Domestic Policies from Two U.S. Presidents - Essay Example

Domestic Policies from two U.S. Presidents Every time a new president swears into the office, he/she begins his term as president of the United States by implementing the promises made during the campaign. Usually these promises are referred to his/her policies, either foreign or domestic. The policies stated by each president might be similar, or with similar basis, or on the contrary, they could be very different. That difference is based upon the political party they represent, their own personal beliefs and/or the period they have acquired the job of being the United States President. The next paragraphs will show the similarities between some of the domestic policies stated by George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President, and William J. Clinton, the 42nd U.S. President. From the several domestic policies stated by the Bush administration we find a series of laws necessary to prosecute the war on terror. These laws included several surveillance programs. The USA Patriot Act was presented, where the government expanded its power to surveillance and arrest. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) According to the writer, these set of policies were necessary, not only because United States had recently been under a serious and harmful terrorist attack, also because it had not been the first time within the nation. The previous time was during Clinton’s Administration, where the following major legislation were passed: “1996-03-14 - authorized $100 million counter-terrorism agreement with Israel to track down and root out terrorists. And 1996-04-24 - Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act” (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) It is of major concern that these legislations were not very effective, since terror and death managed to invade a free land. During his first term, Bill Clinton did not comply with his promise made during the campaign allowing gay men and lesbians serve openly in the armed forces. Instead the Congress presented the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which allowed gay men and lesbians serve in the armed forces as long as they do not divulge their sexual orientation. (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) President Bush’s position was ambiguous and did not ban nor reformed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) According to the writer, none of these policies are entirely correct, since the desire to serve the country should not be discriminative based upon the sexual orientation. Also, none of them were brave enough to overcome the criticism and openly state their opinions on the matter. President George Bush has set to double the budget of the National Science Foundation over a period of five years, but after three the budget had increase only by fourteen percent. His administration is also highly criticized for ignoring the scientific advice. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) On the other hand, Bill Clinton’s Administration launched the first White House Website and ordered the usage of Federal Information Technology in order to provide more information to the public. (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) In the writer’s opinion, the world is advancing at large steps, technology wise, in order to maintain the pace it is necessary to continue modernizing the administration. Bill Clinton’s policy to open information to the public and to modernize the White House was asserted, necessary and perceivable. On the other hand, President Bush’s initiative to increase the budget of the National Science Foundation was also asserted but only when the initiative becomes a reality. Bill Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, “which raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers, while cutting taxes on 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses.” (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) President Bush sought three major tax cuts, which “increased the standard income tax deduction for married couples, eliminated the estate tax, and reduced marginal tax rates. The cuts are currently scheduled to expire a decade after passage.” The opposition believes that these cuts were made to benefit the wealthy. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) The writer believes that these two policies are opposite one from another, and from a logic point of view, the policy state by Mr. Clinton is far more asserted since President Bush’s policy has created a major budget deficit and benefits the more affluent. During President Bush’s Administration the unemployment rate has increased. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) On the other hand, Clinton has worked to improve the unemployment rate. He created about 7.7 millions of jobs, created agencies to help students pay for college, and achieved his goal by lowering the unemployment rate. (FDR vs Clinton, 123HelpMe.com) According to the writer, it is always healthy for a country to maintain a low unemployment level, which gives the psychological assurance to the public that the economy is stable. Former President Bill Clinton has maintained a policy to protect and help the lower social and economic class. Most environmentalists criticized bush for supporting those industries that weaken environmental protection. The clear skies policy is believed to encourage more pollution into the air than to restrict it, although the clear skies policy encourages the reduction of air pollution by the emissions trading effect. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) While Bill Clinton has attempted to secure the spending on the environment, he has also had to face the Congress, which has tried to reduce the budget on several items as well as Environment. (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) From these two points of views, the writer supports the Bill Clinton’s position in securing the budget for the environment, since due to the global warming effect it has become a time clicking bomb. Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave, which was very popular and allowed up to 12 weeks of absence without pay, due to child birth, adoption, personal or family illness. (FDR vs Clinton. 123HelpMe.com) Also with the help from Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton attempted to achieve a universal coverage via a national healthcare plan. The plan was rejected by opposition well organized. (Presidency of Bill Clinton, Wikipedia.org) On the other hand, President Bush signed the “Medicare Act of 2003, which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare” among other things. And critics believe that healthcare plans are still unreachable by lower income population. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) From the writer’s point of view, the policies made by Bill Clinton are more oriented toward the well being of most of the population. Although none of the policies satisfy the American needs, a first step was made in order to achieve a better benefit for the population. It is difficult to criticize and/or support any of the characters, since in this matter there are further more interests and people involved. “President Bush presented the plan of partial privatization of Social Security, where an individual would be free to invest a portion of his Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts.” (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org) Meanwhile, Bill Clinton presented a plan to secure the retirement for the baby boom generation. Where most of the trust fund is invested in stocks. (Clinton's Newest Social Security Plan: From Bad to Worse, The Heritage Foundation.org) Both of these policies do not solve the upcoming problem of the social security and time is running out. The writer believes that the next president of the United States should enforce a strong solution for the social security since it is more than a suggestion it is a necessity. These are some of the comparisons made by the writer regarding the different domestic policies pushed by the President George W Bush and former President William J. Clinton. These policies most of the time reflect a personal criteria and/or an idea made to be accepted by certain people. Also it is important to underline that for most of the times, political and personal issues will impose before the benefit of the population. Therefore, these policies cannot be accepted, nor rejected until some results are seen. Works Cited Clinton Administration. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. April 18, 2008. April 20, 2008. Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. April 17, 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. April 20, 2008. FDR vs Clinton. 123HelpMe.com. 20 Apr 2008 John, D. Clinton's Newest Social Security Plan: From Bad to Worse. The Heritage Foundation Leadership for America. April 23, 2008. Read More