The Clinton Administration Essays - Rodham Family, Bill Clinton

The Clinton Administration American society is very unforgiving when it comes to their politicians. Mistakes and alleged scandals are scrutinized over and exploited by the media while great accomplishments may fall into the shadows. This is the case with President Clinton, who may be one of the best and most successful Presidents our nation has ever elected. Unfortunately, his impeachment and alleged sexual scandals are hovering over his accomplishments. Despite current criticisms, however, time will prove the Clinton administration a success in all aspects of society, international as well as national. One of Clintons greatest accomplishments is the economy, which has prospered ever since he took office. America is now enjoying its strongest economy in a generation. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over three decades, down from 7.5 percent in 1992 to 3.9 percent in September, 2000. Unemployment for minorities has fallen significantly as well, and for both African-Americans and Hispanics it is at record lows. Side by side with the decreasing unemployment rate is the increasing availability of new jobs. More than 22 million have been created since 1993, the most jobs ever created under a single administration. (The White House, p. 5) Even the national debt is being paid off. In July 2000, the Treasury Department announced that the United States would pay off $221 billion of debt for the year, making it the largest one-year payment in American history. Under the Clinton Plan, we are now on track to eliminate the nations debt by 2012. (The White House, p. 8) Many Americans do not realize the importance of bringing down the national debt and criticize the President for the nations high taxes. What they do not realize is how a decreased national debt actually helps them in their everyday lives. Reduced debt means lower interest rates and reduced payments on loans. It also keeps the nation prepared for a possible economic crisis. Our thriving economy, although it cannot be fully credited to Clinton, is a result of his understanding of its delicate balance. Clinton has upheld the ideology that dates back to Adam Smith, that the government should do its best to leave the economy to itself, while also giving it little boosts along the way. Adam Smith believed that there is an invisible hand that guides and cares for the economy when there is no government intervention. Although Clinton obviously has not totally left the economy to itself, he has not made any drastic changes and has only helped the economy along its way during this time of growing prosperity. Other national issues have been improving as well, such as crime, education, and environmental concerns. We are now enjoying the lowest crime rates in 25 years, a great improvement from when President Clinton first took office in 1993, when the violent crime rate in America had more than quadrupled during previous decades. Since then, a continuous drop in crime has been in effect, more police are out on the streets, and there has been the largest gun enforcement initiative in history, targeting violent gun criminals and illegal gun traffickers. Many have actually criticized President Clinton for not doing enough to improve schooling and educational conditions in America. This, however, could not be further from the truth. The Clinton administration as put into effect the largest investment in education in thirty years. The doors of college have been opened to more Americans with increased scholarship funds and more affordable tuition fees. Clinton has also put $1.3 billion (The Clinton Record, p. 4) towards hiring more high-quality teachers and decreasing class sizes. Finally, with the Vice-Presidents leadership, the Clinton administration has increased technology availability and turned around many failing schools. Vice-President Al Gore has also taken the leading role in protecting and maintaining the environment. New standards have been issued cutting pollution from chemical plants 90% by 1997 (The Clinton Record, p. 7), requiring polluters to disclose toxic release information to the public, and accelerating toxic cleanups. The Clinton administration also developed a plan to restore and protect Florida everglades and proposed a plan to ensure long-term protection for 40-million acres of our national forests. Finally, the Clinton administration negotiated an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an environmentally strong and