By: TK Layman
Staff Writer

President Barack Obama is nearing his final days in the Oval Office, and he leaves behind a historic legacy. As the first African-American president of the U.S., his campaign slogan, “Yes We Can” led him to a victory over his opponent, Senator John McCain. During his eight years in office Obama has implemented many new laws and policies, those of which affect not only students as a whole, but students at Western as well.

One of his landmark decisions as a president was to sign into law the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010” giving service members of the U.S. Military the ability to serve as an open member of the LGBTQ+ community. During the signing, Obama said of the act, “For we are not a nation that says, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We are a nation that says, ‘Out of many, we are one.’”

The belief that members of the military could be open in their sexuality was a turning point in opening opportunities for those to serve. The White House Press reported during his signing speech that President Obama said, in a show of solidarity:

“I want to express my gratitude to the men and women in this room who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Services. I want to thank all the patriots who are here today, all of them who were forced to hang up their uniforms as a result of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but who never stopped fighting for this country, and who rallied and who marched and fought for change. I want to thank everyone here who stood with them in that fight.”

The Obama Administration also continued to fight for the right to affordable higher education for all students who seek it. As a part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation act, the Obama Administration states that, “nearly 5 million federal direct student loan borrowers have the opportunity to cap their student loan payments at 10 percent of their income,” allowing students to pay as they earn. Obama’s administrative staff reported that this act also reinvested into the Pell Grant increasing the maximum total amount to $5,730 for the 2014-15 school year, increasing the maximum award by nearly $1000 since 2008. By expanding the amount, President Obama also increased the opportunity for students to receive the award by nearly 50 percent, the administration states.

Reforming K-12 education was a key point of the President’s first term. As Obama stated, the No Child Left Behind Act was overdue for a reform. The president implemented a blueprint for reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act giving schools a platform to create more college-readiness classes over standardizing education. This act gave students within the K-12 system the ability to be more ready for life after high school with college and career readiness programs.

A major talking point in recent years came from opponents of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The New York Times reported discussions opened up around congress as they ruminated on the legality of the act, a provision stating that U.S. citizens must enroll in health insurance or pay a penalty. Ultimately that discussion carried up the ladder to the Supreme Court in 2010 where they ruled in favor of the act 5-4.

Chief Justice Roberts helped sway the vote to a majority “yea” vote writing in their dissertation: “The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.”

Along with the Affordable Care Act ruling, the New York Times states that a unanimous decision was made to limit the expansion of Medicaid, a federally funded program. The justices came to an agreement that Congress has used too much of its power by attempting to limit state funding to agree to the expansion.

During the “Occupy Wall Street” campaign, President Obama had signed into law the Dodd-Frank Act, which limits risk taking by business and reduces the burden on U.S. taxpayers according to the Obama Administration. The Washington Post stated that the president said Dodd-Frank will, “ … protect consumers, and lay the foundation for a stronger and safer financial system, one that is innovative, creative, competitive, and far less prone to panic and collapse.”This bill had been paramount in rebuilding an already failing economy and increasing consumer confidence after an economic recession in 2008.

President Obama has been a part of many historic moments. From being the first African-American President, to expanding healthcare and education reform, Obama started to implement policies that would help reshape America. He also started the beginning of withdrawing the Army’s presence in Afghanistan, signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and implemented numerous others. As Obama ends his final term in office, he leaves behind a legacy of change, reform and hope for all citizens.
Contact the author at tlayman16@wou.edu