President Obama is rapidly pushing for action on regulation of finance, specifically mortgages and mutual funds; and also calling for auto emission standards to raise mileage per gallon, lessen the need for foreign oil, and contribute to the fight against global warming.
The steps on regulation of mortgages and mutual funds are necessary, considering the abuses that have been going on in the finance industry, and the lack of regulation that has been endemic in the past thirty years.
At the same time, the auto industry must be pushed into higher mileage standards that will promote better cars for consumers while working on the oil importation problem and the danger of global warming.
Of course, conservatives will scream and yell that Obama is promoting socialism, and if that their charge, I say we need more of it after decades of de-regulation that have led to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. However, it is NOT socialism, but progressivism, the public interest, that is being promoted!