Political leaders are vital to a country
as they have the greatest responsibility. They ensure that the welfare of people
they lead are taken care of by being responsible and accountable at all times.
They assess the distribution of resources and power, make decisions that impact
positively on the people and building relations with other countries and the
stakeholders of the country to propel the nation towards development. There are
very few leaders with these qualities. One of these impactful leaders is
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd
president of the United States and was in office since 1933 to 1945. President
Roosevelt saw America through its most difficult time which was the great
economic depression that took place between October 29th, 1929 and
1939 (Leuchtenburg).
At the start of his administration, thousands of citizens were jobless due to
the collapse of the stock market. Most people in both farms and city had lost
their homes due to foreclosure as they were unable to pay their mortgage
anymore. However, amidst all this, Roosevelt was able to tell the citizens
during his inauguration that the only thing they had to fear was fear itself
due to its ability to cripple them and steal their capacity to advance moving
past their shortcomings at the moment (Leuchtenburg). The
fact that he could afford to inspire people at the time when they had lost hope
only shows how much of a terrific leader he was.
At the date of assuming office, the
banks were in a crisis as most people were rushing to withdraw their money
causing some of them to crash. His first action in office was to announce the
closure of banks for a while until the department of treasury could inspect the
ledgers of every bank (Leuchtenburg). Those in good condition
would be given grants by the treasury to continue operating, the ones on worst
conditions would remain closed until they could restore. The ones that were in
poor condition remained closed forever ("Franklin
Roosevelt As A Leader"). The decision not only restored people’s faith in
the banks but also gave the banks an opportunity to recess and evaluated where
they went wrong, see what they could do to prevent it from ever happening
again. The ability to make decisions that impact positively on citizens and the
stakeholders of a country is an exceptional trait that not many leaders
possess.
Roosevelt’s administration was characterized
by critical and timely decisions that played a significant part in reviving the
American economy at the time. They are the kinds of decisions that the country
needed to get back on its feet. Roosevelt’s administration also saw the
inclusion of the first ever lady in the Cabinet (Leuchtenburg).
The administration also saw the introduction of the Social Security Act 1935
which provided pension to the retired. Roosevelt’s administration also saw the
introduction The New Deal. The program saw the launch of Civil Works
Administration (CWA) which provided funds to authorities like mayors and
governors for construction projects like schools, park restoration bridge and
several others. Other projects within the CWC like the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) lasted longer than CWC providing jobs to thousands of citizens
("Franklin
Roosevelt As A Leader"). Within a year, the program had employed over two
million people. Roosevelt was able to introduce and apply protective measures
to prevent a depression like the one they were experiencing from ever happening
again. The measures include introduction and enactment of the Social Security
Act of 1935, which is there up to date, and the National Labor Relations Act of
1935 (Leuchtenburg).
His administration saw the country
through the depression and help the country emerge stronger than ever before.
The victory can only be said to have been achieved by the relentless dedication
of a leader like Roosevelt. With no doubt, Franklin D. Roosevelt was an
effective leader as he was able to revive the American economy amidst the worse
economic depression the world has ever experienced.
Other than great leaders like Roosevelt
in the world, we are unfortunate to have leaders who fail the country. One of
the leaders is 43rd president of the United States, George Walker
Bush son of the 41st president, George Herbert Bush. Other than the war in
Iraq, Bush’s administration brought the country to its feet with the recession
that came as he was exiting the presidency (Gregg II). A recession is the worst
thing that can happen to the economy as it affects both citizens and the case
for the United States has an impact on the rest of the world. Several of the
decisions made during his administration proved to be detrimental to citizens
hence making him the worse president. It is in his administration that the US
experienced the worse terrorist attack in history, the 9/11 attack (Yglesias).
The greatest achievement that could be
attributed to Bush’s administration was The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
The Act passed into law on 8th of January 2002, was due to the concerns that
the American education system was increasingly declining on its competitive
ability internationally (Klein). The law increased the federal
role in holding schools responsible for the success or failure academically.
The law put particular focus on making sure that states and schools invigorate
performance in areas such as English language learner, poor and minority
children and special education. Education is an important aspect of the society
hence making this the most important thing George W. Bush did to the American
people.
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