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President
Bush Begins Second Term with Focus on Domestic Policy |
Posted:
01.19.05
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In his inaugural address on Thursday, President Bush will focus
on the spread of freedom abroad and an "ownership society"
at home.
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President Bush will begin his second term on Thursday facing
tough challenges to his domestic and foreign policy agenda with
lower approval ratings than the most recent two-term presidents,
Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.
 A
recent Gallup Poll reported the president's approval rating at
51 percent, down from 86 percent following the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.
That hasn't stopped thousands of supporters from packing up their
cowboy boots and Bush-Cheney pins and heading to cold and snowy
Washington, D.C. to join the inaugural festivities. They will
be joined in the nation's capital by protesters planning demonstrations.
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Domestic
policy goals |
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President Bush's second term promises to be ambitious, as he
makes plans to reduce the number of malpractice lawsuits filed
against doctors and hospitals, push a proposal for a "guest
worker" program that would allow illegal immigrants to work
legally in the United States, and overhaul the nation's Social
Security system.
The president has said that Social Security reform is his No.
1 priority. He has proposed a retirement plan that would replace
the current system of taking money out of workers' paychecks and
paying retirees from a government trust fund for one that allows
younger workers to open their own private investment accounts.
Critics of the plan say these personal savings accounts are too
risky and that ups and downs in the stock market or a job loss
could leave individuals without enough money for retirement.
But supporters say it will allow workers to control part of their
contributions in a nest egg that they could pass on to their families.
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Second term
philosophy |
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The overarching goal of President Bush's Social Security plan
and indeed many of his domestic policy proposals for his second
term is to promote an "ownership society," one that
encourages people to take responsibility for themselves rather
than depending on the government.
"I like the idea of encouraging more people to say, I own
my own home, I own my own business, I own and manage my health
accounts, and now I own a significant part of my retirement account,"
the president said at a January appearance.
 "Promoting
ownership in America makes sense to me to make sure people continue
to have a vital stake in the future of our country," he said.
But the president's opponents say the "ownership society"
principle, a popular philosophy among many conservatives, is just
a way to let the rich keep more of their money and brings with
it too much risk.
"It's an appealing label," economist Robert Reischauer
told The New York Times. "But with ownership comes responsibility
and risk, and that's the down side. We buy insurance and collective
pension benefits and health care to reduce the risk," he
said, referring to Social Security and other government programs.
"The whole process of social insurance is so you won't find
yourself in old age without any assets or find yourself poor and
sick and without access to health care," he said.
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The president's
foreign policy agenda |
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In addition to his domestic priorities, President Bush's foreign
policy will likely focus on the spread of democracy, pointing
to new elections in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the war against
terror.
Iraqi elections are scheduled for Jan. 30 and could either move
the country toward a peaceful democratic state or toward a violent
civil war.
 "Iraq
remains the kind of thing that could take over the [president's
second] term, if the situation gets a lot worse," University
of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin told
the BBC.
The president will also have to decide how to help South Asia
recover from the devastating tsunami and help the Israelis and
Palestinians end the violence that has claimed thousands of lives.
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Inauguration
Day |
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President Bush will outline the goals for his second term as
part of his inaugural address on Thursday. The address follows
the president taking the oath of office and being sworn in by
Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
As is inauguration tradition, President Bush will then attend
an inaugural luncheon, watch a parade in his honor and cap off
the night visiting lavish inaugural balls.
--Compiled
by Kristina Nwazota for NewsHour Extra
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American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
