WAKE FOREST, October 15, 2012 – Although the President’s election was not welcomed by all Americans, most citizens were hopeful that he would govern in the best interest of “We the People.” There are those who have labeled the President as “Worst Ever.”
But now that Election 2012 is upon us, let’s take a look BACK at some of the GOOD things that he was able to do while serving in the Oval Office.
01. Required states to conduct criminal background checks on prospective foster and adoptive parents.
02. Requires districts to let students transfer out of dangerous schools.
03. Requires schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for classroom disruption (reintroducing discipline into classrooms).
04. Instrumental in turning around an economy that was in recession.
05. Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people.
06. Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.
07. Provided $20 million to states to help people with disabilities work from home.
08. Created a fund to encourage technologies that help the disabled.
09. Increased the annual contribution limit on Education IRA’s from $500 to $2,000 per child.
10. Announced “Jobs for the 21st Century,” a comprehensive plan to better prepare workers for jobs in the new millennium by strengthening post-secondary education and job training, and by improving high school education.
11. Worked to provide vouchers to low-income students in persistently failing schools to help with costs of attending private schools.
12. Established a $2.4 billion fund to help states implement teacher accountability systems.
13. Increased funding for the Troops-to-Teachers program, which recruits former military personnel to become teachers.
14. Submitted a comprehensive Energy Plan (needed Congressional Action). The plan outlined the development of cleaner technology, production of more natural gas here at home, making America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, improve national grid, etc.
15. Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary cleanup of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.
16. Restricted or eliminated CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.
17. Provided matching grants for state programs that help private landowners protect rare wildlife species.
18. Of the senior al Qaeda leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators, (under the President’s administration) the U.S. Government has tracked terrorists, and more than two-thirds have been taken into custody or killed.
19. Disarmed Libya of its chemical, nuclear and biological WMD’s without bribes or bloodshed.
20. 10. Pushed through THREE raises for our military. Increased military pay by more than $1 billion a year.
21. Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia.
22. Announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.
23. Prohibited putting U.S. troops under U.N. command.
24. Paid back UN dues only in return for reforms and reduction of U.S. share of the costs.
25. Earmarked at least 20 percent of the Defense procurement budget for next-generation weaponry.
26. Increased defense research and development spending by at least $20 billion for four years.
27. Ordered a comprehensive review of military weapons and strategy.
28. Ordered a review of overseas deployments.
29. Ordered renovation of military housing. The military has already upgraded about 10 percent of its inventory and expects to modernize 76,000 additional homes this year.
30. Worked to tighten restrictions on military-technology exports.
31. Rejected United Nations’ plans for gun control (i.e.: International Ban on Small Arms Trafficking Treaty).
32. Announced: “America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.”
33. Initiated review of all federal agencies with the goal of eliminating federal jobs in an effort to reduce the size of the federal government while increasing private sector jobs.
34. Led the most extensive reorganization of Federal bureaucracy in over 50 yrs.
35. Ordered each Federal agency to draft a 5-year plan to restructure with fewer managers.
36. Converted Federal service contracts to performance-based contracts wherever possible so that the contractor has measurable performance goals.
37. Enabled citizens to own New Health Savings Accounts. Under this plan, American citizens were enabled to set aside up to $4,500 annually, tax-free, for medical expenses. Although not widely publicized, the result of the plan allowed money not spent to stay in the account and gain interest tax-free, just like an IRA.
38. Announced the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an internet-based system that improved America’s ability to track and monitor foreign students and exchange visitors.
39. Eliminated Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.
40. Signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal aliens.
41. Ensured that information regarding nearly 100% of all containerized cargo is carefully screened by the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) before it arrives in the USA. High risk shipments are physically inspected for terrorist weapons and contraband prior to being released from the port of entry.
42. The President’s administration supported a class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims.
43. Signed an Executive Order enforcing the Supreme Court’s decision union dues being used for political campaigns against individual’s wishes.
44. Signed TWO bills into law that arms pilots with handguns in the cockpit.
45. Established the White House Office and the Centers for the Faith-based and Community Initiative located in seven Federal agencies. The goal was to make sure that grassroots leaders can compete on equal footing for federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face fewer bureaucratic barriers. Work focused on at-risk youth, ex-offenders, the homeless and hungry, substance abusers, those with HIV/AIDS, and welfare-to-work families.
46. The President’s administration released a guidebook fully describing the belief that faith-based groups have a Constitutionally-protected right to maintain their religious identity through hiring, even when Federal funds are involved.
47. Issued an Executive Order implementing the Supreme Court’s ruling which requires moving disabled people from institutions to community-based facilities whenever possible.
48. Increased funding for low-interest loan programs to help people with disabilities purchase devices to assist them.
49. Revised the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 rent subsidies to disabled people, permitting them to use up to a year’s worth of vouchers to finance down payments on homes.
50. Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men, women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa.
Well, there you have it. The President has not made everyone happy, but he DOES have a record of accomplishment.
Oh, by the way… the above record about the President is factual: For President George W. Bush; not Barack H. Obama.
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