Obama promises

By Morgan Cortez

Every presidential candidate builds his campaign on promises, but President-elect Barack Obama's promises are especially crucial in this era of energy and financial crises.

With our nation in its current state of international dependence, Obama's first actions in office may define his presidency. The economy is in urgent need of repair, and the overseas war in Iraq remains a large source of conflicted interests among citizens. It also remains to be seen how thoroughly he can carry through on his promises of change in education and health care.

One of Obama's major goals is to restore fairness to America's tax system. He wants to give working families a tax cut, which will give families a tax credit of $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. He says he'll provide tax relief for small businesses by doing away with taxes on things like stock trades and property sales. He'll also fight for foreign trade policies that will support American jobs above foreign ones.

Obama also calls for change in education. He wants to fix the No Child Left Behind by giving more funding to the plan. Obama believes that less time should be spent preparing for a final bubble test and more time spent on helping the students and schools that need it. He also has a plan called the "Zero to Five" plan, which should better prepare children of that age range for kindergarten.

Lastly, Obama wants to end the war in Iraq. By contacting his Secretary of Defense and military commanders, Obama will have our troops brought home and transfer responsibility of the country to Iraqi leaders. Obama believes that Iraqi citizens should take responsibility for their future, not a foreign country's military forces.

It's clear that President-elect Barack Obama has a lot to accomplish as he starts his term early next year. With millions of voters counting on his ability to succeed, the pressure is on Obama to get ready to make good on his promises of change.