First 100 Days

I’m not much of a historian, and sometimes I have my head in the sand when it comes to current events, so why am I suddenly interested in Obama’s “First 100 Days?” I just am...and I wanted to post some of our nation's happenings...just so I'd remember. As a nation we’re experiencing economic hard times. We know all about it because newspapers splash it across the front page and TVs scream it. What has Obama done to ease the crisis? What does he plan to do?

When I was a kid, I used to ask my relatives, particularly my grandmother and mother, what it was like to have lived during the depression, and now I wonder if my children’s grandchildren will ask them what it was like to live during the economic crisis of 2009. I’d have to say that our life hasn’t changed much, except that the amount of money in our retirement fund drops lower each month. It used to be a 401K, then dropped to a 301K, 201K, and finally to a Special K (OK, that’s an old joke, but somewhat true in our case). However, life has changed for many of our neighbors -- lost jobs, women working outside of the home for the first time, bankruptcy, homes that won't sell and have dropped in value.

My relatives told me that life was hard before, during, and after the depression, because life on a small farm in southern Utah had little to do with stock markets or job loss. Life for them remained the same – hard work. I do know that they loved Franklin D. Roosevelt. On the other hand, Merrell’s relatives highly disagreed with, and disliked Roosevelt. I also know that we have Roosevelt to thank, or blame, for the “First 100 Days” performance scale imposed on new U.S. presidents!

So what did Roosevelt do during his first 100 days in office and his first term? Plenty. Whereas the federal government had largely been involved with defense prior to the 1930s, Roosevelt’s New Deal, in an attempt to pull the United States out of the depression, passed legislation that placed the federal government right in the middle of Relief, Reform, and Recovery. Many new federal agencies were formed – some were eventually deemed unconstitutional, and some are still in place.

Some federal programs/agencies that still exist: (1 Gold reserves no longer backs currency (2 Tennessee Valley Authority -- TVA (3 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – FDIC (4 Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC -- risk of stock purchase must be accurately disclosed (5 Social Security (6 National Labor Relations Act (7 Federal Crop Insurance Corporation – now Risk Management Agency (8 Fair Labor Standards Act – minimum wage [40 Cents per hour], maximum work week [40 hours per week], outlawed child labor (9 Federal Housing Authority – FHA

The federal government stepped in. However, historians tell us that it wasn’t the New Deal that pulled us out of the depression. It was World War II. (Enough of history for today!)

The current question is, “What about Obama’s first 100 days?” Some words that pop into my mind are Spend, Tax (reduction or increase?), Bailout, Borrow -- $789 billion stimulus package, $3.4 Trillion federal budget. Reform – health care, welfare, abortion, all entitlement programs, marriage. Foreign Policy – shake hands with our enemies. Socialism – “Washington knows best.” “We’ll take care of you!” “We’ll run your company.”

The left looks at the words above and cheers, “Yes, yes!” I do not. My miniscule political brain favors few of these ideas. How can we spend money we don’t have (I know, I know, we’re just supposed to print more or borrow it)? Does entitlement reformation mean we provide more, spend more, enlarge programs? What happened to responsibility, hard work, capitalism, save, prepare, debt-free, free agency, moral fiber, American ingenuity? Do they die a little with each implemented federal program? Why are our leaders leading us toward socialism? Do I need Washington to think for me; take care of my every whim?

What will historians write? Only time will allow them to write their perception of the 2009 economic crisis and Obama’s first 100 days. We’ll all need to wait to read which “fable they agreed upon.” As for me, let it be written that I didn’t participate in the historic election of 2008 by voting for Obama. Although he is personable, charismatic, and articulate, his substance and liberal ideas are not in tune with my conscience. But then, years ago I voted for Jimmy Carter! Eek, what an admission! Does that show my political savvy?