And He's Still Phat

That would be my Gov. Chris Christie.. BTW, how many times and in how many different ways does a man have to say NO, I am not ready, and I do NOT want to run for POTUS!... before the MSM and Conservatives, who are desperately seeking a viable candidate for a 2012 win,  give up and accept the fact the phatty knows he could not beat  President Obama?

So Christie spoke at the Reagan Library and just like most conservative/teabagger/republicans, he was rude, demeaning, and disrespectful of  President Obama, while heaping on praise to dead man Ronald Reagan...
One of the big applause lines in Christies speech was when he attacked the president because of his proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy. Here's what Christie said:  "Telling those who are scared and struggling that the only way their lives can get better is to diminish the success of others. Trying to cynically convince those who are suffering that the American economic pie is no longer a growing one that can provide more prosperity for all who work hard. Insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American dream. That may turn out to be a good re-election strategy for President Obama, but it is a demoralizing message for America."

BULL SHIT!!  Polls show more than 80% of the country want taxes raised on the top earners. A 4% increase which would put their rates at the level they were in the 1990's, a time of great prosperity!!! Where is the logic Christie??  President Obama has never demonized the rich Mr. Christie, get your facts straight before you demonize the president of our USA!

This man, Chris Christie, is just more of the same in his illogical thinking, you can not tax the rich for they are the job creators...but he has absolutely NO PROBLEM with the working poor and the middle class sacrificing more and more to balance the Phat Phucks budget!  With the rich paying less, the rest of us have the burden of having to pay more- either in higher taxes or reduced services. Those at the top who have never had it so good can easily afford to 'sacrifice' a bit more, so the rest of us who haven't had it this bad in decades no longer have to sacrifice so much.  Can you imagine living on 13,000 or even 20,000 a year and have to hear the Republicans whine about the working poor not paying any income tax?? It's crazy! They say 50% of Americans pay no taxes, so where is the shared sacrifice....I don't know how they look themselves in the mirror every day!

 The truth is the working poor do pay taxes, even if they earn too little to qualify for the income tax, they pay payroll taxes (which Republicans want to raise), gasoline excise taxes and state and local taxes. Only 14 percent of households pay neither income nor payroll taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center at the Brookings Institution. The poorest fifth paid an average of 16.3 percent of income in taxes in 2010.
  Economically, reducing the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit (which would be required if everyone paid income taxes) makes no sense at a time of high unemployment. The credits, which only go to working people, have always been a strong incentive to work and have increased the labor force while reducing the welfare rolls.
  The real problem is that so many Americans are struggling on such a small income, not whether they pay taxes. The two tax credits lifted 7.2 million people out of poverty in 2009, including four million children. At a time when high-income households are paying their lowest share of federal taxes in decades, when corporations frequently avoid paying any tax, it is clear who should bear a larger burden and who should not.

The two parties agree we need shared sacrifice, but it's the Republicans who want to leave the top 2% out of the equation. Makes total sense, huh?  Yeah to them it does...

 The top 1% pay taxes at the lowest rate in half a century.  In 1981 the top marginal rate was over 70%- now it's half that. Most of the wealthy take their income in capital gains, which are taxed at only 15%, down from 35% in the 1980s. Our economy grew faster in the 30 years after WWII, when taxes were higher, than since.

The ratio of corporate profits to wages is greater than since before the Great Depression. Corporate salaries and percs keep rising, while the median wage keeps dropping and jobs are shed. The CEO of Merck was rewarded $17.9 million last year, while he fired 13,000 workers. The top dog at BOA raked in $10 million, while he fired 30,000 workers.


We are entering a period of national sacrifice and MOST agree, we need to pull together, ALL of us and that MUST include the top earners. There's even been word coming from the top, calling on the administration to raise their taxes. So no, we can't say the top 2% are not stepping up, because some are. It's just that the GOP are not paying attention..weird huh??  Thank god President Obama IS paying attention. He has drawn a line in the sand saying he'd veto big cuts in Medicare and middle class programs unless the Republicans get on board with these shared sacrifices...


President Obama's modest proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy by 4% won't hurt a hair on their pretty heads.  This is all hysterics ramped up by the Conservatives. We all get it, we all know the TRUTH...The top 2% can afford to pay more in taxes, it won't stifle job growth, we are NOT STUPID, GOP! If you keep trying to block the presidents proposals  the people will reward you in the next election. You will see what it feels like to stand in an unemployment line....

Gov. Chris Christie criticized President Barack Obama for being what he called a “bystander in the Oval Office,” and painted Washington politics as ineffective and embarrassing to the rest of the country.  Yes, he is right on one thing, Washington partisans/obstructionists/do-nothing leaders ARE an embarrassment, but our president IS NOT!


Chris Christie as POTUS... that's a scary thought. He is just more of the same...amazingly, still protecting those at the top of the pyramid while America is dying a slow death. They just turn a blind eye...

Do Not call the Congressional Black Caucus racist...

Last night on Facebook I had a discussion with a friend about the Congressional Black Caucus. She was none to thrilled to read about President Obama guest speaking to the CBC, but she went on to ask "why doesn't he speak to the CWC "? (sarcastically)  She said it was racist for the CBC to turn away white members of Congress asking to join the group. She also went on to say if there was a "White Congressional Caucus" that would be considered racist.. so the Congressional Black Caucus is racist too...
I personally see nothing wrong with the CBC as a group open only to blacks, after all it is the Black Caucus....... Wikipedia states..The Congressional Black Caucus is one of the world's most esteemed bodies, with a history of positive activism unparalleled in our nation's history. Whether the issue is popular or unpopular, simple or complex, the CBC has fought for thirty years to protect the fundamentals of democracy. Its impact is recognized throughout the world. The Congressional Black Caucus is probably the closest group of legislators on the Hill. They work together almost incessantly, they are friends and, more importantly, a family of freedom fighters. Their diversity makes them stronger, and the expertise of all of their members has helped them be effective beyond their numbers.

 The CBC was started by black members of Congress to work for the black community... could be because of unjust treatment from the white community. We all know it's true, we all know what racism is.....take a look at this horrific event and then remember just last week what happened to Troy Davis.....

He was 14 yrs. 6mos. and 5 days old --- and the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th Century

George Junius Stinney, Jr.,
[b. 1929 - d. 1944]
In a South Carolina prison sixty-six years ago, guards walked a 14-year-old boy, bible tucked under his arm, to the electric chair. At 5' 1" and 95 pounds, the straps didn’t fit, and an electrode was too big for his leg.
The switch was pulled and the adult sized death mask fell from George Stinney’s face. Tears streamed from his eyes. Witnesses recoiled in horror as they watched the youngest person executed in the United States in the past century die.
Now, a community activist is fighting to clear Stinney’s name, saying the young boy couldn’t have killed two girls. George Frierson, a school board member and textile inspector, believes Stinney’s confession was coerced, and that his execution was just another injustice blacks suffered in Southern courtrooms in the first half of the 1900s.
In a couple of cases like Stinney’s, petitions are being made before parole boards and courts are being asked to overturn decisions made when society’s thumb was weighing the scales of justice against blacks. These requests are buoyed for the first time in generations by money, college degrees and sometimes clout.
“I hope we see more cases like this because it help brings a sense of closure. It’s symbolic,” said Howard University law professor Frank Wu. “It’s not just important for the individuals and their families. It’s important for the entire community. Not just for African Americans, but for whites and for our democracy as a whole. What these cases show is that it is possible to achieve justice.”
Some have already achieved justice. Earlier this year, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner successfully won a posthumous pardon for two great uncles who were executed in South Carolina.
A few years ago Lena Baker, a black Georgia maid sent to the electric chair for killing a white man, received a pardon after her family pointed out she likely killed the man because he was holding her against her will.
In the Stinney case, supporters want the state to admit that officials executed the wrong person in June 1944.
Stinney was accused of killing two white girls, 11 year old Betty June Binnicker and 8 year old
Mary Emma Thames, by beating them with a railroad spike then dragging their bodies to a ditch near Acolu, about five miles from Manning in central South Carolina. The girls were found a day after they disappeared following a massive manhunt. Stinney was arrested a few hours later, white men in suits taking him away. Because of the risk of a lynching, Stinney was kept at a jail 50 miles away in Columbia.
Stinney’s father, who had helped look for the girls, was fired immediately and ordered to leave his home and the sawmill where he worked. His family was told to leave town prior to the trial to avoid further retribution. An atmosphere of lynch mob hysteria hung over the courthouse. Without family visits, the 14 year old had to endure the trial and death alone.
Frierson hasn’t been able to get the case out of his head since, carrying around a thick binder of old newspaper stories and documents, including an account from an execution witness.
The sheriff at the time said Stinney admitted to the killings, but there is only his word — no written record of the confession has been found. A lawyer helping Frierson with the case figures threats of mob violence and not being able to see his parents rattled the seventh- grader.
Attorney Steve McKenzie said he has even heard one account that says detectives offered the boy ice cream once they were done.
“You’ve got to know he was going to say whatever they wanted him to say,” McKenzie said.
The court appointed Stinney an attorney — a tax commissioner preparing for a Statehouse run. In all, the trial — from jury selection to a sentence of death — lasted one day. Records indicate 1,000 people crammed the courthouse. Blacks weren’t allowed inside.
The defense called no witnesses and never filed an appeal. No one challenged the sheriff’s recollection of the confession.
“As an attorney, it just kind of haunted me, just the way the judicial system worked to this boy’s disadvantage or disfavor. It did not protect him,” said McKenzie, who is preparing court papers to ask a judge to reopen the case.
Stinney’s official court record contains less than two dozen pages, several of them arrest warrants. There is no transcript of the trial.
The lack of records, while not unusual, makes it harder for people trying to get these old convictions overturned, Wu said.
But these old cases also can have a common thread.
“Some of these cases are so egregious, so extreme that when you look at it, the prosecution really has no case either,” Wu said. “It’s apparent from what you can see that someone was railroaded.”
And sometimes, police under pressure by frightened citizens jumped to conclusions rather than conducting a thorough investigation, Wu said.

Bluffton Today - 'Crusaders look to right Jim Crow justice wrongs' by Jeffrey Collins
Photo: South Carolina Department of Archives and History

 Such injustice towards blacks in our nations past, but also present. So for some to say the CBC is racist and should include whites, I say WHY??  Why should they??  Whites never included them. Sure we have seen progress over the years, but not nearly enough. This case and the Davis case are something that would most likely never happen to a white man...



"Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complainin'. Stop grumblin'. Stop cryin'. We are going to press on. We have work to do." -- President Obama, quoted by ABC News, in a speech to the Congressional Black Caucus.

~Via Re-elect President Obama

Get with the program!!

IF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY PUT A REPUBLICAN IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY IN 2012 THEN THEY ARE FLAT OUT NOT PAYING ATTENTION!!!

I can't tell you how many friends and family I have who do not pay attention to politics.  But these are the people so quick to criticize when things do not go their way. Just look at Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida..to name a few...These states are PROOF the GOP/Fascists can not be handed the presidency by people who have no business voting unless they know the facts about who they are voting for!

EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE...THEN VOTE!!!

Proud to be a teabagger???

A summery of the 3 Republican/TeaParty debates....and why teabaggers are coldhearted....

Debate #1...Ron Paul was asked a hypothetical question about a dying man without health insurance...the teabaggers in the audience cheered for the dying man who had no chance at life...Conclusion: the teabaggers believe health insurance is a privilege not a right and if one decides not to purchase insurance and then subsequently gets a terminal illness well that's his fuckin stupidity, so die, just die....no turning back, too bad sucker you had your chance....

Debate #2....Rick Perry was asked some kinda question about the over 200 executions under his watch in Texas and the teabaggers cheered wildly for the deaths by legal injection...Conclusion: teabaggers believe in the Biblical an eye for an eye. If a person was found guilty by his peers and then 20 yrs later evidence was brought forward to cast reasonable doubt on the man's guilt, well fuck it. Too late Mister...20 yrs previous you were found guilty so that's what we're going by...die possible innocent man, die... because facts don't matter when so much time has passed...  the state would look like an incompetent fool if they had to admit holding the wrong man on death row for half his life... so we'll just put this whole debacle behind us and execute him....there ya have it, an eye for an eye.

Debate #3.....A gay soldier asked this question to the GOP candidates by video from Iraq..."under one of your presidencies do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?"  Quite unbelievably the teabaggers in the audience booed the soldier who was in a war zone fighting "for their freedoms" which is the Republican mantra since the beginning of time...so quite unbelievably NO GOOPER stood up for the soldier!.... Rick Santorum, when given the chance to answer the soldier, said..."sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military," and said the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which took effect this week, was injecting "social policy into the military." and so he would reverse the decision to repeal it....SEX and the act of sex??  Is this all repubs think about while envisioning a gay or lesbian in the military? Do they envision straight men and women in sex acts as soldiers??  Conclusion: Conservative/teabaggers are repulsed by gays. Homosexuality is an abomination according to God, so enlist to defend our country but do not tell us you are gay cuz then we'll have the vision of your sexual activity forever in our minds and we won't be able to carry out the mission of defending our nation.....(((Shudder)))

Conclusion by me: Teabaggers are subhuman

Smart Move Mr. President

Another great post from The People's View touting President Obama's genius, take a look..

If I was a super giving person I would feel sorry for the stooopid Republican/teabagger party of stooopid. No, sorry I can not muster even a wee bit of teabagger sympathy. What they are doing to the once respectful(cough, cough) Republican Party is criminal, but the leaders seem unwilling, or even paralyzed to make any move away from their destructive behavior. So we'll just continue to watch the implosion, smile, and wait...for their demise...hee hee hee...


President Obama took his plan to the people just as he said he would. Did the GOP'ers think he was bluffing?? Ha! President Obama talked with the people today in Ohio near the Brent Spence Bridge. This is what our president will be doing for the next year, showing Americans exactly what it is the GOP are purposely doing to thwart any economic growth while also putting the country at risk with our crumbling roads and bridges. Do you think Mitch McConnell gives 2 shits about the infrastructure in his own state, let alone the rest of the country?  I think not.....in fact he stood on the senate floor today whining like a big bawl baby because Pres. Obama was embarrassing him in front of his constituents. He accused the president of just making  a political point using the bridge as a backdrop for his speech. HA!  Oh well suck it up Mitch...this is genius Obama in campaign mode, anything wrong with that?  GOBAMA!!

INJUSTICE

Tonight I am sickened, saddened and  never have I been more embarrassed of my country as I am tonight...Our INJUSTICE system is responsible for tonights execution of a man named Troy Davis. This man was found guilty of murder on circumstantial evidence, NOT DNA, which should be mandatory in a death penalty case. The state of Georgia will not be able to shake this injustice nor will they be able to shake off the racist accusations surrounding this horrendous verdict. Fuck you racist Georgia and ALL involved in the "murder" of Troy Davis.  Let me be clear...I do not know for a fact this man is innocent, but what we are supposed to do in the US of A is give a man a fair trial and NEVER execute a human being unless there is 100% proof of guilt.

For those who are so quick to condemn the Muslim people for acts of violence, then turn around and cheer for the executions of our fellow Americans is horrific to me. I am not an advocate for the death penalty, and surely NEVER ever should a man be executed with ANY doubt about their guilt. This Troy Davis trial was FULL of doubt, yet this man is going to die tonight. Sick fuckin sick USA...




Just found this on Facebook::
 Killer spared from death hours before execution 

Samuel David Crowe in an undated photo. LOOK, he's WHITE and CONFESSED to murder!!

The parole board in the state of Georgia spared a convicted killer from execution hours before he was due to die by lethal injection on Thursday and commuted his sentence to life in prison. REUTERS/Georgia Department of Corrections/Handout Related Topics U.S. » By Matthew Bigg ATLANTA | Thu May 22, 2008 7:49pm EDT (Reuters) -
The parole board in the state of Georgia spared a convicted killer from execution hours before he was due to die by lethal injection on Thursday and commuted his sentence to life in prison. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles made its decision less than three hours before Samuel David Crowe, 47, was to be executed, according to a spokeswoman for the state's prisons. "After careful and exhaustive consideration of the requests, the board voted to grant clemency. The board voted to commute the sentence to life without parole," the parole board said. Crowe's death would have marked the third execution since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty last month. Crowe was not present at the parole board hearing in Atlanta. He had already eaten his last meal and was preparing to enter the execution chamber at the prison in Jackson, Georgia, Mallie McCord of the Georgia Department of Corrections said. In March 1988, Crowe killed store manager Joseph Pala during a robbery at the lumber company in Douglas County, west of Atlanta. Crowe, who had previously worked at the store, shot Pala three times with a pistol, beat him with a crowbar and a pot of paint. Crowe pleaded guilty to armed robbery and murder and was sentenced to death the following year. "David (Crowe) takes full responsibility for his crime and experiences profound remorse," according to Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, an advocacy group, who welcomed the board's decision. At Thursday's hearing, his lawyers presented a dossier of evidence attesting to his remorse and good behavior in jail, according to local media reports. The lawyers also said he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms from a cocaine addiction at the time of the crime.


SO, ya think Georgia is a RACIST state??

Democratic Socialism

Addicting Info.org wants to explain to you what Democratic Socialism means.

To a Democratic Socialist, sharing the wealth means pooling tax money together to design social programs that benefit ALL citizens of that country, city, state, etc.
The fire and police departments are both excellent examples of Democratic Socialism in America. Rather than leaving each individual responsible for protecting their own home from fire, everyone pools their money together, through taxes, to maintain a fire and police department. It’s operated under a non-profit status, and yes, your tax dollars pay for putting out other people’s fires. It would almost seem absurd to think of some corporation profiting from putting out fires.  But it’s more efficient and far less expensive to have government run fire departments funded by tax dollars.
Similarly, public education is another social program in the USA. It benefits all of us to have a taxpayer supported, publicly run education system. Unfortunately, in America, the public education system ends with high school.  Most of Europe now provides low cost or free college education for their citizens. This is because their citizens understand that an educated society is a safer, more productive and more prosperous society. Living in such a society, everyone benefits from public education.
...you can read it all here

"America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise — that American promise — and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess." ― Barack Obama

I'm lovin Pres.Obama's stance on taxing the wealthy, GOOBERS are still saying NO...

46.2 MILLION Americans are living in poverty.....we're turning into a Third World nation before our very eyes...we could become another Africa if we stay on the course the Republicans would like us on...

Rand Paul actually had the balls to say the rich are getting richer but the poor are getting richer FASTER!!  Yes he sure did, even though facts show income equality in the US is greater than that of Pakistan and Ethiopia and higher than at any other time since the Great Depression. Yes, because of low tax rates Paul is right, the rich are getting richer, but he is delusional when he says the poor are getting richer! One in three middle class American workers is slipping down the income ladder, wages are stagnant and the purchasing power of the minimum wage were at a 51 yr low. So yes, Rand Paul is a delusional teabagging wacko...


Finally, we have our president standing up and strongly putting forth his plan for jobs and deficit reduction. This is the fight we have been waiting almost 3 years for!   President Obama was tough today, speaking in the White House Rose Garden he told the Republicans what he expects them to do and if they deliver a bill to him with no tax increases he will veto!  Republicans fight back calling this class warfare, oh Gawd, how pathetic they are....

"This is not class warfare -- it's math," Mr. Obama said, addressing GOP critiques of his plan head on.
"The money has to come from some place," he continued. "If we're not willing to ask those who've done extraordinarily well to help America close the deficit... the math says everybody else has to do a whole lot more, we've got to put the entire burden on the middle class and the poor."

Obama's proposals include 1.5 trillion in new taxes, with about 800 billion from the repeal of the Bush tax rates, he also closes some corporate tax loopholes and limits certain tax deductions. Now President Obama is also unveiling his Buffet Rule which will compel those making 1 million or more a year to pay the same overall rate as other taxpayers.. We are living in extraordinary times and they call for extraordinary measures, this IS FAIR! Even Warren Buffet says it is fair...

 It’s a plan that reduces our debt by more than $4 trillion, and achieves these savings in a way that is fair--by asking everybody to do their part so that no one has to bear too much of the burden on their own.
 Obama, “All told, this plan cuts $2 in spending for every dollar in new revenues. In addition to the $1 trillion in spending that we’ve already cut from the budget, our plan makes additional spending cuts that need to happen if we’re to solve this problem. We reform agricultural subsidies--subsidies that a lot of times pay large farms for crops that they don't grow. We make modest adjustments to federal retirement programs. We reduce by tens of billions of dollars the tax money that goes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. We also ask the largest financial firms--companies saved by tax dollars during the financial crisis--to repay the American people for every dime that we spent. And we save an additional $1 trillion as we end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Finally, this plan includes structural reforms to reduce the cost of health care in programs like Medicare and Medicaid … We’ll work with governors to make Medicaid more efficient and more accountable. And we’ll change the way we pay for health care. Instead of just paying for procedures, providers will be paid more when they improve results—and such steps will save money and improve care.
“So this is how we can reduce spending: by scouring the budget for every dime of waste and inefficiency, by reforming government spending, and by making modest adjustments to Medicare and Medicaid. But all these reductions in spending, by themselves, will not solve our fiscal problems. We can’t just cut our way out of this hole. It’s going to take a balanced approach. If we’re going to make spending cuts—many of which we wouldn’t make if we weren’t facing such large budget deficits—then it’s only right that we ask everyone to pay their fair share.

 BUT the GOOBERS do not agree...nope they are standing by their mantra, NO NEW TAXES...the coffin lid has closed and the last nails are about to be driven, thank god! Who do these GOP'ers think they are representing??   Just watching those evil smiles on the ugly faces of Cantor, Boehner and McCarthy as they marched like little soldiers to the microphones to bash the presidents plan is almost laughable, it's enough to make a grown man hurl....

 How many times do we have to hear the tired 'ole lie, tax increases on the wealthy stifle job growth? It's one of the biggest lies the Republicans have thrown at the American people. They are liars, but why do they keep lying when even the top earners are asking them to stop coddling the rich?? It seems like they are sabotaging their own party from within, it's an amazing thing to watch!
Fuck you GOP and your lies and garbage talk.....

Power Couple

I love Brad Pitt, not only for his handsome face, but for his huge heart....

In today's Sunday Parade he was asked how he and Angelina find time to help refugees and other victims all over the world and why do they do it......He said, "I'll tell you why, because I hit the lottery---the whole cliche' of moving to Hollywood and getting paid silly amounts of money. I've traveled the world and seen mothers and babies dying because they don't have a 30 cent treatment that is available in industrialized nations. I feel like I have to share whatever I can. You're culpable if you don't act. You know, we bitch about raising taxes. I think the argument is that it's my money, I earned it, why do I have to pay for other people? I get very frustrated with that argument. I don't mind paying taxes. I live in a country that gave me the opportunity to make money, and most people on this planet do not have that."

Whatta guy... First I need to say to those complaining (I hear ya!), Brad and Angie do a lot right here in our country too. Most recently with his Make it Right foundation in New Orleans. They gave 5 Million in aid and are constructing new Green houses for hurricane victims.

To my readers who will make fun of this post because, well, they hate Hollywood types, I guess out of jealousy, but they hate them., You can't give me one single example of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie doing their humanitarian work because of ego. They give of themselves and they give their money because they are driven with a desire to help those in need, those less fortunate than most. I don't know for sure if Brad is a Liberal, he acts and talks like a Liberal.  Yea, I think he is......

Just a 'feel good about Liberals' post, because I can..   :-)

Republican Position....

ReeAl Lit Tee Chek

No you can't have a JOBS BILL - No You can't have TAX CUTS - No you can't have HEALTH CARE RELIEF - No you can't have IMPROVED ROADS and BRIDGES - No you can't have EDUCATION IMPROVEMENTS - No you can't have UNIONS - No you can't THINK FOR YOURSELVES without Conservative input. Yes you can suffer at our hands - Yes you can let us rob you of money, hope, and spirit - yes we can, yes we can!

Facebook friends are so clever!!

Be careful if you plan to go Green...

I was visiting my friend John's blog today and read this response by him to a comment stating "I will not vote for Obama in 2012". The commenter is dismayed at the presidents inability to push forth his  progressive liberal agenda with more force, and at a quicker pace. Nothing against this commenter, she is a friend, but we don't share a love of the president.....She said she would vote for the Green candidate so John responded, and I agreed...


'Vote Green, Perry needs you. While putting Perry in office, will certainly “show” Obama, consider this:
Once Perry takes an office, he does not leave it. After eight years of Perry rule, the Supreme Court will be a Tea Party body.
Roe V. Wade will be overturned. You are putting God in the White House, and not the moderate God who mostly stones disrespectful virgins and smites babies, but otherwise stays out of our lives, no not Him. You are putting the God who wants to monitor every aspect of our lives in office and on the Supreme Court. This God even rejects His native language of Elizebethan English in favor of Tongues.
He babbles in Tongues. Perry listens and responds.
Obama is NOT completely conservative. He extended unemployment, tried to take us closer to Universal Healthcare, Rejected the AZ immigration laws, Extended START, Removed the stem cell research restrictions Bush had in place with an Executive Order, no less, rejected DOMA and repealed DADT.
Perry would have done none of these things. Obama is not the most effective liberal in history. He tries to compromise with those who will not compromise and he acts as if he is dealing with opponents who will. It is illogical.
Obama is making the exact same mistake Spock made. I am sure you already thought of that. While in command on some planet, this backward alien species was rocking his shuttlecraft back and forth and pounding on it or something. Even though the craft was built to withstand the pressure of reentry into the atmosphere of different planets, apparently, this could not be tolerated. It would destroy the craft. The species was dumber than a pack of wild dogs. They were virtually mindless. Spock reasoned that a mild show of force should be enough to stop them because it would be “illogical to stand against a superior enemy.” Of course, his show of force had no effect because wild dogs do not make decisions based on logic. Though we had to believe Spock was logical because he told us he was several times, his strategy was not logical. I think Obama is a fan of Star Trek.
So vote Green; vote Perry. Perry 2012 and beyond!'


I just came from reading a post from Shaw's blog, Progressive Eruptions and  am sick to my stomach at the thought of a Republican win in 2012.  Today's Republicans are not the Republicans your parents or grandparents voted for. The thought of one of the tea party candidates winning the White House should scare the shit out of every single Democrat in this country. Take a look at the conservative blogs and read the hate, it's beyond school yard hate, it's dangerous and is eating away the fabric of our nation! I've never seen anything like it, and NO, nothing the Left said about G W Bush compares, not by a long shot!! Calling Bush Chimpy DOES NOT COMPARE!  We have another year to convince our liberal friends to stick by President Obama,  we have a year to watch and listen to the GOP candidates... staying home or voting Green is not gonna stick it to Obama, it's gonna doom America....

Tonight on Rev. Al Sharpton's show was guest Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he said this when Sharpton asked him what he thought of President Obama.....


"I think the president was dealt a very difficult hand. I think he cares, I think he's trying very hard. Some things he's done I agree with, some things he's done I haven't agreed with. But that would be, that's like you and me. But I think he's our president and we have to step back and say whether we voted for Barack Obama or not, whether we agree with Barack Obama or not, whether we like Barack Obama or not he is our elected president and our success, your children's success, and your grandchildren's success depends on he being a good president while he is in office. You may want to change presidents, you yourself may want to run against him, that's fine, you can do that in a campaign. But you also have a responsibility as an American to make him be successful because the country is not successful if the president is not successful. Remember, the president is the representative of all of us, he symbolizes everything about America to the rest of the world and to you and me. And so is not treating the president with respect, not listening to the president, not letting the president lead and saying I don't agree with everything, I'll get him to change some of the things, you can't have a successful democracy and it's not good for the country. I find some people.. one guy said, one columnist, I won't dignify it with saying who it was.. he said I hope the president fails..What are you talking about?? You are talking about my kids and my grandkids"....


Amen Mayor Bloomberg, Amen...


Not only columnists saying they hope President Obama fails, but our elected GOP leaders in Washington are saying they want our president to fail, to be a one termer...So when it takes President Obama 2 full terms to move his agenda forward, remember why it took that long....


Sadly this week we have Democratic members of Congress criticizing President Obama's jobs bill too....
 Just more of the same, members of Congress worried about their campaign contributors and re-elections than they are the American people and their  joblessness, homelessness, and how our country faces poverty. Come on Democrats, start acting like DEMOCRATS!!!

one last thing....

Out of my 85 Followers to this blog only TWO know me personally.  So when a blogger accuses me of something I would NEVER do, which is send hateful vulgar emails anonymously, how do I defend myself?? How do I convince my "friends" I am not the hateful person this blogger says I am? Or...why is it so important for me to clear my name, why do I care so much?  Because I am "aggressive"...because I am outspoken in my posts.... rant and rave about The Republicans... say Fuck freely... this makes me capable of sending  anonymous vulgar emails to someone who was a friend???  The only way I can move past this nightmare is to say, believe what you want, I can't make you believe me, but I can say with certainty I have never attacked a visitor to my blog just because he/she differed in political opinions. 

Sue

Teabaggers seem confused..

I was thinking....At the TeaParty Republican debate Ron Paul was asked what a person who chooses not to buy health insurance but gets sick is supposed to do to get the care he needs to stay alive. The teabaggers in the audience applauded and some cheered loudly when Wolf Blitzer asked Paul if the man should just be left to die.  But how do you explain these people who criticize the presidents proposed mandate that all Americans must buy health insurance,  they call it unconstitutional! It's one of the "Obamacare" proposals they are most vocal on.  Is their stance you should not be forced to buy insurance or you should be forced to buy insurance?? Should that man have been forced to buy insurance so he didn't die, NO, because the TP's say that is unconstitutional, right? So why then did they cheer for a "dying man" who had no insurance if they say it's okay not to be insured??  Do you think the teabaggers know how confused they are?

Just a word on the NY-9 Anthony Weiner seat special election loss for Dems....I don't believe for a second this was meant as a wake up call for President Obama. This district is heavily populated with people of the Jewish Faith, we all know they are not thrilled with Pres. Obama, so what do people who are upset with their president do? Besides Boo Hooing, they vote for the other party then live to regret it a few months from now...ALL this LOCAL election means is this..NOTHING!!! imho...

Don't fall for the bad press Dems, if we start getting all upset and going negative it will NOT HELP us in the presidential race where every single Democrat needs to VOTE!!  So put your big boy and girl panties on and remember this, the seat may not stay in Republican hands for long because of redistricting,  this seat is one NY is expected to lose anyway!

More WTF?....

Damn, just look at this slimy jerk, a Christian telling a man it's okay to divorce his sick wife cuz she can't suck his dick anymore!! (I got that from one of the youtube comments, don't blame me, I just thought it was appropriate) Pat Robertson, what a hypocrite! ewwwwww...

Another one of those WTF moments!

At the first Rethuglican debate we sane Americans were horrified by the teabagger audience thunderous applause when Rick Perry talked about executing 200 people in Texas.....

Now tonight at the Tea Party Rethuglican debate Wolf Blitzer asked Ron Paul what people without health insurance should do, Paul said they should rely on charity, churches, etc...But when Wolf asked if people should just die in the streets the audience of teabaggers CHEERED and yelled out YEAH!! They CHEERED for the uninsured dying in the streets!! Are you kidding me? Who are these monsters who call themselves tea party patriots?? unfuckinbelieveable..

If You're a Conservative...

 WHO HATES TO PAY TAXES, PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING BY STEPHEN D. FOSTER JR

by Fay Easter on Friday, 09 September 2011 at 18:16

THIS LIST WAS COMPILED BY STEPHEN D. FOSTER JR AND SHARED ON MATTHEW DESMOND'S SITE @:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/05/18/102-things-not-to-do-if-you-hate-taxes/


If you're a conservative who  hates taxes, please do the following.

1. Do not use Medicare.
2. Do not use Social Security
3. Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
4. Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
5. Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
6. Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
7. Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
8. Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
9. Do not use public restrooms.
10. Do not send your kids to public schools.
11. Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
12. Do not live in areas with clean air.
13. Do not drink clean water.
14. Do not visit National Parks.
15. Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
16. Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
17. Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
18. Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
19. Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
20. Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
21. Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
22. Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
23. Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
24. Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
25. Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
26. Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
27. Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
28. Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
29. Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
30. Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
31. Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
32. Do not apply for federal housing.
33. Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
34. Do not swim in clean rivers.
35. Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
36. Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
37. Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
38. Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
39. Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
40. Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
41. Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
42. Do not apply to win a government contract.
43. Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
44. Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
45. Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
46. Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
47. Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
48. Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
49. Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
50. Do not live in homes that are built to code.
51. Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
52. Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
53. Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
54. Do not use public libraries.
55. Do not use the US Postal Service.
56. Do not visit the National Archives.
57. Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
58. Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
59. Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
60. Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
61. Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
62. Do not take walks in National Forests.
63. Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
64. Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
65. Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
66. Do not use Medicaid.
67. Do not use WIC.
68. Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
69. Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
70. Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
71. Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
72. Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
73. Do not visit historic landmarks.
74. Do not visit fisheries.
75. Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
76. Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
77. Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
78. Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
79. Do not use public transportation.
80. Do not drink water from public water fountains.
81. Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
82. Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
83. Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
84. Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
85. Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
86. Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
87. Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
88. Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments.
89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
90. Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
91. Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
92. Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
93. Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
94. Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
95. Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
96. Do not attend a state university.
97. Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
98. Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
99. Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
100. Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
101. Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes.
102. Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.
The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. Without taxes, our lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. America would be a third world country. The less we pay, the less we get in return. Americans pay less taxes today since 1958 and is ranked 32nd out of 34 of the top tax paying countries. Chile and Mexico are 33rd and 34th. The Republicans are lying when they say that we pay the highest taxes in the world and are only attacking taxes to reward corporations and the wealthy and to weaken our infrastructure and way of life. So next time you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…
“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

How much do you hate the Republican Party?? Even more after you read this, I promise...

 Postal Workers: The Last Union

 

Thursday 8 September 2011

by: Allison Kilkenny, Truthout | News Analysis

(Photo: Ninja M. / Flickr)

The recent attacks against the United States Postal Service (USPS) are more than signs of desperate times - a natural sunset moment for a service rendered archaic by FedEx and UPS. Rather, the Postal Service has been under constant, vicious assault for years from the right, who views this as an epic battle with the goal of finally taking down the strongest union in the country, the second largest employer in the United States (second only to Wal-Mart,) and a means to roll the country ever closer toward the abyss of privatization.

The Postal Service, which is older than the Constitution itself, stands at a precipice. If this great institution, which provides one of the oldest, most reliable services in the country, is permitted to fall and Congress kills its great union, then truly no collective bargaining rights, no worker contract, no union will be safe within the United States.

As the USPS spirals toward default, the historically uncontroversial mail service system has suddenly become a hot-button issue. It's an unlikely organization to inspire such hysteria. The Postal Service isn't paid for by taxpayer dollars, but rather fully funded by the sale of stamps. It's easy to forget what a marvel this is - that today, in 2011, one can still mail a letter clear across the country for less than 50 cents. And if the impressiveness of that feat still hasn't sunk in, attempt this brain exercise: consider what else you can buy for $0.44.

It was only a few years ago that the USPS was considered not only stable, but thriving. The biggest volume in pieces of mail handled by the Postal Service in its 236-year history was in 2006. The second and third busiest years were in 2005 and 2007, respectively. But it was two events: one crafted during the Bush years and another supervised by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, that would cripple this once great institution.

Perhaps it was its booming history that first drew Congress' attention to the Postal Service in 2006 when it passed the Postal Accountability Enhancement Act (PAEA), which mandated that the Postal Service would have to fully fund retiree health benefits for future retirees. That's right. Congress was demanding universal health care coverage.

But it even went beyond that. Congress was mandating coverage for future human beings.

"It's almost hard to comprehend what they're talking about, but basically they said that the Postal Service would have to fully fund future retirees' health benefits for the next 75 years and they would have to do it within a ten-year window," says Chuck Zlatkin, political director of the New York Metro Area Postal Union.

continue reading here

President Obama spoke in Detroit today

read the speech here...this, AND the pictures, made me misty-eyed, gave me chills, and GIVES ME HOPE! 
Go away Perry, Bachmann, Palin, Romney, Paul, Huntsman....there are not enough teabaggers to put one of those GOOPERS in the White House! GIVE IT UP, it's so embarrassing for ya'll! LOL!

thanks for the pictures Smartypants!

Thom Hartmann: Can Republican get elected without fraud & treason?

What are you doing to win in 2012 and to send Obama a better Congress for his second term?

Thanks Angry Black Lady Chronicles!

Congress doesn't want to work with President Obama and they don't want to work for YOU either......

Sooooo, the president has asked federal agencies to find solutions on their own. His message to lawmakers: We can do this without you.




In a week the president will speak before Congress to lay out a BOLD (hopefully) plan for America, and he won't say it but I will...Fuck Congress and their do-nothing attitude, he can do plenty without any help from them thank you! The President wants Congress to know he is moving forward without them by directing several federal agencies to identify high impact, job creating infrastructure projects  that can be expedited now without the approval of Congress. President Obama is showing leadership by moving forward....  Channel FDR, President Obama!! Channel FDR!!  Damn I just LOVE those 1936 speeches, they give me chills.....



I know we aren't supposed to use comparisons, but when you look at the videos of FDR and see the leadership, the compassion, you just knew he was not gonna let those Republicans destroy what he had accomplished. This man put the country at ease, he took away their fears, the people trusted him, he was their leader and they loved him. This is what the country wanted from Barack Obama in 2008. If it wasn't for the hate, the obstruction, the racism, the media, the GOP...I think we could have that same hope FDR gave Americans.

Booman Tribune:
 FDR was vilified in his day as a Socialist, a Communist and a traitor. He didn't back down from that fight, calling the large moneyed interests who fought against him what they were: economic royalists who sought greed over simple human decency. They hated the New Deal with a passion because there wasn't enough in it for them, and too much for the "little people."
It's time more of our current Democrats learned the lesson he did: that when you help the vast majority of Americans get good jobs to pay their rent and mortgages, buy groceries for their kids and get health care when they need it at an affordable price, while reining in the worst excesses of the obscenely wealthy "corporate royalists" (or as an earlier era labeled them "robber barons") you strengthen not only your country but you grow your party as well.

 Roosevelt created demand by creating jobs. He strengthened unions and labor. He gave us the first programs to provide a social safety net in this country so the elderly, the unemployed and the disabled didn't die because they were too poor to afford food and shelter. Did everything he did turn out perfect? Of course not. But in the long run, the New Deal radically changed America for the better.
You can't say that about the policies promoted by Republicans and conservative Democrats over the last 30 years. Those polices led to government and corporate corruption, fraud, and an economic implosion on a massive scale unknown since the Great Depression. They have also set Americans against fellow Americans and put a heavy anchor on our ability as a nation to compete and succeed in the world.

CREATING DEMAND...This is where President Obama must begin. Next week, we shall see...



I'm still proud to be a Liberal, proud to support President Obama too.

It's LONG, but I don't mind...

My President deserves the recognition and he deserves the time spent reading this list....



To Those Who Consider President Obama a Disappointment; You're Just NOT Paying Attention!

If you think President Obama is a failure, or you're "disappointed" in him, the problem pretty much has to be you. So far, this president has done most of what he said he would do, and he's only halfway through his first term. Not only is he NOT a "failure," he's pretty much the opposite. Hell; he even took out Osama bin Laden, something Bush couldn't do in eight years. Of course, Bush also said several times that he really didn't care bout bin Laden, anyway...

Is he perfect? No, he's human. Does he deserve some criticism? Sure. But criticism about certain specific problems is one thing; taking on an overall "Obama sucks" meme not only has the potential to put another Bush into power, but it's also a lie to say, or even imply, he's a lousy president.

Here is a PARTIAL list of Obama's accomplishments so far. Unlike many lists, I actually include a link to details. I also update this list regularly, so check back often.

Anytime someone, right OR left, tells you Obama sucks, or is a "disappointment," show them this list and tell them to kiss a part of your body not usually considered pleasant to kiss. 

The first section alone should make them sit down and shut up. 

Legislative Prowess

Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office.  Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%.   http://n.pr/i3d7cY 

Fiscal Responsibility

Within days after taking office, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse.   http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5

Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money.   http://n.pr/hcgBn1

On his first full day, he froze White House salaries.  http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIx

He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending. http://www.cio.gov

He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems, and also signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system.  http://bit.ly/hOw1t1     http://bit.ly/fz8GAd

Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.  http://bit.ly/hwKhKa

Improving the Economy, Preventing Depression

He pushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package,” despite the fact that not one Republican voted for that bill. In addition, he launched recovery.gov, so that taxpayers could track spending from the Act.   http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSs   http://1.usa.gov/e3BJMk

In his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy 3.5%.  http://reut.rs/i46CEE

He completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, and recovered virtually all of its costs.   http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVS   http://bit.ly/eCNrD6

He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan.  http://1.usa.gov/goy6zl

He oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years. http://bit.ly/hrrnjY

He oversaw investment in updated and improved manufacturing processes. http://bit.ly/fJEyDI

He also doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency.  http://bit.ly/eYD4nf 

He signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving  the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system. It also created a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown.  http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7

He signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices.  http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcS

He increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOw

He  signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market.  http://bit.ly/eEpLFn

Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery.   http://bit.ly/dZgXXw   http://bit.ly/gORYfL

He initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses. 
http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0b

He created business.gov, which allows for online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with SBA.gov.)   http://www.business.gov

He played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis.   http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5 

He took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7

He created a $60 billion bank to fund infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. http://bit.ly/e1SSaQ 

He implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs.  http://bit.ly/ibhpxr   Many are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest.  http://bit.ly/gj7mt5

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost.   http://1.usa.gov/ez30Dc

Provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession.  http://bit.ly/g0IKWR

He used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan.   http://on.msnbc.com/i1i8eV

Crafted an Executive order stablishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNE

Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection

Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money.  http://huff.to/eAi9Qq

He pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.  http://bit.ly/hWCPg0   http://bit.ly/geHpcD

He made it so that banks could no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers' interests.  http://bit.ly/fnTayj

He supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

He wholly endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes.  http://bit.ly/esOdfB    http://bit.ly/eG4DPM

He made a deal with Swiss banks that permits the US government to gain access to the records of criminals and  tax evaders.  http://bit.ly/htfDgw

He established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector excesses.  http://bit.ly/fnTayj 

Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination

He advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.  http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7

He pushed through and signed a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping.  http://bit.ly/fdahuH

He appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.  http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0

He extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.  http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCj

He's appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history.  http://bit.ly/g1lA7D 

He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill.   http://bit.ly/fT3Cxg

Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families.    http://bit.ly/e1puTk

He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x

Fighting Poverty

He provided  a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyM

He signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs.  http://wapo.st/eWECA8

Improved Foreign Relations and American Status Abroad

He visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office.   http://bit.ly/hZycda

As he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. http://nyti.ms/dKvY4g  

He did much to restore America's reputation around the world as a global leader that does the "right thing" in world affairs, at least according to the rest of the world.   http://bit.ly/h743y7  http://bit.ly/ho4TCr

He re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues.  http://1.usa.gov/e7QuDj

He established a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.   http://1.usa.gov/eX28DP

He established new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them.  http://n.pr/hY3Kwa   http://nyti.ms/emQBde

He ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and a smattering of Democrats) who prevented him from following through.  http://bit.ly/eW6CVF

Ordered a review of our detention and interrogation policy, and prohibited the use of torture, or what Bush called "enhanced interrogation." He ordered interrogators to limit their actions to the Army Field manual.  http://bit.ly/g6MTuC

He ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed.  http://bbc.in/h6N9ax

He released the Bush torture memos.  http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0

On his second day in office, he signed a detailed Executive Order that banned torture, reversed all  Bush torture policies, and put the United States in compliance with the Geneva Convention.  http://1.usa.gov/dL6Zve    http://nyti.ms/hzWWys

Better Approach to “Defense”

Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat.  http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nE

He authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/gLFZl2

He restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush.   http://lat.ms/gkcl3i

He signed and pushed to ratification a new SALT Treaty.  http://bit.ly/f3JVtw

He created and executed a plan to end our involvement in Iraq in a responsible manner, and followed through.   http://nyti.ms/fHTfrJ 

Through the Defense Authorization Act, he reversed the Bush Administration and committed to no permanent military bases in Iraq.   http://bit.ly/hk73OJ

He developed the first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan.  http://wapo.st/ee4Xcs  

He returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops from the country. http://bit.ly/lNXUna

Treating  Soldiers and Veterans with Respect

He made sure that families of fallen soldiers could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB, by providing funding for it.  He also ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. http://nyti.ms/glqN66   http://bbc.in/gWSSkA

He funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. http://1.usa.gov/huhqfo

He provided the troops with better body armor.  http://bit.ly/hzSv2h

Created the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order  to improve the quality of their medical care.  http://1.usa.gov/f4yaxW

He put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. (personal note: my son will be in harm’s way for six fewer months with Obama as president, so you know I love this one.) http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7Q

He supported and signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans.  http://1.usa.gov/fN4ur1

He ushered through the largest spending increase in 30 years for the Department of Veterans Affairs for improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities.     http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3x 

He created the Green Vet Initiative, which provided special funding to the Labor Department to provide veterans with training in green jobs.  http://bit.ly/epwUQY

He oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals.  http://bit.ly/gjzTxX

Education

He has repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process.   http://bit.ly/gYWd30   http://bit.ly/e9c7Dr   http://bit.ly/eEzTNq 

Completely reformed the student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate.   http://nyti.ms/dMvHOt

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education.   http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr   This includes a major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide   http://bit.ly/fNDcj3 , as well as an expansion in school construction.  http://bit.ly/fYwNrV 

He passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds.  http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe  

Greater Transparency and Better Government

He signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACN

He signed an order banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years. He also put strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House.   http://nyti.ms/gOrznV

He held the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/gVNSgX

The Obama White House became the first to stream every White House event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5

He established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities.  http://www.serve.gov

He provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. http://1.usa.gov/hQ7ttV

He crafted an Executive Order on Presidential Records, which restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records, and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews. This will provide the public with greater access to historic  White House documents, and severely curtails the ability to use executive privilege to shield them.
http://1.usa.gov/gUetLb

He improved aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent in the processing of FOIA requests.   http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2

National Safety and Security

He’s restored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural  disasters successfully.   http://bit.ly/h8Xj7z

Authorized Navy SEALS to successfully secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates and increased patrols off the Somali coast. http://nyti.ms/efBO7B

Has repeatedly beefed up border security http://bit.ly/mMYB4i

Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden. http://bit.ly/jChpgw

Science, Technology and Health Care

He created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making. 
http://1.usa.gov/g2SDuw   

Opened up the process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects.  http://bit.ly/j0KV2U 

He eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He also provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research.   http://bit.ly/h36SSO    http://ti.me/edezge  

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs.  http://nyti.ms/fTs9t7

He signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis.  http://bit.ly/fOi2rb

He expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers. http://bit.ly/jRRRJc

Conducted a cyberspace policy review.   http://1.usa.gov/gmbdvC

Provided financial support for private sector space programs. http://bit.ly/fn8ucr 

He oversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use.   http://bit.ly/dNTRyP

He ushered throough a bill that authorized the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products.  http://on.msnbc.com/fiKViB As a result,  the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs.  http://bit.ly/ecQSgA 

He also increased funding for community-based prevention programs.  http://bit.ly/frMPG3

He oversaw a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors. http://bit.ly/e5b1iq    http://1.usa.gov/fVNkt9

He eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. http://bit.ly/fOkG5b

Two weeks after taking office, he signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million.   http://bit.ly/fDEzGv

He held a quick press conference, and urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put the increase on hold for two months.    http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9C

Ushered through and signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to 30 million more people,  and ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental  to those with coverage.  He also established  http://www.healthcare.gov/

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26.  http://nyti.ms/fNB26V 

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small business to provide health insurance to their employees, and 29 million people will receive tax breaks to help them afford health insurance.  http://nyti.ms/fNB26V 

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care.  http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

Strengthening the Middle Class and Families

He worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families.   http://bit.ly/fNfidS

He cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor.   http://nyti.ms/fOGLcj

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he cut taxes for 95% of America's working families.   http://bit.ly/eSEI4F  

Under Obama, tax rates for average working families are the lowest they’ve been since 1950.  http://bit.ly/f74pD8 

He extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years. http://bit.ly/eFeSdP

He extended discounted COBRA health coverage for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s extended unemployment benefits several times.  http://aol.it/evtVxD   http://nyti.ms/emrqKJ    http://bit.ly/hOtIpg    http://bit.ly/fTT7kz

Environment and Energy

He fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact federal fuel efficiency standards that were above federal standards.    http://nyti.ms/e8e94x

He fast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in a decade.   http://politi.co/hiaPKM

He oversaw the establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, which creates more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73y

His EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history.  http://bit.ly/lP3yEL

He ordered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances.    http://1.usa.gov/g3MTbu

He ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. http://reut.rs/fV155p  (As you can see, Republicans are trying hard to kill it.)

He oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. http://bit.ly/mjnq2R

Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions.   http://bit.ly/froaP5 

His EPA ruled that CO2 is a pollutant. http://bit.ly/iQTSNN

He doubled federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCE

He pushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. http://bit.ly/j8UP5Y

He created a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.   http://1.usa.gov/fgfRWq

He reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and even proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.”  http://bit.ly/dX6Vj3  http://bit.ly/fE2PxK  http://nyti.ms/hfeqvv

He fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide.  http://bit.ly/eJ6QOO

He required states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. http://bit.ly/lBhk7P

Following Bush’s eight year reign, he reengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic.  http://bit.ly/fzQUFO

Created tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid automobiles, and later he and Democrats morphed that program into one that includes electric cars.   http://bit.ly/glCukV

Mandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles.   http://bit.ly/h5KZqy   http://1.usa.gov/fLWq5c    http://1.usa.gov/hmUSbk 

He strengthened the Endangered Species Act.  http://bit.ly/hscjsH

His EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year.  http://bit.ly/jYH7nt

Through the EPA, he took steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. http://bit.ly/fBuWd2

He increased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10%  http://bit.ly/fbJPjY

Other Stuff

He has expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA.  http://bit.ly/etznpY 

He oversaw funding of  the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015.  He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations.   http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO    http://bit.ly/ff5Luv

Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. http://bit.ly/dFb8qF

He nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices.   http://huff.to/eOChg6  http://bit.ly/i02wgP

He appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president.   http://bit.ly/dX6vNB

He eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and  he rescinded the global gag rule.  http://bit.ly/eCFAI1  http://bit.ly/f92drF

He loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference.   http://huff.to/eQfa7j

His FDA banned the use of antibiotics in livestock production. http://bit.ly/jUjLzo 

Ushered through and signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program.   http://bit.ly/idgQH5