2010 Voting Booth Facts

In case you’ve been in a bubble for the past two years, today is the first of two days Republicans have had circled on their calendar since the night America elected Barack Obama President of the United States. (The second date — Election Day 2012)

For the past several months, I and many like me have been screaming at the top of our lungs – “Don’t be Duped!”

Yes, the country is still struggling, but this group of Republicans who have done NOTHING for the past two years but filibuster and vote NO on every piece of important legislation aimed first and foremost at helping the country recover from the economic atrocities they created, is now banking that the American people will have amnesia when they go to the polls today.

I’ve done enough yelling, screaming and bad mouthing of the Republicans. On this, the day of judgment, I present to you five major financial accomplishments by the President and the Democratically led Congress over the past 21-months, and 10 additional accomplishments with links so you can read further about how the President has "blown-it" according to Sarah Palin.

January 2009 – Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

The very first bill signed by President Obama, restored employee rights to challenge pay discrimination. During the bill signing the President said, “…signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it's not just unfair and illegal, it's bad for business to pay somebody less because of their gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or disability; and that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook.”

February 2009 – Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act

This bill expanded the Health and Human Services program which provides matching funds to states for health insurance to families with children. The bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama added 4 million children and pregnant women to the program, including for the first time legal immigrants without a waiting period.

February 2009 – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

This is the “evil” stimulus bill that Republicans “claim” was a waste of taxpayer money. Here are the facts of how the money has been spent (as of the end of September, 2010)…

• $551 billion (70% of the $787 billion total) have already been paid out, and $687 billion (87% of the total) have already been allocated:

• $243 billion (85% of $288 billion total) in tax rebates/relief to individuals and corporations have been paid out;

• $146 billion (53%of $275 billion total) in discretionary grants, contracts and loans;

• $162 billion (72% of $224 billion) in entitlement programs (e.g. unemployment benefits, food stamps, and other aid to individuals and states)

This spending is estimated to have helped create or save between 1.4 and 3.3 million jobs (according to the Congressional Budget Office estimates) and increase real GDP between 1.7 and 4.5 percentage points in the second quarter of 2010.  If these estimates are accurate, it means that the ARRA was instrumental in getting the economy out of the recession and in preventing the unemployment rate to increase much above the current rate of 9.6%.   

NOT ONE Republican in the House of Representatives (178 of which 176 voted NO) voted for the stimulus bill. In the Senate, only 3 Republicans voted for it. Is it any wonder they are trying like hell to make everyone believe the stimulus failed?

May 2009 – Credit Card Act of 2009

Comprehensive credit card reform legislation that establishes fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, and contains “The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights” which is aimed at limiting how credit card companies can charge consumers.

March 2010 – Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

This is the other “elephant” in the room so to speak when it comes to the reasons Republicans believe they must be put back in power to right the ship (they sunk). 

* Will expand healthcare to 32 million people (by 2019)

* Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27^th  birthday

* Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions

* No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage

* Free preventative care for all

* Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. These pools won’t be cheap, but they are still a lot better than being excluded. And there is expected to be some advantage due to the wider pool of the uninsured.

* Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50 percent of what they pay for their employees’ health insurance.

* The “doughnut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors. The government would offer a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries to help pay their prescription drug costs when they hit the “doughnut hole.” Next year, Medicare beneficiaries would see a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs to further close that gap.

* All insurers will be required to post balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.

* Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.

* No more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can’t lose your insurance because you get sick.

An additional component of this "wasteful" bill was the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which drastically altered the way student loans are carried out, increased award money for needy students and extended significant financial support to community colleges. In short, made it easier for students to wade through the red tape to get much needed funding to go to college.

While I remain disappointed in The President on several fronts, you cannot deny the amount of legislative achievements he and the Democrats have had over the past 2-years, while Republicans sat on the sidelines. At the end of the day, it’s just sad that he and the Democrats haven’t been able to convey their accomplishments with a loud enough voice.

So it's up to you to do it for them. Please vote Democratic today. The continued growth of our Country depends on it.

Thanks as always for reading.  As promised, here are 10 additional accomplishments I invite you to review.

^{March 30, 2009 – Omnibus Public Land Management Act}

^{April 21, 2009 – Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act}

^{May 20, 2009 – Helping Families Save Their Homes Act}

^{May 22, 2009 – Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act}

^{June 22, 2009 – Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act}

^{June 24, 2009 – Supplemental Appropriations Act, including the Car Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers)}

^{October 28, 2009 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act}

^{November 6, 2009 - Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act}

^{February 12, 2010 – Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act}

^{March 4, 2010 – Travel Promotion Act}

^{March 18, 2010 – Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act}