PASTOR SCREAMS FACTS ARE NONSENSE

Alisyn Camerota abruptly ended an interview with Cleveland Pastor James Davis, a supporter of GOP nominee Donald Trump, after he continually shouted over other another guest and refused to accept any facts showing that the black community was not in worse shape than any time in U.S. history.

On CNN’s New Day, Davis told Camerota that Trump was correct to assert that black people were worse off than “ever, ever, ever.”

“We see that poverty is at an all-time high underneath this administration,” he opined.

“The poverty rate has actually dropped,” Camerota pointed out.

Davis disagreed, arguing incorrectly that poverty had only decreased for whites under President Barack Obama.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed noted that the black unemployment rate had dropped from nearly 20 percent in 1985 to 8.1 percent in August of this year.

But Davis interrupted Reed and continued to do so throughout the remainder of the interview.

“That’s not true, that’s not true,” Davis said, talking over Reed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Reed shot back.

VIDEO COURTESY OF CNN



Camerota tried to get the segment back on track by fact checking the black unemployment rate, but the response was a cacophony of disagreement.

“The pastor is doing what Donald Trump does: lies,” Reed insisted.

“Are blacks experiencing the worst they’ve ever had?” Camerota asked Davis.

“That’s a euphemism!” Davis shouted back. “It’s the worst it’s been under this administration with these liberals in office! ‘Ever’ is a euphemism!”

As Reed rattled off statistics to prove that things were not worse for the black community than “ever, ever, ever,” Davis refused to let him be heard.

“That’s nonsense!” Davis exclaimed.

“Gentlemen, we can’t hear you!” Camerota pleaded before finally giving up. “Alright, guys, thank you for both of your perspectives. Thank you for the debate.”

Davis and Reed could be heard continuing to argue as CNN finally cut their audio feeds.

“Hopefully that’s not what we’re going to see four days from now when we have the first debate,” co-host Chris Cuomo quipped.

NFTOS
STAFF WRITER

FIORINA A HUGE PROPONENT OF ‘NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF GOOD STORY”

One day after being ambushed by condom-throwing Planned Parenthood supporters, Republican presidential hopeful and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina defended the recent remarks she made about Planned Parenthood on Meet The Press. At the last Republican presidential debate, Fiorina described a video from an anti-abortion group, Center for Medical Progress, that showed “a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.”

The video Fiorina refers to is of a former tissue procurement technician describing an experience where she was working in the pathology lab and saw a fetus with its heart still beating. The woman interviewed said the brain was going to be procured from the fetus. However, the footage used alongside her commentary was stock footage of a fetus with its legs moving, not actual footage of what she witnessed, leading critics to point out that Fiorina mischaracterized the footage that was being shown. The supervisor the woman mentions in the tape also did not say the fetus was kept alive to harvest its brain.

Todd said to Fiorina, “Well, the footage you describe at best is a reenactment … The people that made the videos admit it’s stock footage. Yet, you went right along and said, ‘It’s Planned Parenthood.'”

Fiorina answered:

Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck. Do you think this is not happening? Does Hillary Clinton think this is not happening? So sad that you missed the opportunity to ask Mrs. Clinton why she said, ‘Late-term abortions were only performed for medical purposes.’ That is patently false. This is happening in America today. And taxpayers are paying for it. That is a fact. It is a reality. And no one can run away from it.

There is evidence that people are more supportive of later abortions once they understand the reality of why women are getting them. The majority of South Carolina voters polled by Planned Parenthood Health Systems did not support 20-week abortion bans once they were better informed about why patients seek abortions at this stage, which are rare, such as discovering fetal anomalies.

When Todd pressed her further, Fiorina tried to change the subject by saying the Washington Post’s assertion that she misrepresented her secretarial work wasn’t credible. Todd then asked whether Fiorina thinks any of the work Planned Parenthood uses is “for good.” She said evaded the question, which was likely about Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion care, such as cancer screenings:

I’m sure it is. I’m sure it is. But you know what I find amazing? The hypocrisy of Democrats who stand up and oppose every time taxpayer funding for, say, pregnancy centers, that are also very much focused on women’s health, but no, Democrats don’t want taxpayer funding for pregnancy centers. I just visited one in South Carolina. They are all privately funded. This is hypocrisy on Democrats’ part. This is about a political slush fund. It is about the character of our nation. And yes, we should stand up and fight on this issue.

Fiorina may be referring to crisis pregnancy centers, which advocate that pregnant women do not get abortions, and are often not licensed, may provide misinformation, use scare tactics, and don’t provide the range of medical services that Planned Parenthood and various women’s health clinics do.

In the past, Fiorina has avoided questions about overturning Roe v. Wade. In 2010, she said, “Many, many voters are going to conclude while that [abortion] is a very important issue, it is frankly a decided issue. The law is clear in the state of California, where there is a constitutional guarantee to the right to an abortion. So why are we talking about a theoretical issue?”

Recently, however, she changed her position and said the decision should be overturned. Fiorina’s stance on abortion has been highly scrutinized after the debate, and has gained attention from pro-choice activists and the media, which is looking into her associations with abortion groups and previous remarks she’s made on the issue. BuzzFeed recently reported that a charity Fiorina chairs, Good360, “donated $18,022 in goods” to the Abortion Access Network of Arizona.

NFTOS
STAFF WRITER

JUST REMEMBER, ITS NOT A LIE IF YOU BELIEVE IT

PAGE ONE:

Since insurers have begun informing beneficiaries that their health care plans do not meet the new federal requirements of Obamacare, and will be either cancelled or significantly altered, the media has profiled countless middle class Americans who claim that the new health care law will force them to pay more for coverage.

Deborah Cavallaro, for instance, a real estate agent from Los Angeles, was enrolled in an individual plan that cost her just $293 per month. Under Obamacare, Cavallaro says she’ll have to pay over $400 for coverage she doesn’t need or want. But a higher premium doesn't tell the whole story: while Cavallaro may spend more each month, she’ll be buying more comprehensive insurance with fewer out-of-pocket costs, better benefits that will cover more and cost her less if she actually falls ill, and much more robust consumer protections.

So before you buy into the sticker shock hysteria, here are four questions you should ask:

What does the old plan actually cover? Most of the policies in the existing individual health care market — which are currently issuing notices — offer low premiums, but also come with skimpy benefits and high out-of-pocket costs. These plans often have low limits for outpatient treatment, hospitalization or don’t offer any benefits for procedures like colonoscopy, chemotherapy or mental health treatment. Insurers market these policies to young and healthy people who don’t use their coverage — and never know the true extent of their benefits. (The market is also fairly mobile, with just 17 percent of individual subscribers purchasing the same plan for two years or longer.)

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers cover 10 essential categories of benefits, offering far more comprehensive coverage than what’s available in most individual insurance plans.

Did this person go to the exchanges? Insurers informing policy holders that their health care costs will go up, often direct beneficiaries to their other brand products without telling them about competitive options and prices available through the exchanges. Cavallaro, for instance, got a quote from a broker, but did not explore the available options on her own.

Prices are lowest in areas with the most insurer competition. An analysis from the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform found that “new entrants into the market make up 26 percent of all insurers,” and “tend to price their plans lower than the median premiums in their market.” The average premium in the exchanges is 16 percent lower than previously projected.

Yes, the premium is low, but what are the co-pays and deductibles? This coverage often forces individuals who do use care to meet high deductibles — the amount you pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in — pay high co-pays and co-insurance or limit the number of doctor visits that are allowed. Cavallaro, for instance, must meet a deductible of $5,000 a year and has an out-of-pocket cap of $8,500 a year. The plan covers just two doctors’ visits and each include a $40 co-pay.

As the LA Times’ Michael Hiltzik points out in California, Cavallaro could sign-up for a Silver level plan with a $2,000 deductible, maximum out-of-pocket cost of $6,350, pay $45 for a primary care visit and $65 for a specialty visit — “but all visits would be covered, not just two.”

The health law sets exchange enrollees’ maximum annual out-of-pocket costs at $6,350, and silver plans have deductibles ranging from $1,500 to $5,000.

Does this person qualify for subsidies? Americans between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty line ($46,000 for an individual, or about $78,000 for a family of three) qualify for tax credits under the law. Six of the 7 million individuals who are expected to sign up for insurance through the exchange will receive an average tax credit of $5,290 per year.

Cavallaro “qualifies her for a hefty federal premium subsidy,” Hiltzik reports and can purchase a silver plan for $333, $40 more than she’s paying now. A cheaper bronze plan would be in the $200s.

PAGE TWO - FACT:

Let's take a look at the Northern territory; in British Columbia (Canada) a single person pays $66.50 a month for comprehensive health care, with no co-pays, no deductibles, no lifetime caps, and no payments for a doctor's visit. The only things not covered are dental and prescriptions, which many employers and individuals cover with supplemental insurance.

If you want to really learn about single-payer health insurance, got to PNHP. This site has a plethora of facts on the topic - an organization of over 18,000 physicians who support the concept. There is a reason readers why America ranks so low [37th] in the world with regards to healthcare.

According to the World Health organization, the U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds. The United Kingdom, which spends just six percent of GDP on health services, ranks 18th . Several small countries – San Marino, Andorra, Malta and Singapore are rated close behind second- placed Italy.

Five factors that went into WHO's calculation:

Health level, as defined by a measure of life expectancy, which shows how healthy a country's population is. This factor gets a 25 percent weight. 

Responsiveness, which includes factors such as speed of health services, privacy protections, choice of doctors and quality of amenities. This factor gets a 12.5 percent weight. 

Financial fairness, which measures how progressive or regressive the financing of a country's health care system is — that is, whether or not the financial burdens are borne by those who are economically better off. This factor receives a 25 percent weight. 

Health distribution, which measures how equally a nation's health care resources are allocated among the population. This factor receives a 25 percent weight. 

Responsiveness distribution, which measures how equally a nation's health care responsiveness (which we defined above) is spread through society. This factor gets a 12.5 percent weight.

John Boehner said that the health care law signed by President Barack Obama -- and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court -- imperiled the nation’s health care system saying:

"Gov. Romney understands that Obamacare will bankrupt our country and ruin the best health care delivery system in the world," Boehner said, during the July 1, 2012, edition of CBS’ Face the Nation.

While some US techniques may be far better advanced from a scientific perspective, the actual Healthcare system prior to Obamacare, fell way short of what "lesser" nations provide. For any tin foil hat society member to suggest and claim that the United States had "the best health care delivery system in the world" prior to the ACA - is too glib to accurately characterize - and in reality, its much more a nuanced delusional fallacy from the "know-nothings"!

Portions of blog from thinkprogress.

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain; He Is No Wizard, And He Certainly Is No Economist

FORBES MAKES UP INFORMATION ON ACA

Please, just give us the facts and nothing but the facts:

An article published by Forbes claiming that Obamacare will increase health care costs by $7,450 for a typical family of four is spreading like wildfire across the internet, but causing eyes to roll from economists across the country.

The estimate by author Chris Conover, an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, comes from a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report, which projects that national health care spending will increase once the uninsured begin enrolling in the law’s health care exchanges.

“By 2022, the ACA is projected to reduce the number of uninsured people by 30 million, add approximately 0.1 percentage-point to average annual health spending growth over the full projection period, and increase cumulative health spending by roughly $621 billion,” the report finds.

To translate that number to a “typical American family,” Conover took “the latest year-by-year projections, divided by the projected U.S. population to determine the added amount per person,” multiplied that result by four and voila: Obamacare will add $7,450 to average health spending for a family of four between 2014 and 2022!

One economist interviewed said that the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities’ Paul Van de Water, described this calculation as one of the stupidest things he’s read in a long time and likened it to arguing that college costs will increase for a “typical” family if the federal government adopts policies that help lower-income Americans afford college educations. Yes, the nation will spend more on education if more students enroll in colleges and universities, but the “typical” student already attending college won’t; she or he will continuing paying tuition at more or less the same rate, while the newly-enrolled student will presumably benefit from some sort of subsidized tuition rate.

The same is true here. The so-called “typical” family that Conover describes already receives health care insurance through their employer. The existence of 30 million newly-insured people — many of whom will receive tax credits if they purchase insurance in the law’s exchanges — won’t do much to move their premiums in one way or another. (Health advocates hope that the law will slow the rate of growth in health care spending, but that’s a long-term proposition.)

In fact, if anything, the CMS report that Conover links to shows that Obamacare is a good financial proposition. In 2022, total health care spending will increase by 1.5 percent, while the number of non-elderly adults with health care coverage will increase by 9 percent. That’s a pretty good deal any way you slice it.

Conover produces “an average that doesn't mean anything for anyone,” Van de Water said. “He understates the value of the coverage that uninsured will be getting, but greatly overstates and mis-states the cost of the typical family will experience. Typical is employer-sponsored insurance and that is not being affected to any significant extent.”

“This is a typically misleading use of data by opponents of Obamacare,” MIT’s Jonathan Gruber added. “The bottom line is that the government has consistently reported that Obamacare will raise national health spending by about 1 to 2 percent.” “This is a small fraction of the typical 5 to 7 percent annual growth rate in health care – and is a small price to pay for insuring 30 million or more Americans.”

The American Enterprise Institute has a fancy name with idiots at the helm, much like the current Heritage Foundation, who chose Jim DeMint as their new executive.

They specialize in propaganda, cutely wrapped with some obscure scientist or economist preaching doom and gloom - that if we don't immediately remove the black guy in the White House - that we are purposed for failure.

One would tend to think they would perhaps issue a study on wealth disparity, but no, that would shed a bad light on the uber rich, like the Koch Suckers, who routinely finance much of this crazy bullshit that we see coming from camp "Wacko Bird".

Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but this latest attempt to fear the country is totally bogus! Fear mongering failure.

The GOP motto: "never ever let facts get in they way of a good story"!

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain; he's no wizard, and he certainly is no economist!

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

Wiley Coyote Tries To Light Fuse On The Acme Scandals, And They Just Won't Go Off. Beep, Beep!

FROM PAGE 141 OF IRS TRANSCRIPTS

Who knew? Who knew that Darrell Issa was a lying schmuck? You didn't have to be Einstein to know that as time went on - that this IRS scandal would backfire on the American Taliban.

And just like with the Benghazi emails, the full transcripts have been released, [an oh shit moment for Issa] and they  reveal that there was absolutely no testimony or evidence that supports the right-wing lie that the White House was behind these actions.


NEVER LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY

Video Courtesy of MSNBC




Darrell Issa, in typical deceiving GOP fashion, knew this. That’s why he continued to delay the release of these transcripts, which decimated every conspiracy Republicans have tried to levy against the President.

Yesterday’s release from Representative Elijah Cummings contains the full transcripts that show the White House had absolutely nothing to do with this issue in the Cincinnati office.

Even the fallacy that there was an overwhelming number of “conservative groups” targeted was a lie. This graph shows that only 96 of the 298 groups listed were “conservative groups,” totaling about one-third within this investigation. But when you heard it from the American Taliban, this was some kind of direct attack against the tea bagger, even though there’s no evidence supporting this whatsoever.

In fact, there is an over abundance of evidence to show that Issa knowingly tried to conceal specific pieces of evidence from being released, while allowing specific comments to be “leaked” by his staff, perpetuating his lies that the White House was behind this.

Just like with Benghazi, the real story is much less eventful than what the American Taliban wants Americans to believe. And just like with Benghazi, the possible criminal activity doesn't come from the White House, but from within the American Taliban. Their concealment of factual information which easily debunks the lies which they were using to mislead the American public is now public, for all to see.

Benghazi’s “conspiracy” really stems from who edited the initial emails that the GOP used to build their attack on President Obama and Hillary Clinton, while the IRS “conspiracy” seems to be about why Issa continued to perpetuate a lie - a lie that had no merit and zero factual backing to support his claim.

The American Taliban cares little about facts —their number one mission, to point blame at the African American in the oval office. No matter what the cost, "pin the tail on the donkey"!

One has to wonder why Issa was so eager to keep this information from public view?

It's going to take some time to review the transcript in detail, but at this point, it looks like the IRS controversy, which was on shaky ground before, has almost completely been flushed down the toilet..

If, upon further review, these transcripts reinforce the perception that Issa tried to mislead the public, it's the California tea bagger and not the Obama administration, that will have some explaining to do!

Related: Issa furious over release of transcripts.

Darrell Issa proves to self, yep I am a schmuck!

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

AYN RAND WORSHIPERS

Bill Maher last night eviscerated two of my favorite GOPers. The first to be called out was the right-wing Ayn Rand nuts.




The second group of GOPers to be verbally bitch slapped by Maher where those whom are allergic to science, data, and facts.




Let's be real readers, the problem with our country isn't partisanship, nor is it polarization, the problem and ills of our land is the GOP!

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

EVIDENCE FREE RIGHT WING WORLD

GOP CONSPIRACY THEORIES CREATED HERE

They’re back! From birthers to ‘Benghazi flu,’ right-wingers who see cover-ups around every corner are a plethora - they have found many new obsessions of late, to skew the stories from fact to fiction - as John Avlon calls it, "their paranoia-philia".

Conspiracy theories rum amuck within the tin foil hat society. The last seven days; photos of POTUS shooting skeet, "skeet-gate", the moon landing, a farce, and the power going out at the Super Bowl last night - is the first trilogy of a tyrannical anarchist government plot to take over of the country!

The More Republicans Know About Politics, the More They Believe Conspiracy Theories.

Facts often elude the American Taliban. Fear mongering is how they educate their base. Whether it's embracing Agenda 21, or defaming climate control, these special patriots bring ignorance to a new level.

MADDOW VIDEO:

Conspiracies theories will always flourish within the right-wing regime. It's bounty never ending. Common sense has flown the coop and has given way to unabashed stupidity. This is the American Taliban we have come to know and love. Where else would NFTOS get it's fodder from?

 

 

 

NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

INSIDE THE GOP BUBBLE

GOP ers LIVE IN A BUBBLE

Here's the reason why the right-wingers in America are so screwed up:

The Republican electorate tends to be old, racially homogenous, rural, and in most cases under-educated (the states that have the lowest rates of high school and college degrees are all red states, and 8 of the 10 most educated states are blue states). Each of those factors can be agitated pretty easily –you've been abandoned, they're coming for you, you're neglected in favor of the cities and they think you're stupid, respectively. These factors can also be easily piqued by a dogmatic politicized religion.

In combination, this creates a group of people who are paranoid, resistant to evidence and facts, and who have a preference for simple explanations and solutions.

Exploiting this phenomenon, is an amoral, highly educated, wealthy class willing to use these preferences for their individual gain. These people are in no way stupid, they're just without scruples. They have vast resources and are willing to rely on both the light and dark side of the force to achieve their continued primacy. Easiest way to do that is to manifest these resources into blaming whatever it is on the group they find most threatening.

So, when this body of people is presented with evidence that undermines what they think they know, they feel immediately threatened. These fears are stoked by their overseers so that the immediate response is hostility, rather that the more appropriate response of discovery. It also clouds everything when there is a ready-made smoke and mirrors scheme designed to pump doubt onto complicated evidence. When a scientist is proved wrong, they "were lying." When journalists deliver unwelcome news, they "have a liberal bias." When expert findings (such as science or economic analysis) are demonstrably correct but threatening to the right-wing doctrine, their methods are asserted to be flawed, or are otherwise marginalized. This makes thee GOP pro-actively reactionary.

Teapublicans live within their own convoluted bubble, a bubble so out of touch with reality, that during our latest presidential election, our country flat out denied these fruit loops the opportunity to reverse 50 years of progression.

BUBBLE ONE

 

BUBBLE TWO

 

Watch Maddow show you what we missed when we voted to deny the GOP the White House.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

For starters, to survive as a party, the teapublicans need to welcome people who believe in different things than they do, like science and math.

The GOP is imploding as we speak, from Ann Coulter, to Glenn Beck, to Karl Rove, they are all coming unglued at the seams, which at the end of the day is a good thing - for nothing is better than a pissed off tea bagger. This is what happens when one lives in a bubble.

 

 

 

 

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS

POTUS WITH 79% CHANCE OF BEING A SECOND TERM PRESIDENT

The last few days have just about caused the American Taliban a coronary. Why you ask?

The Albert Einstein of statistical analysis, also the owner of "five thirty eight blog" AKA Nate Silver, has all but called the election for President Obama. The statistician has Obama at a 79% chance of winning, and needless to say, the radical righties are livid. If facts elude this unlettered group, can we really expect them to grasp histograms, analysis of variance, better known as ANOVA? Something tells me no.

The battle has gotten so heated that Silver even tweeted to MSNBC tea bagger Joe Scarborough, that he'd bet him a thousand dollars that his data would prove correct on election day.

The wingnuts of the right keep saying that Silver is a incompetent ideologue, and why not, all this from a group who have a total collected IQ of less than 2.

Let's be realistic readers, Silver is a political polling genius. Fortunately, our most prominent numbers cruncher has been giving us the straight story, instead of capitalizing on this anxiety. Silver's accuracy last November 2008 - presidential election predictions—he correctly predicted the winner of 49 of the 50 states—which won Silver further attention and commendation. The only state he missed was Indiana, which went for Barack Obama by 1%. He also correctly predicted the winner of all 35 Senate races that same year.

Silver’s backstory reads like a quirky screenplay. While working as a transfer pricing consultant who helped companies minimize tax exposure from overseas investments, he spent his evenings and weekends perfecting an ingenious computer system for evaluating baseball players’ stats, which outperformed the analyses of many experts. A company running an Internet site for Rotisserie League fans bought his system. Silver used the money to stake himself as a full-time online poker player, quickly earning $400,000. Shortly thereafter, congressional grandstanding before the 2006 midterm elections stifled the online poker business with regulations, leading the best professional players, deprived of the overconfident amateurs they had been feasting on, to go after players like Silver. He lost $130,000. So he turned to politics, attempting to predict the partisan composition of the next Congress to help him decide whether to cut his losses and move on from poker. Thus was born the sideline that became fivethirtyeight.com.

This Prediction is bad news for the American Taliban, and we all know how much teapublicans like to delude themselves. You know, the flat earth mentality, the earth was created in 6 days, 6000 years ago, man has had no impact on the climate, and as everyone knows, tobacco is perfectly harmless.

I say step up Joe. You have considerably more wealth than Silver. How confident are you? Take the bet, put you money where your mouth is!

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

IS ROMNESIA A FOX TRANSMITTED DISEASE [FTD's}?

GOP DREADED FAUX NEWS TRANSMITTED DISEASE

Facts Matter!

If you're one of those who thinks President Obama is a "failure," my condolences for you not getting your unicorn. We have a little over two weeks to go before the election. There will be two choices for president; it's not a smorgasbord. You can either vote for Obama, or you can sit back and watch Mitt Romnesia complete the job of taking apart the social fabric of the country that was first undertaken by Ronald Reagan 32 years ago. That is your choice.

What makes the "failure" argument even more disturbing is the GOP's famous saying, "fuck facts"!



Here is what matters, here are the facts - that this president has compiled a exemplary record given the circumstances under which he took office. If you can look past the bullshit or talking points of the American Taliban, if you can get over Romnesia, or worse yet rid yourself of the dreaded GOP FTD's [Fox Transmitted Disease].

Below are 206 facts, bullet points if you will on Barack Obama's throughput for four years.

He Returned The Executive Branch To Fiscal Responsibility After the Bush Debacle

1. Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5

2. 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

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

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

5. He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems. To that end, he also signed the Democratic-sponsored Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, which attempted to put a stop to waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1 http://bit.ly/fz8GAd

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


He Improved the Economy, Preventing a Bush Depression

7. Pushed through and signed the Democratic-sponsored American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package.” The bill passed, even though only three Republicans voted for it. In a major departure from the previous administration, he launched recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSs http://1.usa.gov/e3BJMk

8. The Bush-led Great Recession was costing the economy nearly 800,000 jobs per month by the time President Obama took office. But by the end of his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economyby 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEE

9. Not only did he completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, he also leaned on the banks and others, and recovered virtually all of the bail-out money. http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVS http://bit.ly/eCNrD6

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

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

12. Along with Democrats, and almost no Republicans, 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 This resulted in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQx Willard Romney, on the other hand, advocated for the entire industry to go belly-up. http://nyti.ms/k0zp

13. Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nf

14. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7

15. Signed the Democratic-sponsored 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

16. Increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOw

17. Signed the Democratic-sponsored and passed 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

18. 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

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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7

23. Signed an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome regulations from the books. http://1.usa.gov/Lpo5bd

24. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 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

25. Dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLu

26. Along with Congressional Democrats, 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

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

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


He Fostered Greater Transparency and Better Government, After the Excesses of the Bush Years

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

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

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

32. Became the first to stream every White House event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5

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

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

35. Issued 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. Provides 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

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


Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection

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

38. Along with Congressional Democrats, 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

39. Through Dodd-Frank legislation, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG

40. Through Dodd-Frank, the Executive Branch fashioned rules that reduce the influence of speculators in the oil market. http://bit.ly/MDnA1t

41. Fashioned rules so that banks can no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers' interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

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

43. 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

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

45. Signed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, which closed many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore. http://1.usa.gov/bd1RTq

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

47. Oversaw and then signed a Democratic bill constituting the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression. http://thedc.com/gxkCtP

48. Through the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals usingmoney from the TARP and Stimulus programs. http://bit.ly/SLTcSa


He Ushered Through Many Changes That Enhanced Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination

49. Along with Congressional Democrats, 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

50. Pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie in order to be eligible to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping. http://bit.ly/fdahuH http://bit.ly/mZV4Pz

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

52. Appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7D

53. Appointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History. http://bit.ly/58zUp7

54. Changed HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing bit.ly/9RxEnP

55. Changed his mind and publicly expressed support for the right to enter into a same-sex marriage. http://bit.ly/JsiFKp

56. Issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGT

57. 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 http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM

58. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored 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

59. Expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x

60. Under his guidance, National Labor Relations Board issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees' rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets, beginning November 2011. http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQ

61. Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay rights worldwide. http://lat.ms/pQe1RS

62. Issued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples. reut.rs/llNJek

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

64. Helped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/th0JC8


He Made Major Improvements in Foreign Relations and American Status Around the World

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

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

67. Helped 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

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

69. Closed a number of secret detention facilities. http://nyti.ms/rpUc9l

70. Improved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys. http://1.usa.gov/tiGAGe

71. Pushed for military to emphasize devlopment of foreign language skills. http://bit.ly/AxUCLV

72. Offered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, called on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. http://bit.ly/9axfWh

73. Refused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program, and thus avoid another war that Republicans wanted. http://bit.ly/xVmSZK

74. Worked with Democratic Congress to make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVY

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

76. Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia. http://1.usa.gov/hxdf8U

77. 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

78. Ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and, unfortunately, progressive Democrats) who prevented follow through. http://bit.ly/eW6CVF

79. 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

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

81. Released the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0

82. 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

83. In response to the emerging "Arab Spring," he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9

84. Ended the F-22 program, saving $4 billion. Though the single-seat, twin-engine, fighter aircraft cost $358 million each, and the military had 187 built, the F-22 never flew a combat mission. http://slate.me/PYzmzT (The "fiscally conservative GOP fought to keep it.)

85. Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war, and to encourage Iran to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/wLtNjb

86. Ended the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tyS

87. Authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http://bit.ly/y8c9Fz

88. Through United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split of Sudan into two countries, this allowing for the creation of an independent South Sudan. http://reut.rs/qzE0Tj


He Took a More Realistic Approach to “Defense”

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

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

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

92. Signed and pushed through ratification a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtw

93. Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021. http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4

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

95. Developed 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

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

97. Negotiated a deal with Afghan govenment, to withdraw troops and military support, while assisting in rebuilding and modernizing of the country. http://bit.ly/K362an

98. Took steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world. http://yhoo.it/n5lXs6

99. Negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India. http://1.usa.gov/aHp0Cn

100. Took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple the despotic Khadaffy government and determine their own fate. http://aje.me/qAh4Sj

101. Got Egyptian President/dictator Mubarak to leave the Egyptian government to the people, to determine their own fate. http://f24.my/efvgNZ

102. In 2011, reoriented American focus from the Middle East to the Asian-Pacific region by simultaneouly engaging China and crafting new alliances with Asian countries uncomfortable with Chinese behavior. http://bit.ly/RGlMDi


His Administration Treated Soldiers and Veterans with Respect That Was Missing Previously

103. Along with Congressional Democrats, not only reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB, but also provided funding for it. Ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. http://nyti.ms/glqN66 http://bbc.in/gWSSkA

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

105. Provided active combat troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2h

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

107. 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

108. Along with Congressional Democrats, supported and signed 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

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

110. 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

111. Initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs. http://bit.ly/b48coi

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

113. Signed the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty will be able to avoid state taxes in their temporary residence. http://bit.ly/1Gh0NX


He Refocused the Federal Government on Education

114. 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

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

116. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr

117. Created the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them. http://bit.ly/NHtZ7L

118. Oversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide http://bit.ly/fNDcj3 

119. Oversaw major expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrV

120. Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2Rr

121. Signed the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0 http://bit.ly/hPhG7J

122. Oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low income students to go to college. http://bit.ly/hI6tXz

123. Along with Democratic Congress, passed and signed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe

124. Took major new steps to protec students from ineffective for-profit colleges through "gainful employment" measures, whereby schools have to demonstrate that its students actually find work to get federal aid. http://1.usa.gov/jkzQe2

125. With First Lady Michelle Obama, passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. http://1.usa.gov/GAXkSk


He Pushed Through Improvements in National Safety and Security

126. 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

127. 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

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

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

Reoriented Government to an Adult View on Science, Technology and Health Care

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

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

132. Eliminated Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSO http://ti.me/edezge

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

134. Signed Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis. http://bit.ly/fOi2rb

135. 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

136. Obama EPA reveresed research ethics standards which allowed humands to be used as "guinea pigs" in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. http://bit.ly/bKgqdS

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

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

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

140. Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco. 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.”

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

142. Increased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3

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

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

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

146. Urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Democratic Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put increase on hold for two months. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9C

147. Ushered through and signed Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to at least 30 million more people, ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established healthcare.gov, so that taxpayers could keep up with developments. http://www.healthcare.gov/

148. Through ACA, allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

149. Through the ACA, 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

150. Through the ACA, expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo

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

152. Provisions in theACA have already resulted in Medicare costs actually declining slightly this fiscal year, for the first time in many years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The increase in 2011 was 4%, which is very low compared to the average 12% annual inflation rate during previous 40 years. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpTh

153. Through the ACA, expanded space exploration and discovery options to more players http://bit.ly/PNTS7e

154. Through the Connect America Fund, pushed through and received FCC approval for a move of $8 billion in subsidies away from telephone landlines to assist lower-income rural families in accessing broadband. http://lat.ms/vhRUEs

He Took Steps to Strengthen the Middle Class and Families, and to Fight Poverty

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

156. 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

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

158. Tax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8

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

160. 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

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

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


He Took Concrete Steps to Improve Our Environment and Address Our Energy Needs

163. Fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94x

164. 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

165. Oversaw establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, to create more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73y

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

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

168. 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.)

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

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

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

172. Oversaw doubling federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCE

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

174. 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

175. Reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and 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

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

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

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

179. 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

180. 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

181. Got BP to cough up $20 billion to establish Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, to reduce the need for taxpayer funds to be used for compensation and clean up. http://wapo.st/ds2BxT (Note: it took 20 years to get $1.3 billion for the Exxon Valdez spill. )

182. Oversaw and pushed through amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://1.usa.gov/yTRYVo

183. Actively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. http://nyti.ms/bxjDi3

184. Initiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://nyti.ms/bVuB7a

185. Through his EPA, he asserted federal legal supremacy, and barred Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own. http://bit.ly/ww8eMd

186. Strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsH

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

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

189. Through new EPA regulations, he created a pretext for closing the dirtiest power plants in the country, by limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic gasses. http://bit.ly/rQCIgA

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

191. Announced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards. http://1.usa.gov/oQiC1K

192. Announced a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg in 2010 to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 http://1.usa.gov/qtghsW


And That's Not All...

193. Expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpY

194. 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

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

196. 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

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

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

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

200. Signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5

201. Signed an Executive Order that will speed up deployment of a more comprehensive broadband infrastructure. http://1.usa.gov/M7rVpe

202. Signed an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by instructing them to reduce the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure projects. http://1.usa.gov/GHxaYt

203. Signed a bill that provided $4.3 billion in additional assistance to 9/11 first reponders. http://bit.ly/o7cWYS

204. Signed an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls. http://1.usa.gov/MHTRVU

205. Signed the Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who had been cheated out of government loans and natural resource royalties in the past. http://1.usa.gov/dGppUa

And Did You Know?

206. 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%. 

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West