Obama Presidency Works in Progress
The following promises are all substantially on the way to being fulfilled. Many of these things are not completed for any lack of effort or willingness of the President.
Promises on the way to being kept
No. 1: Increase the capital gains and dividends taxes for higher-income taxpayers
Increase capital gains and dividends taxes from 15 to 20 percent for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single)
No. 2: Eliminate all oil and gas tax loopholes
"Eliminating special tax breaks for oil and gas companies: including repealing special expensing rules, foreign tax credit benefits, and manufacturing deductions for oil and gas firms."
No. 4: Extend child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
Will extend aspects of the Bush tax cuts such as child credit expansions and changes to marriage bonuses and penalties.
No. 20: Make permanent the Research & Development tax credit
The Research & Development tax credit and the renewable energy production tax credit are intended to spur innovation in the private sector, but the tax credits have expiration dates under current law. Obama would make them permanent.
No. 21: Require automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
Automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans for workers whose employers offer retirement plans.
No. 22: Require automatic enrollment in IRA plans
Require employers who do not offer retirement plans to offer their workers access to automatic IRAs and contribute via payroll deduction.
No. 23: Create a retirement savings tax credit for low incomes
A tax credit for retirement savings up to $500 (couples) or $250 (singles). Phases out when incomes exceed $65,000 (couples) or $32,500 (single). Indexed for inflation.
No. 27: Change standards for determining broadband access
Will direct the Federal Communications Commission to "provide an accurate map of broadband availability using a true definition of broadband instead of the current 200 kbs standard and an assessment of obstacles to fuller broadband penetration."
No. 28: Create a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will assess the degree to which credit cards meet consumer-friendly standards … (such as) the underwriting standards used to issue the card, the card's interest rate spread between the introductory rate and the maximum rate allowed, and
transaction fees. ... Credit card companies will be required to display the rating on all application and contract materials, enabling consumers to quickly understand all of the major provisions of a credit card without having to rely exclusively on fine print in lengthy documents."
No. 31: Create a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
"Will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation's most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity."
No. 37: Extend the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
Extend the Bush tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single)
No. 38: Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes
Repeal the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single)
No. 39: Phase out exemptions and deductions for higher earners
Restore the phaseouts of personal exemptions and itemized deductions for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single), with threshholds indexed for inflation.
No. 41: Freeze the 2009 estate tax law
Freeze the 2009 estate tax law, which exempts the first $3.5 million and has a top rate of 45 percent.
No. 42: Tax carried interest as ordinary income
Carried interest is a way of compensating executives by giving them ownership stakes, or "interest," in a business. Carried interest is taxed as a capital gain, which has a lower tax rate than ordinary income. Obama proposes taxing carried interest at the same rate as regular income.
No. 43: Sign the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to unionize
"Obama is a cosponsor and strong advocate of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bipartisan effort to make the unionization process more transparent and increase penalties on companies that violate employee rights. He will sign EFCA into law as president."
No. 48: Close the "donut hole" in Medicare prescription drug plan
"Barack Obama wants to close the 'doughnut hole' in the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program that limits benefits for seniors with more than $2,250 but less than $5,100 in annual drug costs. Approximately 4 million seniors hit the doughnut hole in 2006, paying full price for drugs while also paying drug plan premiums."
No. 49: Provide easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans
"An Obama administration will require companies to send Medicare Part D beneficiaries a complete list of the drugs the individual used the past year as well as the pertinent fees paid the previous year. Companies will also be required to provide seniors with online versions of this information, so that they can use it at a third-party comparison shopping site, similar to Priceline.com."
No. 51: Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
Require insurance companies "to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans, regardless of their health status or history, can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums."
No. 52: Create a National Health Insurance Exchange
Create a "National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses purchase private health insurance."
No. 53: Give tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
"Income-based sliding scale tax credits will be provided for people and families who need it."
No. 54: Create a small business tax credit to help with health premiums
"Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50 percent on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees. To be eligible for the credit, small businesses will have to offer a quality health plan to all of their employees and cover a meaningful share of the cost of employee health premiums."
No. 55: Require large employers to contribute to a national health plan
"Large employers that do not offer meaningful coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small businesses will be exempt from this requirement."
No. 56: Require children to have health insurance coverage
"Require that all children have health care coverage. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage by allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans."
No. 57: Expand eligibility for Medicaid
"Expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function."
No. 59: Invest in electronic health information systems
"Invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records."
No. 60: Phase in requirements for health information technology
"Phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT and commit the necessary federal resources."
No. 65: Establish an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
Source: PoliticalGroove Forums
Another Obama Failure
"Establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness to provide accurate and objective information."
No. 67: Implement and fund proven health intervention programs
Implement and fund "evidence-based interventions, such as patient navigator programs." A patient navigator is someone specifically designated to guide patients and their families through the complexities of the health care system.
No. 70: Eliminate the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
"Eliminate the excessive subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans and pay them the same amount it would cost to treat the same patients under regular Medicare."
No. 72: Prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs
"Prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs from consumers."
No. 78: Improve recruitment of public health workers
Government "at all levels should lead the effort to develop a national and regional strategy for public health … government must invest in workforce recruitment."
No. 84: Double federal funding for cancer research
"Will double federal funding for cancer research within 5 years, focusing on NIH (National Institutes of Health) and NCI (National Cancer Institute)."
No. 106: Expand Veterans Centers in rural areas
Expand "Vet Centers in rural areas so that veterans and their families can get the care they need where they live."
No. 114: Reduce the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
"There are currently over 400,000 claims pending within the Veterans Benefits Administration, and over 800,000 claims receipts are expected in 2008 alone. … Obama will hire additional claims workers and convene our nation's leading veterans groups, employees and managers to develop an updated training and management model that will ensure that VA benefit decisions are rated fairly and consistently, and stem from adequate training and accountability for each claims adjudicator."
No. 115: Institute electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration
"As president, Obama will transform the paper benefit claims process to an electronic system that will be interoperable with the VA's health network as well as military records. This will reduce error rates, improve timeliness, and enhance the overall quality of the claims decisions."
No. 117: Launch a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
"Launch an innovative supportive services-housing program to prevent at-risk veterans and veteran families from falling into
homelessness in the first place."
No. 126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq
"Barack Obama will work with military commanders on the ground in Iraq and in consultation with the Iraqi government to end the war safely and responsibly within 16 months."
No. 128: Launch robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
"Launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a comprehensive compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. ... include all of Iraq's neighbors -- including Iran and Syria, as suggested by the bi-partisan The Iraq Study Group Report."
No. 135: Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps
"Barack Obama supports plans to increase the size of the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marines by 27,000 troops. Increasing our end strength will help units retrain and re-equip properly between deployments and decrease the strain on military families."
No. 144: End the "Stop-Loss" program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
Restore the Deployment Policies Under Which the Reserve and Guard Enlisted: America should recommit
to the broken promises made to the men and women who serve in the Guard and Reserves. An Obama
administration will:
• Limit lengthy deployments to one year for every six years
• Restore the 24-month limit on cumulative deployment time
• End the "Stop-Loss" program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments.
No. 155: Review weapons programs
"Programs: Each major defense program will be reevaluated in light of current needs, gaps in the field, and likely future threat scenarios in the post 9-11 world. We must rebalance our capabilities to ensure that our forces can succeed in both conventional war-fighting and in stabilization and counter-insurgency operations."
No. 159: Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors
"Require the Pentagon to develop a strategy for figuring out when contracting makes sense and when it doesn't, rather than continually handing off governmental jobs to well-connected companies."
No. 161: End the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
"End the abuse of the supplemental budgets, where much of the money has been lost, by creating system
of oversight for war funds as stringent as in the regular budget."
No. 164: Work to end NATO restrictions on forces in Afghanistan
Some countries "contributing forces are imposing restrictions on where their troops can operate, tying the hands of
commanders on the ground. ... As president, Obama will work with European allies to end these burdensome restrictions and strengthen NATO as a fighting force. An increased U.S. commitment to the NATO mission will substantially strengthen our hand in asking for more from our European friends."
No. 165: Train and equip the Afghan army
"Barack Obama will strengthen the training and equipping of the Afghan army and police and increase Afghan participation in U.S. and NATO missions, so that there is more of an Afghan face on security."
No. 170: Double U.S. spending on foreign aid to $50 Billion a year by 2012
"Barack Obama would target this new spending towards strategic goals, including helping the world's weakest states to build democratic institutions, foster healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty and generate wealth."
No. 171: Establish a Global Education Fund
Barack Obama would use part of increased U.S. assistance to establish a $2 billion Global Education Fund to "offer an alternative to extremist schools."
No. 175: End the use of torture
"From both a moral standpoint and a practical standpoint, torture is wrong. Barack Obama will end the use torture without exception. He also will eliminate the practice of extreme rendition, where we outsource our torture to other countries."
No. 176: End the use of extreme rendition
"From both a moral standpoint and a practical standpoint, torture is wrong. Barack Obama will end the use torture without exception. He also will eliminate the practice of extreme rendition, where we outsource our torture to other countries."
No. 195: Seek verifiable reductions in nuclear stockpiles
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden will seek deep, verifiable reductions in all U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons — whether deployed or non-deployed, whether strategic or non-strategic — and work with other nuclear powers to reduce global stockpiles dramatically by the end of an Obama presidency."
No. 196: Extend monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden will work to secure Russia's agreement to extend essential monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty before it expires in December 2009."
No. 202: Create a national cyber adviser to coordinate security of electronic infrastructure
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden will declare the cyber infrastructure a strategic asset, vital to national security and the global economy, and develop and deploy systems to protect it. ... Barack Obama and Joe Biden will establish the position of national cyber advisor who will report directly to the president and will be responsible for coordinating federal agency efforts and development of national cyber policy."
No. 203: Develop a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that his administration develops a Cyber Security Strategy that ensures that we have the ability to identify our attackers and a plan for how to respond that will be measured but effective."
No. 218: Increase the size of the foreign service
Barack Obama and Joe Biden "will increase the size of the Foreign Service, fully fund the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and create a new Office of Conflict Prevention and Resolution with senior Ambassadors to support high-level negotiations and
provide the expertise and capacity to seize opportunities or address crises as they arise. An Obama administration will also build a ready reserve corps of private civilians that can participate in post-conflict, humanitarian and stabilization efforts around the globe."
No. 229: Expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families. The trained nurses use proven methods to help improve the mental and physical health of the family by providing counseling on substance abuse, creating and achieving personal goals, and effective methods of nurturing children."
No. 236: Require Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
Will "require his Cabinet officials to have periodic national broadband townhall meetings to discuss issues before their agencies."
No. 243: Expand Early Head Start and Head Start
"Will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both."
No. 258: Simplify the application process for financial aid
"Will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application."
No. 259: Reduce subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
Will "eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders, which will save nearly $6 billion dollars per year, and invest the savings in additional student aid."
No. 262: Create incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration
"Will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."
No. 263: Improve water quality
"Will reinvigorate the drinking water standards that have been weakened under the Bush administration and update them to address new threats. Will help communities by restoring better federal financing for water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, and will continue leadership in protecting national treasures like the Great Lakes from threats such as industrial pollution, water diversion, and invasive species. And will establish policies to help high-growth regions with the challenges of managing their water supplies."
No. 265: Restore the Great Lakes
"Restore the Great Lakes - Will push for the passage of the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, which will move us past playing defense against environmental problems and toward a comprehensive restoration of the Great Lakes."
No. 268: Increase funding for organic and sustainable agriculture
"To support the continued growth of sustainable alternative agriculture...will increase funding for the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program to help farmers afford the costs of compliance with national organic certification standards; and will reform the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency's crop insurance rates so that they do not penalize organic farmers."
No. 275: Expand Pell grants for low-income students
"Will continue to work to ensure that the maximum Pell Grant award is increased for low-income students. Specifically, he will ensure that the award keeps pace with the rising cost of college inflation."
No. 286: Secure the borders
Will support "additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry".
No. 291: Expand the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity
Will "place the weight of (his) administration behind...a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."
No. 299: Eliminate disparity in sentencing for crack and cocaine
"Will work in a bipartisan way to eliminate disparities" between mandatory sentences for trafficking crack cocaine versus powder cocaine, which he believes has disproportionately filled our prison with young black and Latino drug users. "They will also repeal the mandatory minimum sentence for firsttime offenders convicted of simple possession of crack, as crack is the only drug that a non-violent first-time offender can receive a mandatory minimum sentence for possessing."
No. 306: Push for a college football playoff system
Will "throw his weight around" to lobby for a college football playoff system, which he said would only add three weeks to the season.
No. 308: Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
"Will restore funding for the CDBG program: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is an important program that helps strengthen cities and towns throughout the nation by providing housing and creating jobs primarily for low- and moderate-income people and places. The Bush administration has consistently attempted to cut funding for CDBG, including by $1.2 billion next year and $6.9 billion over the next five years. Barack Obama has fought against these cuts and, as president, he will restore funding for the CDBG program."
No. 319: Fully fund the COPS program
Will fully funding the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program "to combat crime and help address police brutality and accountability issues in local communities."
Source: PoliticalGroove Forums
Another Obama Failure
No. 322: Sign the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act
Will sign into law the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act "to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, ensure that support payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies, fund support services for fathers and their families, and support domestic violence prevention efforts."
No. 333: Speed up development of the next-generation space vehicle
"Will expedite the development of the Shuttle's successor systems for carrying Americans to space so we can minimize the gap. This will be difficult; underfunding by the Bush administration has left NASA with limited flexibility to accelerate the development of the new systems."
No. 335: Work with international allies on space station
"Will enlist international partners to provide International Space Station (ISS) cargo re-supply and eventually alternate means for sending crews to the ISS."
No. 339: Support human mission to moon by 2020
Will "endorse the goal of sending human missions to the Moon by 2020, as a precursor in an orderly progression to missions to more distant destinations, including Mars."
No. 343: Improve climate change data records
"Will strengthen baseline climate observations and climate data records to ensure that there are long-term and accurate climate records. He will not use climate change research data for political objectives."
No. 349: Support commercial access to space
"Will stimulate the commercial use of space and private sector utilization of the International Space Station. He will establish new processes and procurement goals to promote the use of government facilities."
No. 350: Revise regulations for export of aerospace technology
"Will direct a review of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to reevaluate restrictions imposed on American companies, with a special focus on space hardware that is currently restricted from commercial export. He will also direct revisions to the licensing process to ensure that American suppliers are competitive in the international aerospace markets, without jeopardizing American national security."
No. 352: Encourage contests and programs to interest students in science
"Will support nontraditional approaches, such as student design competitions and internet-based collaborations to engage students and develop the next generation of scientists and engineers."
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Has Obama kept all campaign promises to Main Street? This member thinks YES!!! 
Anyone that thinks this is a good thing should bury there head in the sand for 10 years
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