the USA during the past four years; and glimpse into the future and try to predict the challenges that lie ahead.
As the first African-American president of the USA, Obama has clearly increased the number of minority voters, such as ethnic minorities (for example, the African-American, Asian and Latino). Moreover, nine states have passed laws allowing same-sex marriages, which clearly indicate that the opinions of the minority groups have started to tip the scales decisively in the USA.
People living in the USA seem to be happy. At least the OECD's Better Life Index (the so-called happiness index) indicates that the people in the USA were rather satisfied with their lives in 2012, positioning on the 12th place in the overall comparison with other countries.
The happiness index is largely based on economic indicators, such as people's jobs, income and housing. And, indeed, the unemployment rate has gone down to almost the pre-economic crisis period.
Nevertheless, the USA has been struggling with the public debt of more than $11,500 trillion. The USA was at the edge of fiscal cliff by 2012, and the Congress had to reach an agreement on how to come out of the crisis. Thus, they passed the fiscal cliff deal, which, among other things, increased the income tax from 35% to 39,6% to those who earn more than $400,000 a year.
As opposed to raising the incomes via taxes, some people would like to see the public expenses go down. For example, the war opposers claim that too much money is spent on war-activities outside the U.S. and that the expenses should drastically be cut.
And, more importantly, the number of war casualties keeps increasing every year. In 2012, the number of Afghan war casualties reached 2000. President Obama has promised to wind down the war in Afghanistan, as he did with the war in Iraq, which was officially ended in 2011.
As opposed to raising the incomes via taxes, some people would like to see the public expenses go down. For example, the war opposers claim that too much money is spent on war-activities outside the U.S. and that the expenses should drastically be cut.
And, more importantly, the number of war casualties keeps increasing every year. In 2012, the number of Afghan war casualties reached 2000. President Obama has promised to wind down the war in Afghanistan, as he did with the war in Iraq, which was officially ended in 2011.
Safety and security have been one of the most important issues in the USA during the past years. 26 school shootings have taken place during Obama's office. At the end of 2012, president Obama decided to take action against gun violence.
The following years will see if Obama's proposals to reduce gun violence will be passed in the Congress. The means to overcome the fiscal cliff, reduce the public debt and end war activities will most probably remain to be the key issues in the coming months and years.
Good luck with everything Barack Obama!
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