Rise and Shine….Happy Father’s Day!

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A president is often referred to as the father of the country. He nurtures it, guides it in the right direction, lays down policies that will not only help the country in the interim, but also ten, twenty, thirty years down the line. When his term is done, (the formative years of a child’s life) the country has either regressed or grown in leaps and bounds. In that vein, let’s take a look at how far America has progressed under Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States.

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Economy

Passed the Stimulus: The Bush-led Great Recession was costing the economy nearly 800,000 jobs per month by the time President Obama took office. Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after stimulus went into effect, unemployment claims began to subside. Twelve months later, the private sector began producing more jobs than it was losing. The economy has now created over 6 million jobs.

He oversaw the completion of  the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan and also leaned on the banks and others, and recovered virtually all of the bail-out money.

Oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years.

Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession. The new law tightens capital requirements on large banks and other financial institutions, requires derivatives to be sold on clearinghouses and exchanges, mandates that large banks provide “living wills” to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, limits their ability to trade with customers’ money for their own profit, and creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (now headed by Richard Cordray) to crack down on abusive lending products and companies.

He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan.

Along with Democrats, and almost no Republicans, implemented an auto industry rescue plan that immediately saved as many as 1 million jobs. This resulted in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world.

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.

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.

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.

Initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses.

Played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis.

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.

Women

Signed the Democratic-sponsored Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers; giving women who are paid less than men for the same work the right to sue their employers after they find out about the discrimination, even if that discrimination happened years ago. (The first bill he signed into law)

Expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act.

Appointed more women to federal judgeships than any other president in American history.

Nominated Avril Haines to be first female Deputy CIA Director.

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.

Signed the Tribal Law and Order Act, a law that gives tribal authorities greater authority to prosecute and punish criminals who assault Native American women on Native American land.

Nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history.

Appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president.

Eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and rescinded the global gag rule.

Signed an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls.

Appointed the first female Director of the Secret Service.

Healthcare

Signed Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis.

After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of America’s long-term fiscal problems.

Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco. As a result,  the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”

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.

Eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price.

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.

Increased funding for community-based prevention programs.

Through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs.

In 2009, eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, which shows promise in treating spinal injuries, among many other areas.

Military

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.

Funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services.

Put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date.

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.

Oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals.

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.

Initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs.

Signed the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0

Education

Repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process.

Reformed student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate.

Created the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them.

In coordination with Michelle Obama, signed Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 mandating $4.5 billion spending boost and higher nutritional and health standards for school lunches. New rules based on the law, double the amount of fruits and vegetables and require only whole grains in food served to students.

Oversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start.

Oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low income students to go to college.

Along with Democratic Congress, passed and signed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds.

In effort to fight predatory practices of some for-profit colleges, Department of Education issued “gainful employment” regulations in 2011 cutting off commercially focused schools from federal student aid funding if more than 35 percent of former students aren’t paying off their loans and/or if the average former student spends more than 12 percent of his or her total earnings servicing student loans.

Foreign Policy/Foreign Relations

Ended the Iraq War.

Returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops from the country.

Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office.

Re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues.

Closed a number of secret detention facilities.

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.

Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia.

Ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed.

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.

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.

Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021.

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.

Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

Environment

New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”

Fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards.

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.

Oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers.

Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions.

Oversaw doubling federal spending on clean energy research.

Fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide.

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. (Note: it took 20 years to get $1.3 billion for the Exxon Valdez spill.)

Minorities

Nominated and appointed more minorities to the federal bench and in his administration.

Signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs.

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.

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 budget negotiations.

Took steps to improve minority access to capital.

Helped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act.

Creation of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities —a new federal-local pilot that removes federal agency silos and allows federal government officials to work side-by-side with local leaders to create jobs, improve the business climate, and address local and regional challenges.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $3.6 million in Choice Neighborhood grants to 13 communities across the country, which provides local leaders with flexible funds to transform high-poverty neighborhoods with distressed public housing into sustainable communities with mixed-income housing, safe streets, and economic opportunity.

“Federal Rental Alignment: Administrative Proposals” which lays out a broad vision for improving the delivery and operation of affordable housing across the country. The initiatives in this report – many of which are already being implemented – will streamline federal housing requirements to support more efficient delivery of affordable housing.

Middle-Class and Working Families

Worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , cut taxes for 95% of America’s working families.

Provided  a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years.

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.

LGBT

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.

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.

Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Appointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History.

Appointed more openly gay officials than any president in history.

There are now 7 times as many openly gay federal judges as when Pres. Obama took office.

Changed HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing.

Issued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples.

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That was just a small fraction of the policies and laws Pres. Obama has enacted. You can read more about Pres. Obama’s accomplishments here here here here here and here.

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A father is one who cares for you, is always there for you, supports and encourages all your endeavors, celebrates your accomplishments and wipes away the tears from your failures, sets the foundation that will help you lead a better life, sacrifices for you, grits his teeth while he is being insulted just so that you can achieve your dreams. A father is one who may or may not have given birth to you but has such a strong impact on your life that five, ten, fifteen, twenty years from now your life will continue to be enriched just because of his presence and guidance. To all the fathers, beginning with Pres. Obama to the men of The Obama Diary, thank you for all that you do. Have a Happy Father’s Day! 😀

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