Grading the Administration 10

Weekly Grades for the Obama Administration on the Struggles to Reduce Poverty: C+

The weekly report card for the Obama Administration and their struggle to reduce poverty has them at a C+ for this week. Some of the items that the President worked on this week included one press conference and one town hall forum. Both were heavy on discussions about health care (not including the marijuana question) and education. These are critical issues to tackle in order to reduce poverty. But as always this is just talk until it has passed the Congress. There was another nominee announced for HUD to lead the Federal Housing Administration. The Obama Administration championed the extra $250 that everyone on disability will be receiving in the next month. Some might think that this is a positive, but I view it more as an insult and results in a lowering of their grade. I mean, these individuals have to figure out how to live on a small amount of money, and now the government is sending them a few coins to go out and spend. How about an increase in the disability check every month so that these Americans are not doomed to poverty for the rest of their lives?

The other items that the administration worked on this last week including more defense of the progressive budget for 2010, and Obama talked about veterans issues at a number of the press briefings. There was the answer to the question about homelessness at the press conference, which needed work but at least he answered the question. The big issue for this week, which gave the administration the most points was the Community Service bill that passed the Senate. This is a tripling of the number of mostly young Americans who will be working on reducing poverty. This is a huge step.

Brian