United States Domestic Affairs & Policies

1. United States Domestic Affairs & Policies 1990-Present

2. President George H.W. Bush ran for a second term against the Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton • Clinton won the election, thanks to some help from third party candidate Ross Perot, and became the 42nd President of the United States Presidential Election of 1992

3. Clinton had big ambitions from the start of his presidency • He put his wife, Hillary, in charge of a task force to create new healthcare reform so all Americans could receive care • Clinton also helped the U.S. economy recover after recession by pushing technological advances like the internet and “dotcoms” • By 1999 the national budget was balanced and there was even a surplus Clinton’s Policies

4. In 1997 a former White House intern named Monica Lewinsky came forward and alleged that she had an affair with President Clinton • The President, under oath, denied the allegations, which turned out to be true • In 1999, for the second time in history, the President of the United States was impeached • The impeachment did not pass through the Senate and the President was acquitted The Scandal and Impeachment

5. Even though the President was not removed from office, once again the American public felt they could not trust their elected leaders • Through all the allegations of infidelity, the First Lady Hillary Clinton stood by her husband’s side and would go on to serve as a New York Senator and U.S. Secretary of State Effects of the Impeachment

6. This historic election was the closest in U.S. history • Al Gore won the popular vote, but the winner in the Electoral College depended on who won Florida • Many Florida voters failed to correctly punch their ballots, so the Supreme Court of Florida demanded a recount Presidential Election of 2000

7. The decision went to the U.S. Supreme Court where they ruled 5 to 4 that there would not be another recount in Florida, making George W. Bush the 43rd President • The ruling was controversial as some critics felt the justices voted on party lines to put a minority candidate who they favored into office Impact of 2000 Election

8. Third parties can greatly impact presidential elections • They provide the populace an additional candidate on the ballot that represents another American viewpoint, idea, and call for change from the status quo • In a close election, this person has the ability to upset the balance of power in the current system Effects of Third Parties

9. Only 8 months into George W. Bush’s first term, on September 11th, 2001 the United States endured the single worst attack in U.S. history • This led to the United States’ War on Terror that defined much of his presidency The Bush Administration

10. Bush was active in promoting educational reform and as President, he introduced the No Child Left Behind Act • This required states to test all students in English and mathematics each year from the third to eighth grade • He also wanted to reform Social Security by partially privatizing it, because of the program’s record deficit projections Bush’s Domestic Policies

11. Much of the recent population growth in the United States has been due to immigration, both legal and illegal • Some estimate that there are as many as 15 million illegal aliens now living in the United States that are not an official part of the population • There are many factors that lead to immigration to the United States Legal & Illegal Immigration

12. Causes • Push Factors: unemployment, crime, political instability, etc. • Pull Factors: employment, improved quality of life, education, etc. • Effects • Large influxes of immigrants cause rapid growth in cities • Housing; overcrowding • Multiculturalism • Strain on federal and state budgets Immigration Causes and Effects

13. There are positives and negatives to participating in international organizations • Pros- help improves economies, strengthens relationships, & promotes peace • Cons- place limits on nation’s sovereignty, involve U.S. in other’s problems, costs billions of dollars to support others • Examples of these organizations include the WTO, the United Nations, & NATO • Kyoto Protocol- treaty that was  opposed by President George W. Bush because it imposed drastic cuts in pollution, which would have cost the U.S. government billions of dollars and loss of millions of jobs International Organizations & Treaties

14. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina battered the gulf coast and brought the highest storm surge and waves ever recorded to hit the North American continent • The city of New Orleans was hit the worst Hurricane Katrina

15. The surge and waves greatly exceeded the engineering design of the New Orleans levees, which keep the city from flooding since much of it is below sea level • The levees could not hold the storm water leading to almost 80% of the city being flooded Devastation in New Orleans

16. Almost 20,000 people were trapped for days in the New Orleans’ Superdome in sweltering heat and unsanitary conditions • 1,800 people lost their lives in the flooding, making Katrina one of the deadliest natural disasters in US history Katrina Aftermath

17. At the end of Bush’s second term, the U.S. experienced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression • Overbuilding led to falling house prices, which increased interest rates on some mortgages • When homeowners failed to pay the higher mortgage, their home would be foreclosed • The federal government spent $700 billion to prevent banks from failing Financial Crisis of 2008

18. In the 2008 election the Republicans ran John McCain against democrat Barack Obama • This election was historic because it saw the first African American become President of the United States of America Presidential Election of 2008

19. Obama’s first test as President was to fix the financial crisis in the country • He and Congressional leaders agreed to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 • It was designed to create new jobs, spur economic activity, & invest in long-term infrastructure development Obama’s Policies

20. Obama is now serving his second term as President of the United States of America • Osama bin Laden is dead, but the War on Terror continues • America looks towards future problems like alternative energy sources and North Korea The United States Today