Considering all the coverage the media has given to Iowa caucus candidates lately, I have realized it is more important now than ever to stress the importance of re-electing President Obama to a second term.

Obama took office in the midst of an economic crisis that was not created overnight and won’t be fixed overnight. He has offered solutions to the immediate problems and saved our automotive and banking industries, which were on the brink of collapse. In doing so, he laid the foundation for a fairer economy that restores middle-class security, in which everyone plays by the same rules, and hard work and responsibility pay off.

Health care

On March 23, 2010, Obama signed arguably the most monumental piece of legislation into law: the Affordable Care Act. This health-care overhaul not only allows greater control and security over one’s health insurance, it lowers costs, increases quality of coverage, and provides many new options for millions of Americans.

The reform prohibits denying an individual insurance because of a pre-existing condition, allows young adults to remain on their parents’ plans until they reach the age of 26, and closes the Medicare doughnut hole. Seniors now also have access to free preventive-care screening for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Most importantly, insurance companies can no longer drop coverage once an individual gets sick.

Commander-in-chief

Obama fulfilled a promise from the 2008 campaign this past October when he announced that all U.S. troops will be pulled out of Iraq before the end of 2011. He also made the citizens of the world safer by overseeing the slaying of Osama bin Laden.

Economic security for young Americans

The American Jobs Act that was proposed to Congress is designed to put Americans back to work and put more money into the pockets of working Americans without adding to the nation’s debt.

The act will cut taxes for 45.5 million young Americans. It will update and repair schools — both employing Americans and investing in our future. Obama increased the amount of Pell Grants to assist students obtain a higher education to secure a place in the ever-increasing competitive global workforce. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, which gives women a legal basis to argue equal pay for equal work. He has capped student-loan repayments at 10 percent of income after college and introduced loan forgiveness for teachers, nurses, and members of the armed forces after 10 years.

Why I’m writing

I am writing this article from the viewpoint of an Iowan who has always believed that hard work and fairness will pay off. Obama and other Democrats throughout the nation are committed to protecting the security of the middle class — a socioeconomic group of which I am proud to be a member.

I was always taught that actions speak louder than words. The actions of Obama have always been made with the nation’s best interest in mind, as opposed to catering to the desires of the few wealthiest Americans and corporations.

I would like to note that I am a proud member of the Democratic Party and have been an active volunteer with Obama in the past. I say this not because I despise the GOP presidential candidates and conservatives, but because I believe in an America where hard work and responsibility do pay off. I believe in an America where women receive equal wages for the same work as men, an America where gays and lesbians can choose to protect our nation by serving in the military without protecting their true identities. I believe in an America that is dedicated to educating children and young adults to secure America’s position atop a global community. I believe in an America where an individual cannot be denied health-coverage because of a pre-existing condition or be dropped by an insurance company once they become sick.

I believe in President Obama and all he has to offer both to me personally and to our nation.

I believe in four more years.

Will Reasoner is a student at the University of Iowa.