So far so good for just a little over 150 days. Only just so much can be done in so little time, but so far, on the right track. Just the breath of fresh air it was to replace Bush and Co., would be enough to last a couple of years if nothing got done.
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the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which eased the requirements for filing employment discrimination lawsuits.
he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured.
In March 2009, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund research on new lines of embryonic stem cells, enabling us to join in the research and investigation that may contribute to cures for a variety of killing and debilitating diseases and afflictions....
On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter. If confirmed, Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. She would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg as one of two women on the Court and the third woman ever to be a Justice. This is a win for minorities, a win for women, thus a win for all the American people who accept diversity and fairness and equality.
In February and March Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration. Our world image has prospered since Obama has taken the reins from Bush, immediately contributing to the overall safety of not only America, but a safer world.
In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey which was well received by many Arab governments. On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for a "new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace. There is a clear separation between "radical Islamists" and the millions of other Muslims. Under Bush, that line was blurred and we paid a heavy price in setbacks.
...his election meant an instand boost to America's credibility in the world, in effect, making everyone a tad safer..
...changes coming to Cuba, enabling ex-patriots to visit their loved ones, and beginning to make inroads into selected American businesses being able to do business with Cuba--which is good for them, and good for us. Keeping Cuba at bay rings hollow when we are so involved with another Communist nation--China.
On February 27, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end." (the sooner the better)
and opposed Republican proposals to establish private accounts for Social Security.
On taxation, his plan would eliminate taxes for senior citizens with incomes of less than $50,000 a year, raise income taxes for those making over $250,000, raise the capital gains and dividends taxes, close corporate tax loopholes, lift the income cap on Social Security taxes, restrict offshore tax havens, and simplify filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information already collected by the IRS.
For environment, Obama proposed a cap and trade auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a ten year program of investments in new energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. Way, way overdue.
Obama favors ending development of new nuclear weapons, reducing the current U.S. nuclear stockpile, enacting a global ban on production of fissile material, and seeking negotiations with Russia in order to make it less necessary to have intercontinental ballistic missiles on high-alert status. In other words, restore some sanity into the mix.
Obama called for an outward looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and, in his view, the renewal of American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying that "we can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission", he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by example
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Eventually, 'ask don't tell' will be history
Eventually, Gitmo will be closed...
And time will tell if the stimulus was the right direction or not. If so, then, Americans will have dodged many bullets, if not economic bombs. Doing nothing wasn't an option.
And a big one--revamping the health care options of insurance....which will benefit everyone, perhaps the most important benefit being a lift for a hurting economy....
