Since The Herald's Opinions page is often filled with Democrats' perspectives on their party's future, President Bush's incompetence and the negative things the Right has been doing recently, I thought it might be interesting to say what I, as a Republican, am expecting out of the president's next few years.
I think Bush's second term will be an exciting time. With luck, experience, careful eschewal of interns and a hesitant but supportive country on his side, I'm optimistic Bush's second term can be even superior in terms of economic success and better government than that of his two-term predecessor, Bill Clinton.
So far, the Bush administration has made it clear that they'd like to take a more friendly approach to foreign relations this term. The administration's foreign policy this term has been a lot more docile than the 'with us or against us' rhetoric of 2001. Indeed, world headlines feature Bush trying, with moderate success, to move trans-Atlantic relations to a friendlier, more multi-lateral post-Iraq phase, and Condi trotting the globe unabashedly showing off that "why can't the White House afford an orthodontist?" grin of hers. The surprising relative success of Iraq's elections seems to be allowing the administration to turn the page on the intelligence and diplomatic failures that have overshadowed the war. I hope the signs of positive change in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, such as in Lebanon and Egypt, will be followed by meaningful and permanent progress.
With a foreign policy agenda that won't require so much political attention and capital spent abroad, allowing for more time to spend at home, the Bush administration seems focused on upstaging last term's domestic success. With the tax cuts apparently helping to end the recession and education programs like No Child Left Behind already underway, it's not surprising that Bush has created a bold agenda for his second term. Getting Social Security fixed is a top priority for the administration, particularly the idea of private investment accounts. The idea is inspired - getting all our taxpayers involved in investment will not only teach them to understand the money game, thereby eliminating a major disadvantage many lower- and middle-class workers have in our economy - and should also increase overall investment, stimulating the economy. Bush is committed to garnering bipartisan support for this project, even offering to allow tax hikes for just the wealthiest Americans in order to pay for any additional cost it might entail.
As part of the administration's attempts to make meaningful change through policy reform without spending a lot of unnecessary money, the president is also focused on addressing the problem of immigration and border control. Bush feels strongly about the issue of immigration reform, particularly on the question of illegal workers. As he said in his 2005 State of the Union address, "We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border." Although the administration hasn't put forward a serious proposal for reform just yet, it is likely that a major restructuring of the system is imminent. For decades politicians in the United States have viewed illegal immigration as a problem that cannot be solved; it's time we made some real changes.
The Bush administration also promises to reform our tax code. This year I was pleased to find that the IRS now supplies all taxpayers with free online filing and the software to do it with. Although small changes like this are just a start, anything the government can do to make the process easier and more transparent for taxpayers will both make our lives easier and increase our faith in government.
Bush has also pledged to curb litigation abuses, including unreasonable class-action suits, which lead to high malpractice insurance for doctors and cause healthcare prices to rise. By lowering the amount of money doctors have to pay in settlements and legal fees, Bush seeks to make healthcare more affordable by attacking part of the problem at its source. This is an example of the sort of approach many Republicans like myself appreciate. From our perspective, Bush is trying to solve a problem rather than throw money at it.
When the first decade of the new millennium comes to a close and we look back at the Bush administration's accomplishments, we will no doubt see an America that looks different in some crucial ways from the country that stocked up on Saltine crackers and gas masks in preparation for Y2K. With a second-term president supported by a party that holds a majority in Congress, some major change is inevitable. I know everyone doesn't share my convictions, but I'm optimistic that the administration's policies will make our country a better place.
When I look back at my bleak outlook on politics during the Clinton administration, I'm relieved when I realize I was wrong about a lot of the "harm" I thought he was causing our country. I'm hoping that when today's Bush-haters look back at the Bush administration they will feel the same way.
Matt Lawrence '06 has taken more flak in The Herald for opposing kegs on campus than for being a Republican.
