Issue 2013: Still Waiting for Washington

by Keerti Hariharan

Congress has had the same set of issues on its table for far too long. Proposals to these prolonged issues need to convert to solutions and quickly because the plethora of issues is only piling up especially given recent events. Foreign policy, health care reform, education reform, and immigration are among the issues at hand that have been prevalent yet negligibly dealt with, it seems, for too long. And it seems that now more than ever the country is pressing Washington to become proactive and solve these matters, especially given that more issues. including gun control, are reappearing after being put off for so long.

In terms of foreign policy, Obama has had much to deal with, including an occupation in Iraq, working to withdraw the troops in Afghanistan, addressing certain debts and other tensions with China, coaxing some peace within the Middle East where the Arab Spring has been prevalent. These are only a few issues that must be taken care of, and it seems that the only real sign of progress has been the death of Osama bin Laden. Although I understand perfectly that foreign policy will always be a concern for Congress, certain aspects such as withdrawing troops from Afghanistan need to be expedited. I definitely think that Afghanistan and China should be the main concerns of Washington as this presently tense relationship with China is damaging to our nation. Certain issues such as the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, I believe can be put off, while more present matters are dealt with, such as China and Afghanistan.

In addition to foreign policy, I think that Washington needs to start making some real decisions towards ameliorating guns, especially given the Newtown Shootings. This is an issue I believe should have been discussed before, but at least Congress is beginning to take another look now. Although I hugely believe that in an ideal world, guns would be completely banned because the act of possessing a gun in the first place makes you a target, it is impractical for me to expect such progressive solutions. I do know that the line of defense posed by many gun advocates: guns don't kill people, people kill people, is a highly flawed statement.  Without guns, it would be much more difficult to kill. If it were my job, I would advise the government to place national restrictions and limits on guns. Also, I believe that background checks need to become much more thorough to ensure that whomever is being given a gun license is cautious and mentally stable as are those with whom he would live with. Ultimately, it is too easy to obtain guns and the government needs to comprehend the seriousness of the matter and become proactive about it.

Economic issues seem to be the leading issue in Washington given unemployment rates, taxes, and the federal government's staggering $14 trillion debt. Here is where the partisan gridlock seems to be the most popular, thus hindering the nation's economic recovery and a visible decrease in unemployment rates. Washington needs to expedite the job-creating process because although we have seen progress, recovery is still too slow in the job market. The president needs to boost jobs in the public sector. When the president took office in 2008, one way he began to create jobs was negotiating with the Indian government to outsource and hire Americans. Indian IT firms helped to broaden hiring in the U.S., and I think that continuing similar trends would hugely benefit our struggling citizens.

With so many issues, the government needs to learn to compromise. America has always been about compromise and Washington needs to exhibit this characteristic too. The partisan gridlock is causing too much strain and slowing far too many processes that could have been dealt with long ago. I just hope that Washington grows up a little and sees how deep the nation really is in.

Issue 2013: End the War

by Elliot Dennis

The biggest issue of the New Year and the new term according to most voters in the United States is the economy. The election was mainly based on the economy and the question of what to do with our national debt is always one that is prevalent in the news. I too believe that our nation has many economic issues and ones that need to be sorted out.  

However, if I were an advisor I would most like to see the war addressed.  The war on terror has been going on since October 7, 2001, and I and many of my peers and our parents think enough is enough. The war on terror has dragged on too long; it is a war that is incapable of being won. Of course our country should protect us against terrorism and its hardships, but I believe that can be done without actually being at war. Our troops need to come home.  The troops should always be supported, however their mission in the war has become a lost cause. An alternative to actually waging a war with our troops could be relying solely on drones to take out the key members of Al-Qaeda we are constantly looking for. I am not well-versed in the war however nine out of ten times I hear about a high-ranking member of a terrorist organization being killed it is due to our drones. I feel we have done enough with our manpower in Iraq and Afghanistan and should now rely on our technology to preserve what we have fought to stabilize so that our young men and women can come home to their families. Hopefully by the end of this year, there will be progress in pulling our troops out and by the end of President Obamas second term we can all live in a country that is not at war.

Issue 2013: A Progressive Future

by Adarsh Balaji

After a year of high political anxiety and nerve-racking elections, President Obama and the nation face some of the toughest challenges in 2013. The most pressing issues are glaring.  However, successful resolutions will take time to be devised and passed. Economic reform, tax plans, education, healthcare, and global conflict are on the table.  Some issues invoke a sense of national urgency whereas other issues address the issue of international competition. The leaders of the nation need to be swift in organization and initiative in all of these areas.

Economic reform clearly highlighted the pressing issues in the 2012 election. President Obama has already started the process especially with talks of going over the fiscal cliff. This, however, is just one of the many economic areas which need development. If I were to advise the president I would draw attention to the unemployment sector of the nation. The president should continue to lower the unemployment rate by boosting jobs in the public sector and incentivizing areas in the private sector. In addition to the unemployment the tax proposals should be strengthened in the United States. Those that make over $400K being taxed more is one way to allow for more spending by the middle class. I believe that an economic stimulus would help bolster the economy and allowing for more spending would allow for the concept of cash flow revenue. This would help enhance the economy and hopefully restore America’s AAA credit rating.

Education is becoming a highly debated topic in 2013. There should be more comprehensive programs in school that allow for enhancement of student opportunities. In addition, more teachers and more schools would lead to lower unemployment rates. The United States has shown to fall behind in many areas regarding education over the past few years. One way to fortify the future of America is to allow more Americans of all ages to attain a school education and even a collegiate level diploma. This would help prosper the nation and open up new fields for work.

Healthcare clearly ranks high on the list of the president’s agenda. Healthcare reform should be more publicized for the general safety of the public whereas a privatized sector of medicine and insurance would bolster the specialization of the profession. Hospital administration and medical initiative should help the public without having every member of the lower class obtain medical insurance. I believe that this is a controversial issue that requires further magnification in 2013.            

Global conflict branches out and addresses issues throughout the world. In this we have the debt in China, competition in the Middle East, and further efforts to benefit third world nations. With this we have the progress of America as a superpower and the expansion of democracy. I believe that another year of efforts to bring back soldiers is in order and necessary for establishing a sense of hospitality. The United States has a critical year ahead of us and the president’s job is highly imperative these next four years.

Issue 2013: New Day Same Problems

by Justin Paley

Like many Americans, I am praying that the new Congress and President Obama’s second term will bring some much needed change to Washington. But, sadly, I personally am not very hopeful for this. While some seemingly non-compromising tea partiers, such as Todd Akin are on their way out and some seemingly more open minds, such as Tammy Baldwin and Kirsten Gillibrand, are on their way in, I still don’t think that is enough to change Washington. The same problems that plagued us in 2012 and past years will continue to haunt us. Here is a list of what I think will be the most pressing issues/challenges in 2013:

1.     Fiscal Problems

With our Congress barely able to make a deal of the oh-so-infamous fiscal cliff, I have dampened confidence that this Congress can reach a timely deal on the upcoming fiscal questions. One of those pressing issues will be coming up very quickly. This is the possibility of raising the debt ceiling in February. While I am not hopeful that the partisan gridlock will stop with the New Year, we shall see how the new Congress handles these emerging fiscal questions.

2.     Gun Control

With the recent shooting at Newtown, gun violence is at the forefront of the public’s mind and there is much pressure from a lot of people to enact some stricter gun legislation and even ban weapons completely. While I do believe in the 2^nd amendment, I do think that Congress should impose some tougher gun regulations, especially on automatic and assault weapons.

3.     Foreign Policy

With the election over, the event in Benghazi has calmed down, but is still a pressing issue, especially among Republicans that basically stopped Susan Rice from being nominated for Secretary of State. Along with Benghazi there is still (and probably will be for a very, very long time) a lot of questions to answer in the Middle East such as what to do with Syria (with Obama recently rejecting a peace deal) and other Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan. I really don’t know what to do when it comes to the Middle East, but it will be interesting to see what the Obama administration, and Secretary of State-hopeful John Kerry, will do.

My advice for the President and Congress would be one word: compromise. It is a fact that the American people are sick of the gridlock in Washington and we all just want to see something get done. Some of the most Conservative politicians (Ronald Reagan) have found ways to compromise with very liberal politicians (Tip O'Neill). I would encourage all of Washington to look at history to guide them. Look at how Lyndon B. Johnson took advice from Dwight Eisenhower. While they were both from different parties, LBJ considered Eisenhower one of the greatest politicians he had ever met and the two were in agreement on civil rights and made considerable contributions to the advancement of civil rights. History shows that people on two opposite sides of the table can reach and shake hands and actually do something productive and serve the people that elected them. This country seems to be rebounding and it would be a shame if Washington’s gridlock got in the way.