100 Words for 100 Days

Contribute your 100-word essay laying out your hopes for Obama's first 100 days in office.

Put Federal Justice System Back on Track
Posted by shulmanf on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

Energize Economy With Smart Stimulus
Posted by debbie on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

What should the first 100 days look like? There are so many really deep-seated problems that it can (and probably will) be overwhelming at first. For a start, the economy has to be the first consideration. Health care also has to be a part of the consideration (I think of the two issues as twins, or even two sides of the same coin). We need an economic stimulus to "energize" us, not just to spend what money we have, but to spend smarter (get "more" for "less" if you will). We need to start feeling better about ourselves which will not happen until we feel secure that we really are on the right track. Getting on the right track will take the effort of the new administration, as well as US. I think the most important and crucial element in this is that the new Congress, when sworn in begin this new chapter without delay and without ANY roadblocks, obstructions or filibusters. Is this possible? Yes, if they remember that we the people elected them to do this job (NOT the special interests they have been serving). We are in the process of taking our country back, of healing. That takes time, and definitely is not instantaneous. It is kind of like the kiln process, from the fire a new creation is born. We are up to this challenge. Other generations before us took up the challenges of their time, it is our turn now.

Help America Live Up to Its Promise
Posted by Charlie Millson on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

Those seeking justice -- rejoice! The first 100 days of the Obama presidency hold the promise and opportunity for justice, long held hostage by the corporate power structure, to once again be the working mantra (not mantra only) of our national policy. Perhaps this frightens the current power holders whose media mavens liken Obama to the Messiah. If so, fine. The application of justice leads to salvation nationally as well as individually.

The world sits on the cusp of a new era when America uses her resources for good and not for her self-interest.

It’s time to fulfill our national promise.

Think Long-Term
Posted by Victoria Wyatt on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

Engage in Diplomacy
Posted by Valerie Kasperek on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

My vision is simple. Previously well stated by D. H. Lawrence in The Man Who Died:

"He had risen without desire, without even the desire to live, empty save for the all over-whelming disillusion that lay like nausea where his life had been. Yet perhaps, deeper than disillusion, was a desireless resoluteness, deeper even than consciousness."

Machievelli said, it is better to be feared, than to be loved. This prince is wrong.

Now I want to see our president surf the tide of universal compassion, the way he clearly knows how ... with diplomacy and honesty.

End the War on Drugs
Posted by Gene Gene Tinelli, MD, PhD on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

Immediately establish a Presidential Commission to examine our current drugs policy, asking former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders to be its Chairperson. Bias the selection of Committee members from those in the public health and harm reduction communities. We need to end the current war on drugs, especially since this is not a war on drugs but a war on people, particularly poor people of color. Make the public health system, rather than the criminal justice system, our priority in this area.

Fund Schools, Not Guns
Posted by Barrie Grenell on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM.

President Obama should tell the country that by 2012, half the defense department budget will be spent on K-12 education and higher education in math and science. An educated citizenry is key to our national defense. A careful analysis of the current state of education -- knowledge of geography, current events, history, science, proper English grammar -- shows that we are falling further and further behind. The payoff will show in our economy; reduced violence, prison and health care costs; better public policy; and renewed respect in the world. I cannot make this happen; President Obama can.

Obama Should Be Responsive to a Diversity of Opinion
Posted by Roberta Jackson on January 6, 2009 at 12:00 AM.

Invest in Our Infrastructure
Posted by Deewoodcca1 on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

Make American Ideals a Reality
Posted by Tracy Finklang on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

America is an idea as much as an entity. We hold certain truths to be self-evident, but our vision has been cloudy for much of our history. We thought this campaign or these politics were ugly; we have only to look to our past to see that our dream of America the Just, America the Free, with Liberty and Justice for ALL have been just that ... dreams. Now is the time to make them the reality. We must stand up for our ideals, embrace the world we live in and work in every way we can to make it a better place, at home and abroad.America is an idea as much as an entity. It is who we are that makes us what we are and President Obama must inspire and lead us to rise to our best intentions for ourselves as Americans and America.

Serve Your Country Rather Than Your Party
Posted by Steve Murray on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

Stop campaigning immediately (most politicians permanently campaign, even after they are elected). Serve your country rather than your party. Stay human: listen to people who keep your feet on the ground (encourage your wife and kids to play this role). Keep in touch with Elders who are outside the power structure. Ask people you trust how you are changing (good and bad). Notice powerful forces that pressure you to be secretive and lie. Be open enough and tell the truth enough that your most powerful advisors will feel uncomfortable. Solicit input from opposing views. Think 7 generations ahead.

End the War on Terror, Launch the War on Poverty
Posted by Sharon Satterfield on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

The vision is clear. He will not rest until The War against Terror ends while The War against Poverty is launched with more zeal. The War against Hunger will be fought relentlessly. The War against Ignorance will be implemented on every continent, in each village and city. The War against Sickness is eradicated across the globe. And, all such wars will be fought with an arsenal of peace, respect, and a strong sense of justice. The vision is clear for our new visionary; for our humanitarian; for our honorable leader that is long overdue to lead with clear vision.

Secure Reproductive Rights
Posted by Kim Howard on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

It's never been more important for women to have the education and resources to choose when to begin, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy. President Obama and his administration that includes many smart capable women should enact policies that would ensure women access to medically accurate information on all options prior to, during, and after a pregnancy. We need policies that are driven by the medical needs of women rather than political and religious ideology. He should work towards reducing the abortion rate through policies like comprehensive sex education and financial assistance for women in poverty who do have children.

Start a National Program for Parenting Education
Posted by grove on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

It is often said, when people become parents "There is no manual for this!" The Obamas have been impressive in their revelations of how they raise their own children. When Michelle told Barbara Walters that she informed the WH Staff there would have to "be some boundaries" and that her girls would be required to make their own beds and clean up their rooms, BabaWawa was flabbergasted, and probably so were many other people. In their first 100 days, the Obamas should shock the nation by declaring with great seriousness the importance of our most valuable resource for the future -- children -- and immediately start a National Program for Parenting Education (under HHS, with huge public input), in connection with hospitals and birth centers, and make parenting classes MANDATORY for both men and women who are in the process of creating a child, therefore producing healthier people and better citizens, and saving enormous amounts of money (crime, health, mental health -- all connected with parenting). In addition, The Obamas should put through Congress the establishment of National Parents Day with all the TV channels devoted all day to various aspects of good parenting, with no commercials, and for the rest of the year, TV channels would be required, as part of their licensing, to provide approved (secular) good-parenting programming on a regular basis in prime time.

Move America in a Progressive Direction
Posted by Bob Conway on December 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

Close Guantanamo and enforce America's torture ban. Order the Joint Chiefs to draw up a 16-month withdrawal plan for U.S. troops in Iraq. Extend unemployment benefits and freeze foreclosures for 100 days. Begin moving America toward a single-payer health care system. Aggressively curb greenhouse gas emissions. Impose carbon tax on polluters. Use tax breaks and grants to insulate buildings, implement clean energy, etc. Increase gas tax and subsidize hybrid vehicles. Create 21st Century FWPA for jobs and infrastructure. End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and let gay people serve openly in the military. End "abstinence only" sex education.