American Economy, Election and Endless Wars

Abstract

Is America on a wrong track? Is the Obama administration failing to fulfill people’s aspirations and expectations for which he was put into power? Surely the U.S. economy has not recovered yet in spite of hundreds of billions of dollars that have been infused into the system. Unemployment numbers run too high, breaking all the past records in the last 25 years. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, launched by President George W. Bush during his first presidency, are still raging and have been responsible for deaths of more than 5200 U.S. soldiers and 40,000 injured, let alone deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians that got killed. The troop surges in the past year have not produced the desired outcome hoped for by the Pentagon. What chances are there that the latest request from General McChrystal for another 40,000 will succeed? Will President cave into the demand from the general or listen to his vice president who opposes the surge? Will those wars ever end? How soon? The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also at an all time high with some 35% U.S. soldiers showing the symptoms. This has resulted in many incidents of mindless violence within the American society. A recent gubernatorial election in New Jersey and Virginia had brought the Democrats back to power in those two states. President Obama’s popularity rating is also at its lowest since he soundly defeated his Republican rival in the last presidential election. This paper discusses the possible link between the election results, economy, violence and endless wars.