Entry 1066 of 1104
By Blue Prevails On July 1 at 4:54 PM

President Obama has been able to accomplish a great deal since he took office in January 2009, notwithstanding the Republicans and their special interest allies who are doing everything possible to block his initiatives. They are being aided by the misinformation, lies and hatred spread by their pundits like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck and many others. Nevertheless, Congress was able to pass comprehensive health care reform, regulate investment markets, and provide additional relief for the unemployed. Furthermore, initiatives are taken for a clean energy policy to wean this country from fossil fuels thereby improving the economy, the national security, and to combat unemployment.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT

The new health insurance reform law will cover more Americans and strengthen Medicare by cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse. It will improve benefits by providing free preventive services, help control chronic diseases and closing the donut hole.

JOBS

When Obama became President, job losses were nearly 800,000 each month, and the economy was close to become a second Great Depression. With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill) of 2009, up to 2 million jobs have been funded, 95% of working families are receiving Making-Work-Pay tax credits. Also, 7 million low and moderate income students will receive a 15% increase in their Pell Grants; teachers ,firefighters and police officers were not laid off as the result of stimulus funds made available to state and local governments.

TAXATION

The right wing media make extensive revisions to US economic history; they suggest that Obama did not cut taxes. In fact, the stimulus bill included significant tax relief for individuals and businesses reducing federal taxes by almost $100 billion in 2009 and $222 billion this year. Close to 95% of all taxpayers paid less tax in2009. Americans complaining about high taxes don’t realize that they pay the lowest tax level since Harry Truman’s Presidency in 1950. Fifty years of tax cuts have benefited America’s wealthiest tax payers; they have seen their tax bill, as a share of income, drop by as much as two-thirds. During the same period taxes for the rest of us have not changed.

VETERANS

The stimulus bill will provide $1.4 billion to the VA for improvement of medical facilities including VA nursing homes and extended care facilities.

RURAL

The Obama administration will help family farmers and small rural businesses. For this purpose, the stimulus bill provides $27.6 billion to increase benefits for low-income families, $6.9 billion for rural water and waste water systems, $800 million for bio-fuel research and $700 million for farmer disaster assistance.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The Obama administration wants Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to protect our nation from serious economic and strategic risks associated with our reliance on foreign oil. More than $80 billion will be invested in clean energy projects that will jumpstart the economy and combat unemployment.

ECONOMY

The current economic crisis is the result of many years of irresponsible lending of funds for two wars, two tax cuts for the rich, and the senior prescription drug legislation (Medicare Part D). The first priority is to put Americans back to work through stimulus investments in health care, education, energy, and infrastructure projects.

RESTORING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The Obama administration is working to change the way Washington does business by cutting the deficit in half after 4 years, reviewing the budget for waste and fraud, return to a Pay-As-You-Go budgeting system, and reduce income inequality. Reforms are being planned that provide consumer financial protection from unfair and deceptive practices by the financial institutions.

WALL STREET REFORM

The most thorough financial reform passed since the Great Depression, will end bank bailouts with taxpayer’s funds, and includes the strongest consumer protections in history.

EDUCATION

High quality education for our children is critical to America’s economic future predicated on knowledge and innovation. The stimulus bill includes $5 billion for early educational programs to attain this goal.

Other bills passed and reforms initiated include:

Children’s health insurance, credit card reform, tobacco legislation, stem cell research, fair pay for women, hate crimes prevention act, restoring our reputation around the world, jobs bill, Wall Street reform, Helping Families Save Their Homes act, Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, etc.

Obama’s hard work has led to appreciable accomplishments, however, more problems need to be tackled and completed such as the high unemployment, immigration reform, two wars, and the recession; these items weigh heavily on the President. In addition he is also in crisis management in dealing with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the disciplining of the general in charge of the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.