Work stuff : 100 days of Barrack Obama as US President's

Dear blogger ;

What is the acheivement for the new US president's at his first 100 work days ?

The report from Reuters :

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Far more than anything else, President Barack Obama's first 100 days have been marked by an ideological shift to traditional Democratic policies in tackling the U.S. recession.

On foreign policy, Obama has pushed for a more accommodating U.S. diplomacy. He has worked to reduce U.S. troops in Iraq and beef up forces in Afghanistan. Ahead lie tests from the Taliban's rise in nuclear-armed Pakistan, and the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran.

Inheriting the worst economic crisis in decades, Obama and many Democrats are advocating big spending increases on healthcare, education and green technology, calling them investments needed to rebuild the economy.

In so doing, he has set the United States on a path toward reversing eight years of the Bush administration's conservative policies.

"Most of all, I want every American to know that each action we take and each policy we pursue is driven by a larger vision of America's future -- a future where sustained economic growth creates good jobs and rising incomes," Obama said in a recent economic speech.

In sum, said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Obama is leading "the most liberal administration we've ever had in terms of what he's trying to do -- with extraordinarily ambitious goals."

How much of his agenda he will be able to navigate through the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress remains an open question, because even some Democrats fret at the costs -- for starters, a record $3.55 trillion budget for fiscal 2010.

"Because of the Bush administration's collapse at the end due to the financial situation, he's got a lot of leeway right now in terms of what he can propose. It remains to be seen what he's going to get out of this," Black said.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama is pleased with his achievements, "understanding that the American people are certainly not going to grade his administration or our efforts to help turn our economy around and make our people safe just by the actions of the first 95 days."

Obama has held opposition Republicans at bay but battles lie ahead. They are still hoping Americans will take a fresh look at his spending plans and determine there is no way he can pay for them all without breaking his pledge not to tax the middle class.

'ACHILLES HEEL'

"His Achilles' heel is the spending and that's what ultimately will catch up with him," said Republican strategist Scott Reed. "We're going to be saddled with trillions of dollars in debt and further tax increases staring at us around the corner."

His decision to open the door to the possibility of criminal prosecutions for Bush-era officials whose legal analyses sanctioned harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects could lead to a Washington fixation on the past and distract from his agenda.

Whatever the case, Obama is enjoying a job approval rating of more than 60 percent and has thrived in the limelight of a 24/7 news cycle.

Here is some from his official website :

Jobs : Just two weeks after his inauguration, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law -- a measure that saves or creates 3.5 million jobs nationwide. The recovery package invests $507 billion in programs that creates jobs, jumpstarts our growth, and transforms our economy. News jobs will be created in industries vital to America’s future, including clean energy, health care, and infrastructure, with over 90% in the private sector.

Tax cuts : President Obama’s economic recovery package includes $282 billion in tax relief, ensuring that 95 percent of workers and their families will receive a tax cut.

The package includes expanded tax credits for college tuition, extends the child tax credit to more families, expands the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families with three or more children, makes sales taxes paid on new cars tax deductible, and increases the first-time home buyer tax credit to $8,000.

The recovery package also spares millions of middle income Americans from paying the alternative minimum tax.

Health Care : One of President Obama’s first acts upon taking office was to extend health coverage to 4 million uninsured children by enacting legislation reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $87 billion so that no state has to cut eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP because of budget shortfalls, protecting roughly 20 million people at risk of losing eligibility.

The recovery package also makes significant investments in health care modernization, community health centers, and health care research. Upon taking office, President Obama created a White House Office of Health Care Reform, tasked with the goal of expanding health care coverage to all Americans.

Housing : In February, President Obama announced a foreclosure prevention package that helps up to 9 million homeowners obtain better mortgage terms. It allows up to 5 million homeowners to refinance into cheaper mortgages and invested $75 billion to keep up to 4 million homeowners out of foreclosure.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests $10 billion to expand the availability of quality affordable housing and to reduce the effects of foreclosures in communities. Since announcing President Obama’s housing plan, rates on 30-year mortgages have dropped to an all-time low of 4.78 percent and refinancing applications are up 88 percent.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINIONS ?