108 thoughts on “Things Obama has done…”

1. Misty February 6, 2011 at 4:10 pm

   I agree. He’s accomplished a lot and gets little credit for it. While it would be nice if the economy would move faster, but it’s moving and we are recovering nonetheless.

   However, in response to racism, I’m black and I do have to say that although racism is still a problem in this country and it does play a part in SOME of the hate and the criticism towards Obama (like the birthers, churcher, and some teabaggers although it’ mostly being misinformed by Fox News), I would be careful in not just assuming that all of it is based on racism (which some of it is just personal opinion, misinformation, and the desire for instant gratification in terms of job growth and the economy and the process of legislation), but saying it to them, because whether it’s true, it won’t help race relations calling people racist. It’s important to talk about race in America, but we have to do it in a way that is not partisan and where we admit we all have prejudice in some area. Every president has been disliked since the first: GW, and people have the right to not like him. So if you are dealing with people who voted for him, there were some racist who DID vote for him and there were some who didn’t because they think the’s a “secret Kenyan Muslim out to destroy America” LOL.

   But to be honest, I totally agree that all the good things that have been done in a short period of time are honestly overlooked. So far he ranks in a good place.
   1. Carol Dijkhuyzen June 12, 2011 at 2:16 pm

      One intellectual in here,thanks…Well said and well defined.
   2. 4freedom July 1, 2011 at 11:23 am

      OK, so let me get this straight. If I question the validity of Obama’s birth, or if I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America (a teabagger you say), then I am a racist? The media is the greatest tool in continuing racism in this country by putting people into “groups” and not as individuals. (aka birthers, truthers, less fortunates, etc). By you saying that certain groups are racist by their political stance alone, you are continuing the sludge that medai outlets vomit. And I do not like Obama, not because of color, but because he is an arrogant liar. He continues the Bush policies (who I think was one of the worst Presidents we have ever had). 5 wars does not = Nobel Peace Prize.
      1. Marcel Kincaid July 15, 2011 at 12:33 am

         “If I question the validity of Obama’s birth” — then you’re an ignorant and intellectually dishonest fool. “he is an arrogant liar” — that makes YOU an arrogant liar. “He continues the Bush policies” — some, but not most.
         1. Katye July 20, 2011 at 4:22 pm

            You can’t just pick out what ever quote you want from his sentence, it makes you seem like your a little kid just hearing what you want and making an arrgument out of it. Not very mature! Everyone is entiteled to their opinion, for me I don’t know where I stand with Obama, he has done both good and bad so I guess I’m nutural. My main concern is the deficit which has gone from 8.7-14 trillion dollars since 2008 which includes both Bush and Obama.
            1. Katye July 20, 2011 at 4:44 pm

               Opps I accidently double clicked, my real post is after this 🙂
         2. Katye July 20, 2011 at 4:40 pm

            You can’t just pick out what ever quote you want from his sentence, it makes you seem like your a little kid just hearing what you want and making an argument out of it. Not very mature! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, for me I don’t know where I stand with Obama, he has done both good and bad so I guess I’m neutral. My main concern is the deficit which has gone from 8.7-14 trillion dollars since 2008 which includes both Bush and Obama. Not to nock down his accomplishments but all the good Obama has done with stimulating he has also put us more in debt as a country. I hope everyone is saving because there will be no Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security for anyone after the baby boomers are all done retiring. If anyone is really trying to make the US better then you should buy American made products as often as possible especially local, save for retirement, ONLY spend money that you physically have (STOP depending on credit cards and loans), start helping the elderly now because honestly the things that contribute most to US debt is not the war but it is Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the interest being built on our National debt. These are the worst because there physically is no more money for these programs!! Like it was stated in the article Obama is not Jesus so we can’t expect everything from him, but we have to take responsibility for what is happening and be active in our communities and vote to make the changes needed to become the power of the world like America once was.
2. John February 27, 2011 at 1:20 pm

   The consequences of many of these “accomplishments” will be disastrous for the country. Here is a website which has documented what Obama has done from day one. http://www.nachumlist.com/
   1. Hallie Roberts April 28, 2011 at 8:00 am

      John, thanks for this website; it’s a wonderful resource.
3. Jim in GA February 28, 2011 at 8:51 pm

   I see someone left the door open and all the trash blew in. Detractors cannot diminnish the accomplishments of Obama any more than they can accomplish anything themselves except be a good door stop.
   The things Obama hasn’t done (YET!) are things either obstructed by the republican’ts or things left so screwed up by “W” (GITMO) that God can’t fix them. And the mutants that chose to ridicule a child and use filthy language, only THEIR mother could love, need to get on out of the country. They aren’t patriots, they’re paracites on civilized society.
   1. Jimmytruth June 3, 2011 at 10:06 pm

      Well said Jim from GA
4. Nachum March 13, 2011 at 9:16 pm

   So many lies, so little time…

   1. Saved GM? WINNING… by screwing the bondholders out of their investments and handing complete control of the company to the unions. The company’s stock is still tanking. Investigations are pending.

   2. The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? WINNING! Did the same exact thing that Bush did. Brought in Petreaus to save him after effing things up royally with his own people.

   3. Re-laxed anti-American sentiments? WINNING! What a joke. He has insulted our closest ally England and pissed them off so much that the Royals won’t invite him to their kid’s wedding. Pissed off most of Israel. The Russians laughed at him openly as he opened up our nuke locations while promising to reduce our Nukes while they built up theirs. Nobody understands his foreign policy at all.

   4. Signed the order to close Gitmo? Haw (as Charlie Sheen says… WINNING), ……oops- GITMO stays open.

   5. Environmentalism? Destroyed 26,000 oil jobs in Louisana, killed coal production, stymied new drilling for oil. WINNING! Price of gas goes over 4$, inflation brings back memories of Jimmah Carter, oh yeah, and doesn’t want to release the oil reserves. Blows billions in stimulus bucks on Green Jobs that produce….- nothing. Obama Coyote Suuuuuper Genius!

   – Oh yeah, and he killed NASA.

   Moron.
   1. wow April 7, 2011 at 5:14 pm

      You are an idiot…
      1. KC April 25, 2011 at 11:02 am

         Super Idiot. Green Jobs will save the world, but oh yea you probably won’t benefit from it in your lifetime so who cares right? There has to be a start to the pollution and destruction of our planet. Problem is everyone wants the hear and now and not think past their nose. Instant Gratification!
         1. Tony May 7, 2011 at 1:46 pm

            Global warming is a JOKE everyone. So chill out, the earth is in a warming period. Until the next ice age in how ever many years. So seriously I’m all for keeping the earth clean and pollution free but we shouldn’t sacrifice everything for it. Obama has done good and bad things, no president is perfect. But lately his own interests have taken priority over the country’s.
            One thing I think is terrible is abortion of a perfectly healthy baby. Also I have a question, when someone kills a pregnant women they are charged with two murders, but according to some liberal people a baby/fetus doesn’t qualify as a real being.So its okay to have an abortion… thats messed up right??
            1. erin May 19, 2011 at 3:57 pm

               global warming/ climate change….wake up tony environmental issues are a bit more than that. continually worsening air and ground pollution, the garbage patch sitting in the middle of the pacific ocean, I can go on and on and on. Oh and I assume that you have adopted several children because as a woman who does not want children (and is doing everything in her power to avoid becoming pregnant) I would need for someone to adopt my unwanted child. Because I don’t want one. And for some reason if i somehow get raped and impregnated I will notify you. for sure.
            2. Jimmytruth June 3, 2011 at 9:52 pm

               First of all Tony, anyone who thinks global warming is a joke hasn’t looked at hard facts for longer than 5 minutes, yes it’s in a warming trend, but when the regions at north and south poles go up by even a few degrees, freshwater ice melts and changes salinity/density of water and current will change. Thus, areas that rely on warm currents to sustain growing seasons, like California and most of Europe, will drop 15 degrees. Alot of change like this can spawn mild ice ages. There would be a huge effect on food supply as well as population migration. This is just one of the Many things that have already started and poles are melting at rates never seen in a hundred thousand years or more. Thanks to ice core analysis. A pretty new technology that has indisputably proven itself in the last few years. So you are very wrong my friend. Very, very wrong. And as far as your abortion argument. The reason someone is charged with double murder when they kill a pregnant woman is because normally she intends to have, love, raise that child. All u conservative bible beaters don’t and haven’t walked a mile in the shoes of a person faced with this very hard decision. 90% of women who have an abortion say it was the hardest thing they have ever done. And many of those are not healthy babies. Tests can now determine if a child will be born with deformities or severe handicaps, this would put parents in a position to raise a child that will cost more than FIVE healthy children. And since republicans are soooo against public option, this guarantees financial hardship for the entire family, especially if they do not have insurance or if there insurance company decides to drop them once they hear the news of the “bad risk” baby. Even with good insurance and the right parents, insurance never covers alot of it. And in cases of incest, rape, or life threatening labor and delivery, what decision would you make? If Your wife and mother of 3 wonderful kids was on surgeons table and you had to decide between her or child number 4…to go home and say to your 3 kids that mommy died and daddy is going to raise new baby and quit work to care for the four of them. Or worse, work 2 jobs and pay $1500mth for day care so a stranger can raise them. Just because you can’t find a reason dosnt mean there isn’t one. I can think of ten stories/reasons why the big government Tea baggers are so afraid of shouldn’t be able to make decision for you. Any why do republicans talk about family values like they are all high and mighty, because most of them are selfish, uneducated, gullible, sheltered, phobia ridden biggots that think and act like the fat kid under the piñata, like the self deserving “I have mine, fuck you” attitude about who gets what and how they know what is important. They want other to have it harder than they do so they can say they made It further, higher, faster than the other guy. When really, they had controlling parents that sheltered them in a bubble so they could hate any shade of brown. Grow up and go back to school Tony. I’m sure there is a tennis match and an “eight ball” somewhere with your name on it.
            3. Katye July 20, 2011 at 5:24 pm

               Preach it brother 😉 A good real world example of how abortion is beneficial is that in Romania in 1966 abortions were made illegal because they wanted to double the workforce. They enforced these policies and forced the women to have these unwanted babies. It was no surprise that all of these unwanted babies grew up feeling neglected and unwanted and as a result crime went up in Romania as the children got older. There is also an example in New York how abortion was legalized in 1973 (nationally) and crime rates fell in the 1990’s as a result. This would have been when all the unwanted babies of New York were at their prime time to commit crimes. It is a fact that most adults who commit crimes came from a broken home where as children they were neglected, unwanted, beaten, molested, or raped. Abortions are unwanted in countries that are not developed and as a result they stay that way. They have over crowding, low quality education, more pollution, more violence, and civil wars. This may sound extreme but abortions really are a sign of a country that is in the front lines of development and technology. This is because abortions lead to better upbringings resulting in a more educated, strong and loved population of people who vote and work hard making that country better.
            4. Gabby July 22, 2011 at 11:03 pm

               I just had to say I completely agree with your comment. Last Spring I traveled to Italy for a study abroad program and our instructor talked to us about how Europeans see us Americans as very ignorant because we don’t face the facts of global warming and other issues.

               Also about abortion. In Italy abortion is legal, which surprised me because the Vatican is there and Italy is a very Roman Catholic country. Italians are not fighting with one another to make abortion illegal. They leave it alone and move on to other issues.

               Like you said Jimmy, people need to wake up and see that global warming is an actual problem, so we don’t hit that point of no return later on.

               Lastly, I have to say studying abroad really helped me open my eyes to issues I didn’t pay attention to. It showed a different perspective from beyond our borders.
            5. Jake July 1, 2011 at 11:10 pm

               Tony, scientists far more smarter than me and you, took into account the ice ages and warming period. we just take info what smart people write and tell other people about it and act like were the ones who discovered global warming.etc and regarding the baby fetus’s obama is just doing the logical thing it may not be heart felt and personally i don’t agree fully with it. but if the population keeps climbing we’re going to be screwed.
         2. Kat June 27, 2011 at 9:24 am

            Oh please the destruction of our world is not coming anytime soon… We have survived hundreds and hundreds of years. From the creation of humanity through the dark ages and through to present day. What makes you think this world is going to be destroyed by the humans that inhabit it and have inhabited it for over a thousand years.
            1. Charlie July 2, 2011 at 9:45 am

               Kat,

               The fact that you think people have only been around for “hundreds and hundreds of years” proves your complete ignorance. Anyone with any sense in their head knows that people have been around for many, many thousands of years. Even you precious bible tells of people from thousands of years ago. Bible beaters like you are the reason that smart, educated people like me have to live in a world filled with ignorant, short sighted bigots that think we live in a theocracy. Do everyone a favor and leave your ignorance in your pew at church where it belongs.
            2. matt July 14, 2011 at 10:07 am

               what point do you prove? being so smart you should be able to present data rather than insults.
            3. Katye July 20, 2011 at 5:26 pm

               Agree
            4. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:09 pm

               Actually we are currently in the 6th mass extinction which is man made! Things we have done are; destruction of ecosystems,
               overexploitation of species and natural resources, human overpopulation, the spread of agriculture and pollution just to name a few. There are 2 phases to this extinction, phase one began when the first modern humans began to disperse to different parts of the world about 100,000 years ago. Phase Two began about 10,000 years ago when humans turned to agriculture.

               A few examples of threatened animals are amphibians. No group of animals has a higher rate of endangerment than amphibians. Scientists estimate that a third or more of all the roughly 6,300 known species of amphibians are at risk of extinction. Another is plants, through photosynthesis, plants provide the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat and are thus the foundation of most life on Earth. They’re also the source of a majority of medicines in use today. Of the more than 300,000 known species of plants, the IUCN has evaluated only 12,914 species, finding that about 68 percent of evaluated plant species are threatened with extinction. There are many more species but I wanted to give the less thought about but most important of what human kind is threatening.

               Some of the animals we have killed off are Dodo birds, Mammoths, Baiji River Dolphin, Tecopa Pupfish, Javan Tiger, Bubal Hartebeest, Caribbean Monk Seal, Passenger Pigeon, Quagga and Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger). This isn’t all of them by a long shot and I’m not including any plants in this list.
      2. Lespomms July 14, 2011 at 7:50 am

         I love how nobody directly refutes any of Nachum’s claims. Instead the Obama-Lovers just call him an idiot and people side-track over to “global warming”.
   2. hmm May 1, 2011 at 11:52 am

      Only a true intellectual would quote charlie sheen at the end of his arguments. Genius.
   3. Misty June 16, 2011 at 11:59 am

      Nachum,

      Although I feel you should have left off the “winning” statement at the beginning of your point (turns people away immediately before they even read your post…), you do hit the nail on the head, my friend. The “accomplishments” that are touted in this article will ruin our great country. Of course, as all things, we will not see the repercussions until later down the line. Obviously (socialist) Health Care is a horrible idea…anyone that thinks we should provide insurance to everyone is a fool. We cannot give everyone something just because we want to or because it makes us feel better. Of course, in a utopian society, we would all have health benefits. It is not a matter of wether or not these people “deserve” benefits, it is just not plausible! The problem is that benefits “COST” something…meaning someone, SOMEONE, has to pay for them. Ugghhh, that would be all the hard working American citizens. Well, I can barely afford my insurance to pay for the family I have…I don’t have any extra money to help those who do not work, or are here illegaly…even if I wanted to! My responsibility is to my family first. I have insurance because I have a job (in education)…at least for a few months…because now, thanks to our Federal Government cutting Perkins funding by $137 MILLION, I will be out of a job (fortunately for me my husband is not in education and we will be picked up on his insurance). Which I acutally laughed out loud at #58…yeah, Obama’s definitely helping education. There are so many teachers being laid off right now…I just can’t even respond to that. Although, I must admit…I didn’t read every point you made (couldn’t stomach it), but I am hoping that you wrote this article within 6 months to a year of Obama coming into office, or I would sure hope you would have made some type of retraction by now…the truth will be revealed one day, no doubt, and I sure am grateful that I am on the right side of truth.
      1. ItsJustMeOK July 7, 2011 at 4:59 pm

         If you honestly think that ANYTHING Obama has done is “socialist”, then you have absolutely no idea what that word actually means. Socialism is a governing system in which the distribution of goods and services is determined BY THE PEOPLE. Not by corporations. Not by some government agency. Not by a “leader”. Socialism is essentially a form of Democracy, since it is the people as a whole who decide distribution of goods and services. I can’t name a single thing that Obama (or Bush, or Clinton, or Bush Sr, or Regan, or…hell, any president in the last 30 years) that has done anything to move closer to a system where the people control the resources (a.k.a., Socialism). Whether you agree with the Health Care Reform Bill that passed or not, calling it “socialism” shows that you are using words without knowing what they mean. You really should at least make an effort to find out what something actually is before you object to it.
   4. Kat June 27, 2011 at 10:23 am

      And you left out he funds Abortion. Any human being on this earth was born from someone and if they had the decencies to even give birth to that child and live with their mistakes instead of killing that child they’ll find that he or she can be blessings not mistakes.
      1. Sarah July 20, 2011 at 1:32 pm

         My friend of mine was gang raped by 4 monsters. She got pregnant. She had an abortion. She never thinks about that thing that was growing inside of her shes to busy having nightmares about the rape sha had to endure for 2 hours. Do you really think she would have made it 9 months carrying a child that was spawned from something that horrible. I would really love to hear your answer.
5. Bruce April 4, 2011 at 5:13 am

   These are things that he HAS done, but very few of them are actually “good” things.
6. what are you talking about? April 7, 2011 at 12:34 am

   Wow i cant believe someone compiled a list of things that obama has supposidly done when he hasnt accomplished a single one of those things.. Unemployment rates are way up, underemployment is much much higher, and the war still rages on with the addition of the libyan war. and you idiots honestly believe obama has done good? the government is on the verge of a shutdown in many areas because obama hasnt done a single thing. he is a good talker but thats about it. none of this has anything to do with color so the people who are defensive about their black president please shut the hell up. he is just as bad as bush. he has failed to follow through with any of these “changes” that were promised. he is just an empty sack of lies who has no idea what he is doing. sure McCain was old but wisdom comes with age. this new generation of kids have something severely wrong with their brains. im sure it was because of all the drugs you elderly retards did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. think about that, 3 decades of nothing but drugging? that obviously has had an effect on this shithole of a nation. this generation that sadly im apart of needs to grow the fuck up and quit bein ignorant about having a black president. you all voted for him because he was black, not his qualifications. McCain clearly outclassed him and has had way more experience in every aspect of presidency, but no the people wanted a black president instead of the best qualifying president. take in mind color has no meaning to me, but to the rest of the world thats all that matters. My generation needs to get some kind of intelligence and the ages 30s and up generations need to keep that drug ridden brain under a helmet because you are mentally retarded from the drugs that have fried your brain. gather the FACTS and you will understand my point of view.
   Thanks for your time,
   Fuck off
   1. Sure, whatever. April 13, 2011 at 8:42 pm

      Unemployment rates are actually down, right off the bat, below 9 points. And although he’s spent almost as much as bush “only” 1 trillion of it has made it into a short term deficit, which many economists say will pay off in the long run. This is compared to how bush made us lose 8 trillion dollars. So right there are already two problems with that little rant.
      1. Nachum April 15, 2011 at 4:42 pm

         Dear Sure, whatever,

         Unemployment rates are down to 9%… whoa that so… awful. But wait a minute… today, youth unemployment was at only… 25%! WINNING You know, Bush did spend a trillion in 8 years and Obama spent… 4 trillion in two years. WINNING! You genius, you sure got us all there. He is managing our money so well that he is trying to raise taxes again. Let’s see… he spend 600 million in the first week in Libya…. wait a minute… could he have gone to war without going to congress? Why yes he did! WINNING Now we are in three wars. Good job Obama Coyote Suuuper Genius! That sure is saving us all money.

         not.
         1. hmm May 1, 2011 at 11:53 am

            You are so smart.
         2. bob May 16, 2011 at 11:33 pm

            Dear Nachum
            just one part of your rant is worth commenting on. Going to war without aproval from congress. No presidnet has gotten aproval from congress to go to war since WW2. That means Korea, Vietnam, gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lybia, and the countless other wars we have been involved in since then have all been illegal. So don’t even try to use that argument because congress has virtually no power in when or where the president sends our troops.
            1. Nachum May 18, 2011 at 4:39 pm

               Dear bob,

               So true! Nobody bothers with the war powers act. That is why Obama has spent last week trying to figure a way out of it…

               http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/world/africa/13powers.html?_r=1

               Good thing congress has no power. They might ask him why he’s even there. Kind of like he ‘ranted’ about the war in Iraq in 2002 as a state senator.

               http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/Obama2002War.htm

               Why, I am sure glad he got us out of Iraq like he said he would. Such a “dumb war”.

               Ooops, guess we’re still there.
         3. I think so. June 30, 2011 at 10:58 am

            So youre slightly retarded, right? WINNINGLOLOLZOMGKTHNXBYE
         4. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:25 pm

            Dear Nachum,
            you seem to talk a lot about mistakes I would like to hear how these issues should be fixed. I just want to see if you are actually as intelligent as you are trying to seem.

            P.S.
            Charlie Sheen is a douche and you quoting him makes you sound like a douche!
   2. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:20 pm

      For starters your a dick!! You can make your point without putting down everyone, that is if you were any good with words. Its sad that all the druggy generation has for the most part made more intelligent arguments then you just did!! By the way Hilary would have been the best choice obviously, get a clue!!
7. financing contracts April 7, 2011 at 11:59 am

   I hope youve got a stop! This is one of the best blogs Ive ever examine. Youve got some mad skill here, man. I just hope that you choose to dont lose your form because youre definitely one of the coolest bloggers out at this time there. Please keep it up as the internet needs someone such as you spreading the word.
   1. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:29 pm

      Friends don’t let friends type drunk!
8. Chrissy April 9, 2011 at 10:02 am

   a lot of these are repeated several times and lol yes he might have done the stuff but it’s failed. Even the bailouts failed. Why people think to credit him with success after 3 and almost a half yrs of failure is beyond me.Esp when he has called the Reformed healthcare program ObamaCare and not American something other. I don’t agree even with the health care reform anyway but still. If it’s an American government run program it better have America in it some where. It’s not his personal health insurance company. Lol I guarantee his insurance is way better then what he’s giving us. Also look at how many people are trying to back out of half of what he’s put in place in the last 3 and a half yrs. The American dollar is losing it’s value and it’s been recognized world wide. plus how can we afford to loan anyone money when we don’t have it to loan? How can we give more to programs when we don’t have money to give it? Do you go out and Take out huge loans to loan people the money and put yourself in debt not only for the amount you borrowed but now to double it by giving it away and not paying your bills? Do you give people free money that never get’s paid back when you don’t have it to give? Use some common sense at least on some of this stuff.
   1. Sure, whatever. April 13, 2011 at 8:53 pm

      ObamaCare was coined by FOX, the bill’s name is Patient Affordable Care protection Act or something like that.
9. GOOD JOB April 11, 2011 at 10:42 am

   nice….so all you did was write 5 things he did. then turn around and say them all again, just re-wording them.
   1. Misty June 16, 2011 at 12:03 pm

      Hilarious! That is EXACTLY what I thought when I started reading this…which is why I skimmed most of it.
10. kmbruhn April 19, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    If you read through the entire list, there are quite a few items that are listed 23 times each. This makes the list of 100 much less than that. The President cannot take credit for all of these items. Many of them were in progress well before he took office. No one person can accomplish all of this on their own, it takes a lot of cooperation with others. And many of these items were the brain child of someone other than Obama. Whether he accomplished all of this or not, it does not FEEL like he accomplished anything. In my world it appears that we are in worse shape than we were when he first took office. And as in the case of most of us, it is ‘our’ world that is important to the individual.
11. David Stapleford April 30, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    I’d like to say that about 90% of the “Accomplishments” you listed for Obamma are INTIRELY Fictional of False!!! The other 10% are the things that either make America less safe, A JOKE to the rest of the world, or are the reason for the Highest UN-Employment rate since THE GREAT DEPRESSION!!! Socialism has Destroyed all the Economys of Europe!!! What makes people think It’ll work for the U.S.A.??? 2012 we need either Palin/Gingrich or Gingrich/Palin???
    1. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:38 pm

       I was following you until you tried to make a comparison to the Great Depression. The great depression was a terrible time and I’m sick of everyone with their IPhones and personal laptops comparing this recession to the depression! This is where America was on its way to becoming a third world (it obviously never went that far, but it was on its way). The recession and the great depression are not even in the same ball park, its like comparing apples to oranges.
12. wow May 1, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    wait- how is obama supposed to decrease unemployment untill people get off their lazy ass butts and stop faking like they are hurt? hes fixing all of bush’s mistakes. we were in a recession before obama got in office. its a shame people focus on the bad instead of the good that he is doing. if people dont pay their taxes, aka people that are self employed and have their own businesses aka most of them with a high income, what do you think will happen. and i would like to know what do u think obama should do? knock on their doors asking them for change? psh wow…its not the president, its the people. EDUCATION, idiots dont take advantage of it and abuse the system. why would anyone want to fund public schools if the kids dont even want to be there? HEALTHCARE – millions of people claim they dont make enough money so they get welfare. Welfare actual has a limit on the number of hours you can work to be on it. so what do you think people do? decrease their hours at the local walmart so they can sit on there asses the rest of the time, collect food stamps and get free health care. I dont know! maybe im wrong buttttt it just seems alll too peculiar to me.
    1. kim May 2, 2011 at 11:11 pm

       THank you this is the best comment on here. When do amerricans take responsbitlity for themseleves??????????????????
       1. Lazy American May 3, 2011 at 11:15 pm

          Unemployment is counted by the people who are actively searching for jobs, not those who sit on their ASS all day long
          1. erin May 19, 2011 at 4:10 pm

             hahah that is hilarious. apparently you have not been down to costa rica lately where I met so many people that are sitting poolside collecting unemployment it made me ill. They were actively searching for their next cocktail.
             1. Steve May 31, 2011 at 1:13 pm

                yes, there may be people who abuse and exploit unemployment, but there are many more people who are trying and trying to get a job but cant find one because there are no jobs. those people are the reason we have the program in the first place.
          2. Misty June 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

             Obviously you don’t get out much. There are a LOT of people that are bilking unemployment. Sure it was designed years ago to help those who are out of work, but are searching for employment. Wake up. The generation that created unemployment benefits is no longer the primary generation receiving those benefits. Our society has become apathetic, decencitized, and immoral. Everything is “right” if someone, somewhere says it is. No one can share their opinion if it goes against the politically correct agenda…b/c then they’re considered racist, or a religious hypocrite, etc…The point is this, Obama has not raised employment rates…in fact, unemployment rates are somewhere near the Great Depression now. And, if you noticed my earlier post, I’m in (for a few months) education, which Obama has cut spending for; therefore, I will be claiming unemployment very soon. Something I NEVER imagined doing (I have a Masters degree in Business) and have worked for the same school for 10 1/2 years. But, other than ObamaCare, his primary focus is balancing the budget that he has helped expand through ridiculous programs (that didn’t work) like the auto bailout. However, I too, will be looking for work soon and claiming unemployment…which I probably won’t be able to find a job for a while since Obama’s focus is not on education. You see, Obama needs a refresher course on what “balancing” means…both sides of the equation should be the same. However, since he has slashed education, and in my surrounding district alone over 500 teachers have lost their jobs in the last six months, the budget will not be balanced. In fact, those in education (like myself) will be claiming unemployment…so you see, all the money his budget is “gaining” from the cuts to education, will be made up in the cost of unemployment next year. Brilliant. So now, he has the country continuing in it’s current deficit, with fewer people working. Genius.
    2. Katye July 20, 2011 at 6:49 pm

       I agree Americans need to take responsibility but your examples make you sound ignorant! Walmart doesn’t hire full time workers (besides management) so they don’t have to pay their workers benefits, so its not that they ask for less hours they just aren’t given them. It is also very ignorant to assume that people want to be on welfare, most of the older generation on it have more pride at stake then our gimme generation does. They are on welfare because they have to be and most of them are ashamed of it! The small amount of people who give people on these programs a bad reputation are just that, a small amount but are hyped up. Our generation needs to step it up and just do what needs to be done without making people feel like shit who are already hating life!!!
13. laughing May 2, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    10. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles

    81. Provided attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles.
    1. Jeff May 3, 2011 at 9:35 am

       hhahahahah

       this is my favorite though

       37. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses

       thanks obama?
14. Mo May 2, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    So why can’t you hater’s leave him alone? You try running the fucking country in a state like this. We’d all have killed ourselves by now you idiots. At least give him a little credit, its more that whatever you do.
    1. Kat June 27, 2011 at 9:45 am

       Wow a lot of the people posting on this blog probably had voted for him and when they saw what he was doing turned on him in an instant.
       1. UncleMonkey June 28, 2011 at 12:49 pm

          I didn’t vote for Obummer but anyone who did has the right to turn on him, don’t they?
15. Joker May 4, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    Ok, like everybody said, you repeated several items on the list. I can understand wanting to pad it out a bit, but at least try to make it less obvious.

    Reading through your list I found myself asking the question “in what way?” to several of your points. In what way did he save wall street? A failed stimulus package? How do we know that wall street’s recovery was related to anything he did?

    In what way did he improve Foreign relations? There are many people that still the us. The difference is now we are a laughingstock in many places as well. And getting snubbed from the royal wedding. Yep. Relations are tighter then ever.

    HEALTHCARE REFORM why the hell is this capitalized like it’s important? Obama himself admitted that 80% of the nation were happy with their coverage. In what way is an 80% approval rating terms for a crisis? What would a 44% approval rating be, friggin’ Armageddon knocking on our door? I know that it isn’t the best system and there are things that can be done to improve it but socialized healthcare? I’ve had professors and doctors of economics give out entire lectures way before Obama was even running for office that explained why socialized healthcare was a terrible idea.

    First latin a supreme court member. Who cares? What precedent did this set? Nobody got famous for the first black supreme court member (Lyndon Johnson- appointed Thurgood Marshall), so why is this being touted for Obama?

    For his campaign promises…well, Gitmo is still open, his first stab at healthcare was unconstitutional (after watering it down), and he deployed more soldiers…..when he promised withdrawal.

    I’m not saying he’s worse then Bush (dear God that guy could screw things up), but I am saying he’s nowhere near as ecffective as people give him credit for. Besides, any accomplishment he makes is going to be hard pressed to beat cheney’s all-time best in my book: not only did he shoot a guy on the face with a shotgun and not do time, but to then have the balls to get that guy to apologize to him ON TV NO LESS for emotional damage done. I wish I could pull off something like that.
16. vadakkus May 7, 2011 at 2:46 am

    109. Killed Osama Bin Laden
17. Mrs.Jessie May 12, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    If President Obama didn’t have to fight the republicans for every little inch of progress the country would be futher ahead. If there could be no more lobbies,the country would be right to all people.If all politian had to have medicare, instead of the best insurance that we the peopla are paying for, where would the fight be ? If all politian pay was cut like they cut every thing else the budget would balance itself.
18. elliot fisher May 14, 2011 at 8:22 pm

    all i really have to say is this: ok, obama sucks….who you suggest replace him? who is capable of doing more than raping the american people. a lot of people talk good shit but can’t seem to walk that shit. and for the dude riding charlie sheen’s nuts with the ‘winning’ inclusive…..why don’t you win these buts deep in the sockets of your jaws, genius.
19. elliot fisher May 14, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    all i really have to say is this: ok, obama sucks….who you suggest replace him? who is capable of doing more than raping the american people. a lot of people talk good shit but can’t seem to walk that shit. and for the dude riding charlie sheen’s nuts with the ‘winning’ inclusive…..why don’t you win these nuts deep in the sockets of your jaws, genius.
20. Nana May 15, 2011 at 10:54 am

    Sorry folks I believe that Obama has yet to show a real birth certificate he went over sea’s to campagin no President does that.His wife said in a video on5-20008 that we must forget about our culture and history. Her theises was very basis.He lied about Bill Aryers not knowing him and he had a party for obama when he ran for senator in chicago and worked with him on the woods fun that is handle by acorn he gave a lot of money to the fund . He hung with tony reszko a fraud and bad person took money from him and put it in a chartiy . He and his wife have spent more of our money on extravagant parties and trips,they go some where and give our money to them by the thousands no president has done any of that anda noble prize name put in after 11 days some one brought it for him if any deserved that prize it was reagan for getting the wall down .obama is treating every one real good now in some ways only to get eleted again then the commy’s he hangs with in the seiu will take over .He has let so many Uuslim and illigals in to america and they are trying to take it over you get sharia and ilamic law in you will be parying 5 times a day and have to dress like them and have spnish as your official language so keep thnking his on our side he has already removed our flags from the conference room and as the latiinos said we don’t want the american flag there when we come and that means every where so do you want to keep rewarding people that come here and take jobs that alot of our people could be working at and then the illegals from mexico and over seas could of have what was left he wants votes to win again but he has done a lto wrong now he is going to drill in alaska but not in the gulf of california and put our oil people to work at one point he was going to give alaska to russia wonder if he’ll do that when he is eleted he and others that clain they love california and america sure aren’t showing it what our your children being taught in school and read back in history of whom the mexicans which were spanish called then took all this land by force and their mad at us for taking it with a treatie and our presidents have sent them money for yrs they should go back home and clean up the mess they made their by having to mooany children and we’ve put billions into california and america and now they want it no dream acts nor amnsety or reparation totalization agreements and redestiburtion’s thats moeny coming away from our childrens schooling and the old people keeing them with help and those that are middle class that don’t get a rise from or union retirement or our ss but yet they want to give that to the latinos wake up folks your being blinded by his smooth ways and because they like to party and be a king of the worl he will never be a jesuse so don’t use that name for him or any one that thinks more of their way of living and taking from the people and he just started caring about our military on july 4 of 2010 before that he didn’t care about them but he still isn’t giving them much money he’d rather give it to the un and palintsin for their military and hammas and pakinstan and rebuilding moques not helpping us. read 2-2009 were he has given emnit domaine of our land and business to china he really love this land and people in not even one monthe he did that to us . Obama may of done some good things but I am afriad that don’t make up for all the things he promised he was going to do,for the american citizens- did everything thing he promised to the mexicans and those over seas that’s the reason behingd the nobel prize. we have millions of illegals here and not one background check finger prints photos or helth records and now illiness coming back and every day you look at the news what do you hear in San Fransico and Oakland and now its spreading every where else in california the four policemen and the father and son would be alive to day with background checks and obama don’t do itclose our borders no more birth certificates for illegals look up dan stern on illgael birth certificates and read what your President wants for the latinos that will be taken away from your moeny his helth plan is loaded with more for the unions to get and those whom hmo’s prices will go up and med price and he wants so much from the middle class that won’t be able to live we will be back like our famlis live saving every penny we’ve always lived with in a buget never had millions and never will we did invest twice and sorry we did they aren’t doing a dam thing and the taxes are out rageous and obama started taxesing everyone thing and one but yet he lets certian business that back to get away with out paying their share of taxes that’s whom he’s for and certain stations that don’t tell you what he is doing with our money even when he goes out to pick up lunch we are paying for it that ‘s how greedy he is and she. so wake up before we all are under un controll including our military their will be no american it will be the third world of welfare so hoping were wrong but we seen it from 2009 to 2-2011 now it’s for the president seat againg We were DEMOCRATS THEY ALWAYS WERE FOR THE WORKING PERSON NOW THEY JUST WANT SALVES TO MAKE THEM RICHER . gOOD lUCK AND GOD BLESS OUR CHILDREN THEIR THE ONES THAT WILL BE HURTING AND NOT NO WHAT CHRISTMAS IS OR SEE GOD WE TRUST ON OUR MOENY AND IN THE COURTS AND WE WON’T HERE CHRISTMAS CAROLS MAILY RELGIOUS ONES NOT UNLESS WE PULL TOGETHER. OH YES IF BIN LADEN WAS OUT IN THE HILLS AS HE WAS WHEN BUSH AND HIS MILITARY WERE LOOKING FOR LADEN HE’D NOT HAVE HIM NOW BECUASE HE HAD TO MUCH MONEY PROTECTING HIM HE WAS LOCKED UP SINCE 2006 SO WAKE UP FOLKS.
    1. Jimmytruth June 3, 2011 at 10:24 pm

       Nana, you have serious issues with reality!
    2. Liz June 24, 2011 at 11:39 am

       Nana…. do you have the facts to back up all that you are saying? And please learn how to spell, or at least use spell check on your computer.
       1. Liz June 24, 2011 at 11:42 am

          I forgot to mention…. you also might learn how to punctuate… that’s one helluva LONG sentence you have there.
21. Tiffany May 18, 2011 at 11:02 am

    He also funded grocery stores in effort to help eliminate food deserts
22. Randall Rasmussen May 29, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    We are going deeper into debt at over 100 million dollars an hour. He and his entourage traveling the world don’t seem to have a solution or even care. All nations have been destroyed by debt.
23. Jimmytruth June 2, 2011 at 3:42 am

    Tony sounds reeeaaaallllly smart! I think it’s funny how people blame Obama for bailout, that was Bushs doing. Immigration is at a 40 year low and was just a way for Fox to scare people. GM paid back taxpayers money and it did work. We are out of Iraq for most part and Osama is dead. Obama wanted single payer health care and didn’t get it cuz of republicans fear of loss in revenue. We are listed worse than 26 other counties in infant mortalities and it has nothing to do with abortion. And abortion is Big Government that all of the tea party and bible beaters tout as there mission in life to get smaller government to happen as if government has nothing to do with their Medicare and Medicaid. Stupid are those who blindly support Anything. Obama has done an ok job considering how much obstruction he has had. And all evidence shows that universal health care works if done correctly. England still has private insurance companies, and they make a lot less money off the sick people and alot of money off rich people who refuse social plans. Get informed and then debate. “there is no intelligence in a room full of shouting”. I any one is truly wanting better for the little guy, republicans have shown decade after decade that their real agenda has been for wealthy interests. And tax breaks have never created jobs, any good economist will tell you that unemployment insurance is the largest form of true stimuli. I don’t blindly follow anything, I am not a liberal, and I make way too much to qualify for any social giveaway, yet I support Obama for not what he has done but for what I believe he intends to do. Peace to all who treat others as equals. For the rest of the blind out there. Quit watching Fox. They are no longer respected as a news source. They are for entertainment of old people and those who didn’t finish high school. Go ahead prove me wrong, but we will site sources and my sources are very good.
    1. Just a thought July 6, 2011 at 9:16 pm

       Does anyone have any idea how Many people come to America from countries with socialized healthcare bc if they don’t they will die? Canadians are waiting six months to a year for life saving brain scans that in the US would be done within hours of a head trauma. And the only reason our infant mortality rate is considered high is bc our nation is just about the only nation that considers premature infants to be viable and therefore worth counting as infants. Other countries consider preemies as non viable and therefore if they were not to survive, are simply not considered. It would be counted like more of a spontaneous abortion.
       Our system might not be perfect but it is probably the best one in the world, the problem is not bad hospitals the problem is noncompliant patients who continue to live in a way that makes them sick in spite of good medical advice. How many people refuse to quit smoking, chill with the alcohol, sit on the butts all day prompting obesity, eat junk food all day everyday, take a pill without modifying their diet? We have everything in place to help our population, the population needs to take responsibility for their poor lifestyle choices.
       And Obama is an awful president but I’m just not gonna go there… I’ll stick with this aspect of his poor policy making….
24. Jimmytruth June 2, 2011 at 4:50 am

    I would also like to add to all you republicans out there, 38% of large American corporations do not pay ANY federal income taxes and alot of them receive BILLIONS in subsidies. Where did bush send all of tax cuts again, so that we could raise unemployment rate? Cuz that is what happend. Deregulation of banking, thanks mr bush. Economic meltdown, thanks again bush. Oh and Reagan didn’t “tear down that wall” it was comin down without him. Reagan destroyed unions and fair employment in this country. He paved the way for big business and distribution of wealth to the rich in this country. Him and bush both had stock market crashes and they were very responsible for it, of coarse they won’t admit it, who would? Iraq war wasn’t on the books so bushes record looks better than it deserves. And to all those who hate immigration thanks to fox. Where did your family come from? I can trace my family to coming here in 1690s. So am I some dirty immigrants great great great grandchild? He’ll yes I am! And who are you to be so self deserving that once your family is here that they should close the borders. Maybe you should go back to England, France , poland , Switzerland , Germany, Spain or where ever they breed biggotry so well. I ask you! With immigration at a 40 year low, what else can we do? Most natural born Americans can’t pass the test to become a citizen as it is and you want the test to be harder? Also to all you abortion hatred, I know someone who was raped by their family member and chose to raise their daughter/sister so that dad/grandpa wouldn’t go to jail, and as a person against abortion she raised her daughter/sister well. Affluent family, well to do, didn’t want anyone to know about truth of grandpa. But when some ass decided to tell daughter/sis, it sparked a depression that let to the death of 4 innocent people and a family torn apart with depression and ridicule. Sometimes the best option is a very hard decision and is very sad, but necessary for other to live in harmony. Yes it is horrible when the stupid crack whore uses abortion as a means of birth control because republicans said she can’t get pill anymore from planned parenthood. Sk she does the abortion in an alley with a failed med student. A student that got denied for student loan not because his grades were anything less than impeccable but because some conserative didn’t want brilliant competition for his idiot child that grew tired of study and daddy was a senator. I payed into unemployment for years but I don’t qualify anymore and probably never will. The reason I support extensions is because I studied economics. I don’t agree with abortion any more than I agree with war. But sometimes It’s necessary for whatever reason. It will be abused by a few immoral and lay people just like anything. I still leave a bucket of candy out on halloween, and hope that only a few take more than they should. And if they do, so be it. That kid that empties the bucket into his will be fat and wont have a prom date in ten years. Karma? Maybe! Just like religion is necessary for civilized society. If people didn’t think they would be punished they would steal, kill and be lie. Well more than they do now anyway. Open your eyes and your hearts, just cuz you didn’t get something dosnt mean nobody should, just because you don’t see a reason dosnt mean someone else won’t find one. And just because you feel a certain way dosnt mean you hav to take heed to what I say. Its my opinion and you should have yours. It’s called freedom. I only write to give another perspective and to help people see that your reasoning is flawed if you have to take away from justice to solve a discomfort. Work harder if u want more money. Work less if don’t care. Do what you will. I will not judge. But don’t bitch bout someone who will work harder than you cuz he shouldn’t be able to cuz of where he is from, that I will judge you for and rightfully so. I work 80 hour weeks, and I am white, just in case it matters to you, and I’m doing great.
25. Jerry June 2, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    You people call these thing accomplishment when in fact, 90% of everything listed here is what ruined our economy and barely true. There is absolutely no reason for the government to through money at failing businesses. There is a word for that,… SOCIALISM. It sure isn’t Capitalism. Federal healthcare falls into the same category,… SOCIALISM. America is hated more and more everyday because of his failed foreign policies and has absolutely no idea how to command his armies. He throws out executive orders like candy at a parade. He has spent this country into astronomical debt and even worse, he want to spend even more. You cannot get out of debt by borrowing more. Come on guys. I have a small business and if I tried to do that, I would very quickly go bankrupt,… which is what he is doing to this country. You guys better start doing a little research instead of listening to the mainstream media. Go to the library and pick up a book. All you want is everything handed to you but a ten year old know that is not how it work.
    Just remember one thing,…”No government can give you anything that they have not first taken from someone else.”
    I know I was doing great before Obama took office and now I have sold off half my tools and all my inventory and have to fight tooth and nail just to get a small job to pay my bills. I have never asked for anything from the government. I believe in an honest day for honest pay, but am regulated to death and certainly cannot afford to let this man stay in office. I do not have time right now, but I will be happy to go through this entire list on a point by point basis with any one of you at a later date.
    1. Jimmytruth June 3, 2011 at 11:05 pm

       Jerry, socialism isn’t communism. And without Socialism there would not be a library to go to. As well as public schools, post office, highways, dams, national parks, military, museums, and so on. Imagine if you wanted to go to the grand canyon and you had to cross state lines to get there, money has to be converted, 120 turns down shirty back roads, and no gps, no Internet, no regulations that prevent private companies from filling canon with waste/garbage. And some opportunist/private owner charges you $1500 admission and all u get to do when u get there is feed your horse cuz u can’t afford to buy gas cuz rich are only ones who can afford cars. Yes that’s rite, cuz without unions you would make $2 hr and wouldn’t have weekends, lunch break, vacation time, and your 8 year old couldn’t get 2 days off work this month, wouldn’t matter if you or your child didn’t learn to read. Cuz there wouldn’t be street signs or public restrooms or even baseball, football ect. I will debate all of these with you if you don’t understand. But if you Wana save yourself the embarrassment, go to the socialist library on public trans to learn how democracy ( yes America is a democracy/republic not a capitalist society) was created in France. Yea the French started what you call socialism, and for good reason. Maybe if you knew what happend in history, you would see why you have no clue what people do to others when they make words like “freedom”,”socialism” and “democracy”. It was called…., are you ready, can u remember some big word little fella? Are u ready? “The French Revolution ” and read in the socialist library about how they lived under private capitalistic rule. “it sucked” and by-the-way, your business would be fine if u could work harder than an 8 year old in the turn of the last century, that means 80 hour weeks asshole. I am not in a union, cuz they won’t let me work as much as I do now, and that’s my choice. Self employment isn’t for everyone sissy… Oops I mean Jerry
26. JC June 23, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Wow, in reading your list I can see you are an ultra-Obama lover. HAHAHA. “SLOWED RECESSION”? What the hell is the matter with you? 13 million unemployed, 1 in 7 Americans in food stamps and you called that slowed recession? HAHAHA, you are funny. Improved relation with Russia? HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA. Saved GM? HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. More like bought it. The government owes the majority of shares of that company you…you.

    Your whole list cracks me up and only evidence your lack of understanding of politics.
27. Jim June 28, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    And yet, in spite of all of the items mentioned, the unemployment rate remains at 9%, the cost of fuel has almost doubled, the cost of food continues to rise, and there is no end in sight. I would not be too proud of the “accomplishments”.
28. Maximus July 3, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    Here’s something all these ignorant haters might find interesting.
    Here it is ! The most complete list of The 244 Accomplishments of President Barack Obama. This special list was compiled by Robert P. Watson, Ph. D., who is a presidential historian and Professor of American Studies at Lynn University. As some falsely claim ” he hasn’t done anything “….as you can plainly see by the incredible list, President Obama has OBVIOUSLY accomplished more in just 20 months than most president’s have in 8 years. And there’s MUCH work still ahead…which is why it is of VITAL importance that we work hard, through Unity…to make sure that EVERYONE we know votes on November 2….to LITERALLY Save America ! GOTV !
    The 244 ACCOMPLISHMENTS of PRESIDENT OBAMA
    ETHICS
    • Ordered the White House and all federal agencies to respect the Freedom of Information Act and overturned Bush-era limits on accessibility of federal documents (2009)
    • Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible (2009)
    • Placed limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House (2009)
    • Placed limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration (2009)
    • Signed a measure strengthening registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists (2009)
    • Ordered that lobbyists must be removed from and are no longer permitted to serve on federal and White House advisory panels and boards (2009) * Note: After saying he would not hire lobbyists, a few have been hired in the Administration
    • Companies and individuals who are delinquent on their taxes or owe back taxes are no longer allowed to bid for federal contracts (2009)
    • Initiated the “e-Rulemaking Initiative” (in cooperation with Cornell University) to allow for online public “notice and comment” of federal laws and initiatives (2010)
    • Issued the “Open Gov Directive” ordering all Cabinet departments to promote transparency and citizen participation in their policies (2010)
    • Signed extensions on banning lobbyists from serving on agency boards (2010)
    • Developed the “Do Not Pay List” with data on contractors and recipients of federal funds who are deemed to be ineligible because of fraud and abuse (2010)
    ECONOMY
    • Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) (2009) * Note: Bush was the first president since Herbert Hoover to not make infrastructure a priority
    • Authorized the US auto industry rescue plan and two GMAC rescue packages (2009)
    • Authorized the housing rescue plan and new FHA residential housing guarantees (2009)
    • Authorized a $789 billion economic stimulus plan (2009) * Note: 1/3 in tax cuts for working-class families; 1/3 to states for infrastructure projects; 1/3 to states to prevent the layoff of police officers, teachers, etc. at risk of losing their jobs because of state budget shortfalls
    • Instituted a new rule allowing the public to meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (in as quickly as one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying (2009)
    • Authorized a continuation of the US financial and banking rescue plans initiated at the end of the Bush administration and authorized TARP funds to buy “toxic assets” from failing financial institutions (2009)
    • Authorized the “Cash for Clunkers” program that stimulated auto sales and removed old, inefficient, polluting cars from the road (2009)
    • Convened a “jobs summit” to bring experts together to develop ideas for creating jobs (2009)
    • Ordered the FDIC to beef up deposit insurance (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era policy of protecting credit card companies (2009) * Note: In place of the old policy, new consumer protections were instituted and the industry’s predatory practices were banned
    • Authorized the federal government to make more loans available to small businesses and ordered lower rates for federal loans to small businesses (2009)
    • Placed a 35% tariff on Chinese tires and a few other products such as pipes after China was found to be illegally “dumping” exports below cost (2009) * Note: Clinton, Bush I, and Reagan all refused to “get tough” on China’s predatory trade practices; Bush II refused four times during his presidency
    • In November 2009, Obama extended unemployment benefits for one million workers
    and expanded coverage for some existing homeowners who are buying again (2009)
    • Called on Congress to deliver a “Jobs bill” (2010)
    • Credit card companies are prohibited from raising rates without advance notification or arbitrarily if customers are paying bills on time (2010)
    • Signed a bill to extend unemployment benefits set to expire (2010)
    • Signed historic Wall Street reform bill (2010) * Note: Designed to reregulate and end abusive practices and promote consumer protections
    • Signed the HIRE Act to stimulate the economic recovery (2010) * Note: The bill includes: tax cuts for small businesses who hire someone unemployed for at least two months; small businesses can write off their investments in equipment this year; etc.
    • National Export Initiative established to enhance federal support (technical assistance, training, trade missions, etc.) and coordination efforts to help US businesses export products and services (2010)
    • Initiatives to promote a “Wireless Broadband Revolution” (2010) * Note: Among other things, broadband is finally being considered as necessary infrastructure, with efforts to expand use, access, and spectrum…
    • Expanded agricultural credit to farmers during current economic crisis (2010)
    • Signed bill – US Manufacturing Enhancement Act (2010)
    • Signed bill – Single Family Housing Mortgage Insurance (2010)
    GOVERNANCE
    • The White House website now provides information on all economic stimulus projects and spending, along with an unprecedented amount of information on our government (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era practice of having White House staff rewrite the findings of scientific and environmental regulations and reports when they disagreed with the results (2009)
    • Limited the salaries of senior White House aides (salaries cut to $100,000) (2009)
    • Has urged Congress to adopt “Pay-Go” (whereby each dollar of spending is offset by a dollar in cuts or revenues, which was used in the `90s but abandoned in the `00s) (2010)
    • Has been holding open meetings with Republican leaders, although they complain of a lack of access and information (2010)
    • Signed the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (2010) * Note: To curb wasteful spending
    • Tasked federal agencies to develop plans for disposing of unneeded real estate and then to eliminate unnecessary or non-economical lands, properties, etc. (2010)
    TAXES
    • Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks to permit the US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs (2009) * Note: The new policy promotes in-sourcing investments to brings jobs back to the US
    • Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides small tax cuts for 95% of “working families” (2009) * Note: The tax cuts were not as big as was suggested during the 2008 campaign
    • Convened an advisory board that is looking into simplifying the tax code (2009)
    • Ordered the closing of offshore tax safe havens (for individual and business tax evaders) (2009)
    • Reduced taxes for some small businesses to stimulate the economic recovery (2009)
    • Extended the Home Buyers Credit for first-time home buyers (2009)
    • Proposed doubling the child tax credit (2010)
    • Called for the repeal of the capital gains tax for small businesses (2010)
    • Proposed rolling back the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans (2010) * Note: This would be for families earning over $250,000/year and would return their tax rates to the 1990’s level
    BUDGETING
    • Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut federal spending (2009)
    • Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify wasteful spending and practices (2009)
    • Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient (2009)
    • Overturned the Bush-era practice of not listing certain federal programs in the federal budget (2009) (2010) * Note: Bush did this (so did Reagan) in an effort to hide programs and make the budget look smaller; such “off budget” items are now included in the annual budget
    • Full appropriations for war are now included in the budget (2009) (2010) * Note: Bush did not list many of the appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, and War on Terror
    • Funds for emergency appropriations are now included in the budget (2009) (2010)
    • Proposed a three-year freeze on federal discretionary spending beginning in 2011 (2010)
    • Is in the process of cutting 120 federal programs identified as either wasteful or unnecessary (2010)
    • Established a bipartisan commission on fiscal responsibility, staffed by House and Senate members and private citizens, tasked with submitting proposals to balance the budget (2010) * Note: In the face of Republican opposition, the powers of the commission were watered down
    • Established a bipartisan commission on the future of Social Security, tasked with submitting proposals to preserve and strengthen Social Security (2010) * Note: In the face of Republican opposition, the powers of the commission were watered down
    • Cut $20 billion from federal budget and has pledged to cut at least this much every year (2010)
    • Ultimately decided to cancel planned new presidential helicopter fleet and stick with marine One (2010)
    • Freezing all discretionary spending for next three years, except on national security (2010)
    • Presidential Memoranda to freeze discretionary awards, bonuses, etc. for federal political appointees (2010)
    • Beginning to use “Pay-As-You-Go” (Pay-Go) to offset budget expenditures with budget cuts or revenue enhancements (2010)
    NATIONAL SECURITY
    • Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane (which wasn’t even used in Iraq/Afghanistan) and other outdated weapons systems (2009)
    • Announced his intention to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay (2009) * Note: The closure has been delayed due to massive opposition but it remains on the agenda.
    • Stated his interest in housing terrorists at a new federal “super max” facility in the US (2009) * Note: this has been delayed in the face of massive opposition but it remains on the agenda
    • Cut the expensive Reagan era missile defense program, saving $1.4 billion in 2010 (2009)
    • Cancelled plans to station anti-ballistic missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic (2009)
    • Replacing long-range, expensive missile systems with more efficient smaller systems (2009)
    • Increased US Navy patrols off the Somali coast in response to pirating (2009)
    • Established a new cyber security office and appointed a cyber security czar (2009)

    • Ordered the first nation-wide comprehensive cyber threat assessment (2009)
    • Instituted a new Nuclear Posture Review, revising US nuclear deterrence policy to encourage more nations to join the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (2010) * Note: Components of the policy include: a pledge to stop nuclear testing; a pledge to not build a new generation of nucs; identifying nuclear terrorism, rather than a launch from another nuclear state, as the major threat; a pledge to not use nucs on a non-nuclear state in a conventional conflict; etc.
    • Executive orders to block payment, transfers, exports, etc… of individuals and organizations support the regimes of North Korea, Iran, Somali pirates, and other foreign threats (2010)
    • Presidential Memoranda to extend certain provisions of The Trading with Enemies Act which was to expire in September 2010 (2010) * Note: This includes freezing assets and banning trade that benefits the Cuban regime; however further efforts at normalizing travel to Cuba are supported
    • Signed bill for southwest border security and increased funds and agents on the Mexican border (2010)

    • Signed the Comprehensive Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act to deal with foreign regimes like Iran and North Korea (2010)
    IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN
    • Began the phased withdrawal of US troops from Iraq (2009); continuing the withdrawal (2010)
    • Changed the US military command in the Afghan conflict (2009)
    • Tasked the Pentagon to reorganize US policy in Afghanistan; the new policy includes 30,000 additional troops deployed, priority training of Afghan forces, developing agriculture and infrastructure, limiting aerial bombing, etc. (2009)
    • Ordered the Pentagon to send additional helicopters to assist US Marine units and Special Forces in Afghanistan (2009)
    • Increased unmanned drone strikes on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date (2009)
    MILITARY & VETERANS
    • Ordered the Pentagon to cover expenses of families of fallen soldiers if they wish to be on site when the body arrives back in the US (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era “blackout” imposed on media coverage of the return of fallen US soldiers (2009) * Note: The media is now permitted to cover the story pending adherence to respectful rules and with the approval of the fallen soldier’s family
    • Ended the Bush-era “black out” policy on media coverage of war casualties (2009) * Note: Full information is now released for the first time in the War on Terror
    • Ordered better body armor to be procured for US troops (2009)
    • Funding new Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles (2009) * Note: The old Hummers were very vulnerable to roadside explosives and an alarming percentage of our soldiers lost in Iraq were on account of IEDs
    • Working to increase pay and benefits for military personnel (2009)
    • Improving housing for military personnel (2009)
    • Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses (2009)
    • Ordered that conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other neglected military hospitals be improved (2009)
    • Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military to a post-Cold War, modern fighting force (2009) * Note: Bush announced in 2001 his intention to do this but backed off the reforms after 9/11, which include: new procurement policies; increasing the size of Special Ops units; deploying new technologies; creating new cyber security units; etc.
    • Ended the Bush-era practice of awarding “no-bid” defense contracts (2009)
    • Improving benefits for veterans as well as VA staffing, information systems, etc. (2009)
    • Authorized construction of additional health centers to care for veterans (2009)
    • Suspended the Bush-era decision to purchase a fleet of Marine One helicopters from suppliers in favor of American made helicopters (2009)
    • Ordered a review of the existing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military (2010)
    • New GI Bill for returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan (2009)
    • Signed bill providing assistance for caregivers of veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan (2010) * Note: The omnibus bill does the following: Training, funding, and counseling for caregivers; promoting pilot childcare programs for women vets under treatment at the VA; independent oversight to prevent abuse; readjustment counseling for National Guard and reservist units; etc.
    • Eliminated co-payments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled (2010)
    • Fulfilled campaign promise to have combat troops (90,000) out of Iraq by August 31, 2010 (2010)
    • Established a new interagency task force to assist veterans owning small businesses (2010) * Note: The efforts include promoting federal contract opportunities, improve access to loans and capital, mentor assistance programs, etc.
    • Signed The Families of Fallen Heroes Act, which covers the moving costs of immediate family members of those lost in service (military, intelligence, and security personnel) (2010)
    RIGHTS
    • Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Bill) (2009)
    • Appointed Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina, to the Supreme Court (2009)
    • Held the first Seder in White House (2009)
    • Appointed a diverse Cabinet and diverse White House staff (2009)
    • Spoke at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization (2009)
    • Signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation that includes acts of violence against gays under the list of federal hate crimes (2009)
    • Reversed the Bush-era practice of politicizing Justice Department investigations and prosecutions against political opponents (2009)
    • Pushing for some of the 9/11 perpetrators to be tried in federal court (2009) * Note: The process has moved at a snail’s pace and, in the face of opposition, Obama has remained quiet
    • Signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Bill to provide federal research and support for treating the disease (2009)
    • Allowed the State Department of offer same-sex benefits for employees (2009)
    • Proposed that the Pentagon repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; placed a “freeze” on current efforts to remove alleged homosexuals from the military (2009)
    • After eight years of neglect, the Justice Department and EEOC are again enforcing employment discrimination laws (2009)
    • Convened the White House Tribal Nations Conference, inviting representatives from 564 federally-recognized Indian tribes (2009)
    • Provided increased school projects for Indian lands and increased funds for the Indian Health Service (2009)
    • Signed an Executive Order mandating that his Cabinet develop plans to work with and consult Indian tribes on issues impacting Indian lands (2009)
    • Commissioned a study to develop alternatives to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (2010)
    • Called for federal agencies to look into recognizing gay partnerships in terms of benefits (2010)
    • Signed an Executive Order for the President’s Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2010)
    • Increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2010)
    • Signed Executive Order to promote the federal government as a “model employer” when it comes to hiring the disabled (2010) * Note: This includes new efforts to increase the recruitment, hiring, and training for the disabled
    • Programs to assist Spanish speakers with the US Census (2010)
    • Elena Kagen appointed to Supreme Court (2010)
    • Tasked all federal agencies to develop new strategies to address HIV/AIDS (2010)
    • After organizing studies on the topic in 2009, tasked the Pentagon to eliminate “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (2010)
    • Signed Fair Sentencing Act (2010) * Note: The Administration continues to deescalate marijuana interdiction and raids; increased dramatically the amount of cocaine one must possess to be sentenced to jail; eliminated mandatory sentencing for first-time drug abusers and simple possession
    EDUCATION
    • Authorized construction funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access in K-12 public schools (2009)
    • Increased funding for school construction (2009)
    • Increased funding available for student loans (2009)
    • Expanded the national youth service program (2009)
    • Streamlined the federal student loan process to save $87 billion over the next 10 years (2009)
    • Changed the rule to allow students struggling to make college loan payments to refinance their loans (2009)
    • Beginning discussions with Congress for education reform (2009) * Note: Much of Obama’s education reform has been sidelined by opposition in Congress
    • Initiated a “Race to the Top” competitive federal grant program for states who develop innovative policies (2009)
    • Instituted a “judgment review” allowing families with student loans to petition to have their current financial status determine the loan rather than the previous year’s finances (2009)
    • Launched “Educate to Innovate,” a public/private partnership making $236 million available for science, mathematics, and technology education programs (2009)
    • Proposed capping the maximum amount students must pay on student loans (as percentage of their income) (2010)
    • Proposed reducing student loan obligations for individuals going to work in community and public service jobs (2010)
    • The federal government will offer direct student loans, cutting out the cost of private banks (“middle man”) who increase the costs in order to make a profit (2010)
    • Increased investment in technologies for schools/education (2010)
    DISASTER RESPONSE
    • Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness (2009)
    • FEMA once again reports directly to the president (2009) * Note: Bush removed FEMA (prior to the Hurricane Katrina disaster) from this status
    • Demonstrated an immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters (2009)
    • Ordered that funds be released and red tape be streamlined for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina recovery effort in the Gulf Coast (2009)
    • Timely and massive relief effort in response to the January 2010 earthquake and ensuing humanitarian crisis (2010)
    Components of the response:
    – The FBI’s National Center for Disaster Fraud was tasked to look into possible fraud with organizations soliciting funds for relief
    – Announced the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund
    – Established an emergency Haiti Task Force in the State Department
    – Established a website with information, resources, and a posting of a “person finder” online to help families and friends to locate loved ones
    – Joint aid and relief planning with the U.K.
    – Sponsored a resolution in the UN Security Council for additional security and police forces in Haiti
    – Dispatched the US Navy floating hospital (USNS Comfort) and, within 5 days, 9 naval and relief ships, 5 Coast Guard cutters, 8 Coast Guard aircraft, and 12,000 US military personnel
    – Initial dispatch of several ships and cargo planes full of humanitarian aid and supplies, 6 search/rescue teams (500 personnel), and 265 Department of Health & Human Services personnel for emergency medical and aid support
    – Established a mobile US air traffic control center at the destroyed airport in Port-au-Prince
    • After the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a freeze was placed on new deep water projects (2010)
    • Executive Order to establish new security measures to minimize accidental release of bio and chemical agents; new strategies for public health and bioterrorism response (2010)
    • Established a national commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon spill to examine facts and report a plan of action; new efforts to prevent offshore spills (2010)
    • After a slow start in responding to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the White House is promoting a long-term plan to reconstruct the damaged Gulf and negotiated with BP the establishment of a multi-billion dollar trust fund for victims of the spill (2010)
    • Extended national flood insurance program for those in need during current economic crisis (2010)
    OTHER INITIATIVES
    • New federal funding for science and research labs (2009)
    • Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program (2009)
    • Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program (2009)
    • Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud (2009)
    • Ordered the DEA to stop raids on medical marijuana usage (2009)
    • Ordered a review of existing “mandatory minimum” prison sentencing (2009)
    • Signed an order to limit airport tarmac delays and the time passengers had to sit in the plane/on the tarmac during delays (2009)
    • Restored the EPA to “Cabinet level” status (2009) * Note: Bush removed the EPA from this status
    • Beginning discussions with Congress for comprehensive immigration reform (2010)
    * Note: Much of Obama’s immigration reform had been stalled by opposition in Congress
    • Commissioned expert panels and reports from NASA; announced a new direction for human space flight that involves funding a new heavy lift-launcher and jettisoning the Ares 1 program; boosting NASA’s budget by $1 billion in 2011 (2010)
    • Ordered a ban on text-messaging for all commercial truck and bus drivers (2010)
    • Signed bill – FAA Air Transportaiton Modernizatin and Safety Improvement Act (2010)
    FOREIGN POLICY
    • Closed the Bush-era “secret detention” facilities in Eastern Europe (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era policy allowing “enhanced interrogation” (torture); the US is again in compliance with Geneva Convention standards (2009) * Note: Obama has permitted some controversial interrogation techniques to continue
    • Restarted international nuclear non-proliferation talks and reestablished international nuclear inspection protocols (2009) * Note: Bush withdrew from non-proliferation talks and dismantled the inspection infrastructure
    • Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic (2009) * Note: These were suspended under Bush
    • Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions (2009) * Note: These were suspended under Bush
    • Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office (2009)
    • Banned the export of cluster bombs (2009)
    • Overturned Bush-era plans to increase the US nuclear arsenal (2009)
    • Authorized the Navy SEALS operation that freed by force the US shipping captain held by Somali pirates (2009)
    • Restored the US commitment to the UN population fund for family planning; overturned the ban on providing funds internationally for family planning (2009) * Note: The family planning efforts were suspended under Bush
    • Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit families (2009)
    • Extended an offer of engagement (free from sanctions and penalties) to Iran through December 31, 2009 (Iran did not accept the offer) (2009)
    • Sent envoys to the Middle East and other parts of the world, reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy (2009)
    • Authorized discussions with North Korea and the private mission by former president, Bill Clinton, to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons (2009)
    • Authorized discussions with Myanmar and the mission by Senator Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive (2009)
    • Renewed loan guarantees for Israel (2009)
    • Signed the USIFTA trade agreement with/for Israel (2009)
    • Authorized a $550m advance for Israel (six months prior to the scheduled date) in order to accommodate Israeli’s economic and financial needs (2009)
    • Continued agreements with Israel for cultural exchanges, immigration, etc. (2009)
    • Spoke on Arab television, spoke at an Egyptian university, and met with Arab leaders in an effort to change the tone of US-Arab relations (2009)
    • Ordered the US to finally pay its dues to the United Nations (2009)
    • Attended the Summit of America’s meeting in Trinidad and Tobago (2010)
    • Dispatched several envoys and initiated talks with numerous nations (2010)
    • Signed a nuclear limitation treaty with Russia (2010) * Note: The agreement calls for both countries to reduce their nucs by one-third (1,500) and launch systems by half (800)
    • Hosted nuclear non-proliferation summit for several nations (2010)
    • Executive Order to establish support offices in the State Department to assist the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan (2010)
    • Presidential Memoranda to continue drug interdiction support with Columbia (2010)
    HEALTHCARE
    • Removed Bush era restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research (2009)
    • Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research (2009)
    • Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children (2009)
    • Established an independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare (2009)
    • Reversed some of the Bush-era restrictions that prevented Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceutical firms for cheaper drugs, allowing government to again competitively bid (2009) * Note: Obama had promised to lift all restrictions but, while he did negotiate with drug companies for them to lower their costs the deal only lifted some restrictions
    • Expanding government vaccination programs (2009)
    • Issued new disease prevention guidelines and priorities for the CDC (2009)
    • Authorized the FDA to finally begin regulating tobacco (2009)
    • Tasked federal labs to prioritize research on and deployment of H1N1 vaccines (2009)
    • Asked multiple congressional committees to bring forward a healthcare reform bill; held dozens of public hearings and town halls on the issue (2009) (2010)
    • Established a new council on National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health to be chaired by Surgeon General and charged with promoting healthy lifestyles and integrative healthcare (2010)
    • When accusations to the contrary arose, an Executive Order was signed to reaffirm that federal funds are not to be used for abortion services (2010)
    • Historic healthcare reform bill signed – $940 billion over 10 years (2010) * Note: 32 million additional Americans will receive healthcare coverage and costs will be lowered for most Americans, but many of the goals are phased in over four years
    Components of the bill
    – Prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals/family members with pre-existing health conditions; a temporary plan is being developed to cover high-risk individuals with pre-existing conditions until the full reforms go into effect in 2014
    – Prevents insurance companies from placing lifetime limits on benefits
    – Bans “rescission” so insurance companies can’t cancel coverage if individuals keep their policies current or if they become ill
    – An individual’s out-of-pocket healthcare expenses are capped
    – Closes the “donut hole” (Part D) for Medicare prescription drug coverage (under Bush, Medicare helped pay for drugs up to $2,600 and above $4,550, but individuals had to pay 100% of the costs in between these amounts); now Medicare helps cover costs irrespective of the amount – seniors will now pay only 25% of drug costs up to $4,550 and only 5% of drug costs above that amount
    – In 2010, an emergency provision will offer seniors a $250 rebate on the costs incurred within the “donut hole”
    – Individuals living at or below the poverty line were eligible for healthcare under Medicaid, but by 2014 individuals/families living slightly above (making up to $14,404/$29,327) the poverty line will also be eligible for benefits
    – Individuals/families making less than $43,320/$88,200 per year will qualify for government subsidies to help purchase health insurance
    – All individuals must have health insurance or face a government fine; all large (over 50 employees) employers must offer health insurance to employees or pay a fine
    – Small businesses can get a tax credit if they offer health care
    – There are hardship exemptions if individuals can’t afford health insurance
    – Families can keep their children in college on their plans through age 26
    – Promotes health insurance “exchanges” so consumers can buy “wholesale”
    – Creates consumer assistance offices to help consumers file complaints or appeal decisions from insurance companies; beginning in 2011, insurance companies can no longer make excessive rate hikes without justification and approval, and those doing so may be barred from participating in new health insurance exchanges
    Funding sources:
    – Large employers (over 50 workers) that don’t offer health benefits will be charged a $2,000/worker fee; if the employer offers coverage but employees instead purchase federally subsidized insurance the fee is $3,000/worker receiving federal subsidies or $750/worker (whichever is lower)
    – Annual fees on pharmaceutical companies ($27 billion), health insurance companies ($60 billion), and medical device-makers ($20 billion)
    – Annual penalties on individuals who do not have health insurance (up to a maximum of $695/person)
    – Increase in the Medicare payroll tax from 1.45% to 2.35% for individuals making $200,000+ and families making $250,000+
    – 3.8% tax on unearned income for millionaires
    – Insurance companies will be subject to a tax on each high-end insurance plan (so-called “Cadillac” plans) they offer
    Miscellaneous:
    – Illegal immigrants are not eligible for insurance or subsidies
    – By Executive Order, such federal funding can’t be used for abortion
    – The federal government will assist states by covering all of the increased expenses of expanding Medicaid coverage (90% of costs after 2020)
    ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
    • Removed a ruling that now allows individual states to enact automotive fuel efficiency standards above federal standards (2009)
    • Offered attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles (2009)
    • Overturned Bush-era rule that weakened the Endangered Species Act (2009)
    • Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government (2009)
    • Ended the Bush-era policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions (2009)
    • Signed a measure requiring energy producing plants to begin producing 15% of their energy from renewable sources (2009)
    • Announced that the federal government would reengage in the long-delayed effort to clean up “Superfund” toxic waste sites (2009)
    • Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production (2009) * Note: Much of Obama’s energy reform was killed by Senate Republicans
    • Proposed a new refuge for wild mustangs (2009)
    • Cancelled several Bush-era mountain-top removal and mining permits (2009)
    • Reengaged in international treaties and agreements to protect the Antarctic (2009)
    * Note: Bush had withdrawn from such efforts
    • Asked Congress for an energy reform and “cap and trade” bill (2009) * Note: The Congress failed to pass such a bill
    • Developing plan to lease US coastal waters for wind and water-current energy production (2009)
    • Overturned Bush-era policies that allowed uranium mining near national parks such as the Grand Canyon (2009)
    • Expanded the Petrified Forest National Park (2009)
    • Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act that protects millions of acres of scenic, historic, and recreational lands and trails (2009)
    • Requiring that government buildings and facilities be retrofitted to save energy costs (2009) * Note: These green retrofits are moving very slowly
    • Authorized studies in several western states to determine how to support large-scale solar installations (2009)
    • Attended the Copenhagen talks and, after the talks were stalled, negotiated an international (voluntary) agreement on reducing carbon emissions and raising funds to assist developing nations in offsetting carbon emissions (2009)
    • Banned importation of pythons in response to a growing population of pythons damaging the Florida Everglades (2009)
    • Committing the federal government to increasing research and use of renewable, clean energy sources such as wind, biomass, etc. (2009)
    • Executive orders establishing a federal initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all federal operations (2009) (2010)
    • Called for exploring the possibility of additional off-shore oil drilling in the Gulf, Atlantic, and off Alaska (but not in ANWR) (2010)
    • Agreed to consider increases in nuclear energy production and requested a study on the feasibility of nuclear power plant construction (2010) * Note: Nearly all energy initiatives were defeated by Republican opposition in Congress
    • Increased investment in clean energy projects (2010)
    • Executive Order to develop a new strategy for and commitment to ocean and lake resources, and for scientific research on water quality (2010)
    1. Nachum July 5, 2011 at 1:39 pm

       Maximus,

       Interesting you list his first ‘accomplishment’ as respecting the FOIA. This president has had the least amount of transparency of any president in modern history. Only a mind numbed brain dead Obama zombie would even suggest that this vile disgusting lie is true. Obamaky created a cammunist style propaganda team to go on every website, news outlet, and feed to scream ‘no it’s not’ For all we know you work for the scum and Media Matters and are a paid operative of the DemocRATic Socialists of America, the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), or Media Matters (Media Rats) to throw up a pile of horse dung and scream the lie is the truth. No president in history has lied more, the only problem is that we don’t have Monica’s dress to haul his sorry traitorous carcass in front of the Senate to get impeached.

       How about that ATF gunnrunner scandal, eh Maximus? What did Obama’s people know and when did they know it? Not too transparent. A bald faced attempt to put guns in the hands of bad guys and then scream that US gun shops sold ’em to them. So far, one dead border agent and an armed robbery in ARIZONA tied to these guns. So far.

       How about meeting with people outside the White House in Washington to avoid having their names reported on the White House visitor’s log? Why did he meet with union thug Andy Stern at least 38 times in the White House (White House visitors log)

       How about that Stimulus plan? Eh Maximus, … spent $867 BILLION to get 3.6 million jobs. It only cost the taxpayers over $237,000 per job. A real bargain.

       You fool. Obama has sold you the rope to hang yourself with.

       Or should I call you ‘comrade’.
29. Robert July 8, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    Item 10 & 81…
    Whatever you do, don’t proofread, your blog.
30. socialist July 15, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    United States? Indivisable? Under God? This country is no more or less than its citizens. Personal responcibility is at an all time low. Americans by far and large are either brainwashed or uninvolved. I am repulsed by the amount of hate and intolerance I am witnessing here. The lack of tangible information from obviously uneducated individuals is indicative of the average American. Please my fellow Americans turn off the T.V. Think for yourself, but not before you take a class in political science, economics, demographics etc. I love this country and I love you. It is my hope, my prayer that we can be a diverse people without being divided. Let us find a way to come together for the good of each and every man woman and child.
31. Val July 16, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    I think a lot of people forget the base plate that made “americans”. Our ancestry is made up of people from all islands and continents, religions, and cultures. European, middle eastern, asian, christian, buddhism, islam, etc. The US was created by immigrants and those exiled from their homelands. Laws and ideas at that time are extremely different from what we are now. As people we have progressed with the times (some people, not so much). I say who cares if he’s not pure caucasian. I find most people I know who can trace their lineage back find that their line is not strictly european.

    Who we know, does not make who we are.

    Bush had 8 years to screw up the US, Obama’s only been in for 4.

    No one is ever going to agree on who is a great president, or who was a great president. There will always be someone who will differ.

    This may seem random, but I only wanted to give my 2 cents on certain particulars. Not entirely following the argument, it’s the same stuff you see everywhere.
32. Hayden July 20, 2011 at 7:24 pm

    I was reading the comments and the people that hate Obama are funny to watch!!! because!! they first said- he wasn’t form this country.. which was super stupid!!!- second they say i dont like abortion- here is my question how does that effect you? if it doesnt then shut the fuck up!!! i think its their decision!! they make their own salvation! another is they say he tore down nasa! then they say he didnt bring troops home!! well George bush put the troops in Iraq (conspiracy) Obama put them in Afghanistan which where he was found :/.. okay see how stupid you are!! oh wait im not done—- another is they talk about cutting taxes hahahhahahaha you know what would happen if you did that, you wouldnt even make it to Global warming lol so dont worry. another is they talk about Obama putting us more in debt!! okay guys here is a simple question what do you do when you pass bills?? oh spend fucking money duhh!!! lol republicans blamed Obama for gas prices even though it was the republican corporate’s that raised them for there own greedy needs. Republicans get mad if they dont get their way haha!!! there truley stupid and they complain when they have to pay there average taxes of about 50-100 dollars to get there, police, fireman, sports which is super important!! and you get all of that just for measley like 11% so i say shut the fuck up pull your biased ass out of your head and open your eyes and see that prices have gone down even thought were in more dept? hahahhah stop watching fox news and read a book!! and put knowledge behind it!! because you sound like a 12 year old when they argue
33. Hayden July 20, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    I was reading the comments and the people that hate Obama are funny to watch!!! because!! they first said- he wasn’t form this country.. which was super stupid!!!- second they say i dont like abortion- here is my question how does that effect you? if it doesnt then shut the fuck up!!! i think its their decision!! they make their own salvation! another is they say he tore down nasa! then they say he didnt bring troops home!! well George bush put the troops in Iraq (conspiracy) Obama put them in Afghanistan which where he was found :/.. okay see how stupid you are!! oh wait im not done—- another is they talk about cutting taxes hahahhahahaha you know what would happen if you did that, you wouldnt even make it to Global warming lol so dont worry. another is they talk about Obama putting us more in debt!! okay guys here is a simple question what do you do when you pass bills?? oh spend fucking money duhh!!! lol republicans blamed Obama for gas prices even though it was the republican corporate’s that raised them for there own greedy needs. Republicans get mad if they dont get their way haha!!! there truly stupid and they complain when they have to pay there average taxes of about 50-100 dollars to get there, police, fireman, sports which is super important!! and you get all of that just for measley like 11% so i say shut the fuck up pull your biased ass out of your head and open your eyes and see that prices have gone down even thought were in more dept? hahahhah stop watching fox news and read a book!! and put knowledge behind it!! because you sound like a 12 year old when they argue
    1. Joshua August 1, 2011 at 5:49 pm

       You couldn’t be more wrong.
34. zzitnojc July 25, 2011 at 10:59 pm

    Comprehension of fear and anger from all. Soon all of this will be of no concern. Concern you all… how will I survive what is put upon me. The have will loose their have. The have not will petition from an open that is now closed. MANY will not make good. Ask you… will you be the good that does? Fathom this… many will not.
35. Zach July 29, 2011 at 3:52 am

    Wow. This is a horrible list. It has some of the most open ended statements I’ve ever seen. 789$ billion dollar bailout. Yeah, fucking great, look how amazingly it worked. Yep, sure used those 789$ billion dollars though. Not gonna keep going on, but this list sucks the big one.
36. Zach July 29, 2011 at 3:52 am

    Wow. This is a horrible list. It has some of the most open ended statements I’ve ever seen. 789$ billion dollar bailout. Yeah, fucking great, look how amazingly it worked. Yep, sure used those 789$ billion dollars though. Not gonna keep going on, but this list sucks the big one.
37. Joshua July 30, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    He’s a horrible president. He hasn’t done anything worthwhile. He’s a socialist and is destroying American economy worse than it already is. The Nobel Peace prize was for nothing and the stimulus didn’t do anything but put us in deeper debt. Some things he aren’t worth mentioning, some are lies and half-truths. As a republican, I believed that the only good thing he did was beat Clinton. I was wrong….

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