My Note to the #Democrat Party

I'm really disappointed in how scary & "Polite" #Democrats are being that's running for office & already in office. Y'all will never win against #Republicans taking the high road... As a matter of fact its making us Democrat #Voters hope y'all get stomped in 2020! So hopefully y'all will get some courage & stop trying to look like yall the party of such moral high ground & start looking like a party that want to win an #Election! The more we watch yall get walked over and #trump makes fools out of y'all, the more we want to stay home. No matter what excuses y'all make about why yall going to lose in 2020, the fact will be that y'all lost because yall didn't have the heart to go after trump. Every day this #Racist liar make yall look foolish! I'm extremely disappointed in this Democrat party!!! Very disappointed!!! I pray that yall get some heart and go after trump! Y'all scared to call him a liar! Y'all be on tv stuttering talking about "well I don't like to use the word liar...." Thats why y'all going to lose. Y'all pushing people to trump... At least he has heart to strongly defend himself with the lies he tell... Y'all dont got heart to defend yourselves, and the truth is on yall side. It just really irritates me how soft & scary this Democrat party is. Unless y'all get yourselves together, my family & close friends will not be voting for any Democrat if we vote at all. All this soft spoken, bull dems talking on these news shows will be the end of Democrats. Don't believe little ole me, just keep doing what you doing and y'all will see. Because y'all look really soft and sound even softer! #dpc83 

Elect Devin Pickens

https://www.gofundme.com/f/elect-devin-pickens?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet


The time has come for me to run for office. For our city to be such a diverse city, our city government doesn't reflect that. I have been an activist in my community, fighting for our minority  & poverty stricken citizens! If we dont stand up and have our voices heard, elect city officials that resemble us, understand our pain, suffering, & not afraid to fight for what our communities need, then our needs will not be addressed. I ask you for your support as I take this leap of faith. $5, $10, $2 or whatever you can give will be greatly appreciated. Nothing is too small & nothing is too big! I cant stand down any longer. Thank you for your support, thoughts, & prayers. 

Devin (D.P.) Pickens

If Dollar General only knew

If #DollarGeneral only knew.

I have submitted a few applications for employment, and never once received a call. I have many years in retail. My experience includes management, sales, and asset protection. I'm the kind of employee you would love to have. I have the knowledge, people skills, personality, and everything it takes to manage, work as an associate, and everything it takes to have an successful store. As a manager, I can stop the bleeding of associates or job turnover, the loss of revenue from poor customer service, and stores from being improperly stocked. I could make any one of your Muskegon/Whitehall Michigan stores more profitable. But for some reason my application is always overlooked. If they only knew what a excellent employee they would have in me.🤔🤔🤔

Sincerely,
Devin

Pain

Life is a journey beginning at birth! Sometimes that journey can last one minute or less, and sometimes it can last a hundred years, depending on what you believe in! It's all in Gods will. Some celieve life begins at conception, and some celieve life begins at birth. We all have different views on different things. But one thing I think we can all agree on is that, "Pain" is very much real! It can ce physical pain, or emotional pain! Either or, it is a difficult situation to deal with. Some people can go on with life day to day, concealing their pain, and live their life as if it (pain) doesn't affect their ability to perform their every day duties, only to explode into a midlife crisis

#dpc83🌬🥶

It amazes me how blind people are to what's going on around us! Race bating, stripping us of our rights that many people have died for, how so many of our people are killed on a daily basis, and it's never talked about on the news, or outside of our neighborhoods! When our people are killed, its justified, or swept under a rug. They target our people with unjust laws! You say well Blacc people act crazy, or other dark colored races act crazy. Well if you put their people in poor neighborhoods, defund their schools taking away their education they'll get the same result. It's a movement in place against our people, and if you can't see it you don't want to see it. Call me crazy, and think I don't know what I'm talking about. Just start paying attention to the news, & politics, and the laws Republican politicians are trying to pass. Look at the hundred...s of young Blacc males and females are killed everyday. But their is never any real push against gun control laws until its their people. They dump illegal gun in our neighborhoods on a daily basis, and literally hundreds of our people are killed daily. But who cares we don't look at the real problem we just say we're ignorant and don't know how to act. Well quit taking from are education and our neighborhoods so we can be taught how to act. The majority don't have the money to ship their children to other school districts, so we adapt to the environment we're in. But you rarely see us snapping killing a room full of innocent people, or killing are whole family. One of the reLeat things I read today that triggered these thoughts is from one of the realist to touch the streets of Muskegon!!! "if some of you all lose y'all day job, we'll read about y'all killing you're family then yourself" and that's real. We have to have the resources to teach our people how to act, for them to know how to act. Until then we'll continue to ce a product of our environment. Not an excuse, I'm looking at the whole picture, and facing reality. Keep thinking we just don't know how to act, it's bigger than that!!!

Black Folks

Black folks! You actually think someone that don't look like you (JoeBiden, DonaldTrump) is going to do more for you & your community than someone that do like you (KamalaHarris, CoreyBooker)? They really have minorities discombobulated, confused, or pick a term you like!

They got y'all believing President Barack Obama didn't do nothing for you, when you didn't go back & vote to give him a Democratic #Senate so he could do something for you. No President can do much of anything outside of limited ExecutiveOrders. All minorities in #America, it's time to pull the blockers from your eyes, & understand what is happening in America!

America's President is constantly making #Racist remarks, directly targeting four minority women in #Congress. Telling them they need to "go back where they came from", and anyone that dont like it, or like how this racist administration is destroying our democracy, they can do the same! Then make it even more pathetic, the #Media is scared to call it what it is. #Racism. We all know that 5 white families own & control all the major news outlets. From your #Local newspaper, to national broadcasting outlets. So Journalists know what to say, and what not to say, in order to keep their job.

We all know that money outweighes truth, integrity, respect, morals, and the law. Until minorities stand up, and vote in every election, electing individuals that look like us, faced the hate we've faced, endured the racism, traumatization of being murdered by the ones we pay to serve and protect us... We will never be equal, we will never be safe, & we will never have #Wealth, and without money, a man has no #Power! Not even in his own home.

#dpc83🌬🥶
#DpcChronicles

Cruelty

Stop leaving your pets in the car with the windows up in this heat! That's cruelty to animals.

Racism

Racism - Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different #Race based on the belief that ones own race is superior.

#Racism has no place in #America! This is supposed to be the land of the free, home of the brave. No man/woman, Black, White, Hispanic, Chinese, or Canadian should have to face discrimination in a “Free Country” full of immigrants! Yet every day, human beings of color, have to face racism in some form, shape, or fashion. Either on the job, at the store, in traffic, or when we sit down, turn on the news & listen to how much the most powerful man in the world, America’s #President, dislikes me, & everyone that looks like me. Telling us all, if we don’t like how white men/women in the #Republican Party are running the country, then we need to go back where we came from. Go back to #Africa!!!

Living in the #UnitedStates as a “Black Man”, on land our ancestors were brought to, forced into slavery, bled on, raped on, families were separated on... We made it through being spit on, lynchings, dog attacks, mob attack’s, cross burnings, segregation, riots, we made it through hell, & back through hell again, to make it where we are now... Continued lynchings, our folks continue to be murdered in the streets by #PoliceOfficers with little to no consequences! The persistence of America’s racism is a huge problem. We are far away from Dr King’s vision of a land where each person would be judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin.

Still in 2019, the hate is so thick you can cut it with a knife! With a Racist President encouraging hate, white supremacist groups on the rise, #Republican leaders embracing this racist president, protecting this racist president who has broken #Campaign finance laws, obstructed justice, & have been accused of #SexualAssault over 20 times! Republicans in both the House & Senate, with the exception of 4 Republicans, continue to Aid & abet this racist, rouge, authoritarian wanna be president #DonaldTrump as he continue to trample all over the #Constitution, encourage racism, & obstruct #Justice. America is still generations away from #Equality for all women & men, generations away from not being judged by the color of our skin. Sad part is that racism is taught.

All minorities should ask themselves why do white republican leaders, & white republicans running for #PublicOffice, want to suppress the #Minority (Your) #Vote? Why do they spend so much time & money on advertising false information? The answer is simple... If minorities vote, they know minorities won’t cast a vote for them because their policies are for the rich, & take away from the poor communities. They know this, so they feed false information to poor communities, turning them against those folks that are for them & helping them. It’s all fueled by Racism. Until all Black men/women, & all minorities come together & stand up to racism, it’ll NEVER END!!!

#dpc83🌬🥶

Respect

Respect can sometimes ce interpreted as a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected. I find myself sometimes asking myself, "why is there so little respect these days"? Seems like a crazy question to ask, but it's a real question to ask. As a man, and provider for my family, I find myself falling victim to a "minimum" of respect in my own home on a daily basis. The more angering part about it is... I seem to ce the only one who notices it, obviously if someone else did, it would end, right? Well, I'm not going to hold my breath on that one! Enough to drive a grown man crazy! But, not only in  my home, it's going on in millions of homes across our country! Our men are cecoming less, and less respected. The sad part about it, it's the children doing the disrespecting, and the parents let it go on! It was a time when a child had to stay in a child's place, and ce obedient to whatever any adult said. Those days are long gone!!!

That's just the start of how respect in our lives has fallen into a downward spiral! All you have to do is turn your t.v. on, and disrespect will pour out like water onto your living room floor. Our President, President Obama, is one of the most disrespected men in our country. For no other reason then, some people feel he should not ce our President cecause of the color of his skin! Hence the saying.... "my skin is my sin"! The Republican Party mainly - always speak of him as foreign, or not understanding us Americans! Referring to him as "Muslim", planting seeds into into the mind of Americans that he is not of us, and he's not qualified to ce our President cecause he's not American! Republicans take his words and twist them in such disgraceful ways, it would make an easily persuaded person question President Obama Citizenship! When have you ever witnessed an American President so rudely interrupted while he was giving a speech, or publicly called names? I never heard of President Bush (a Republican President) being so disrespected inside of our country, and he lied us into a war that has killed thousands of our children!

Take Willard Mitt Romney, every day he stands cefore the American people and lie, not by accident, but ceing fully aware of what he is doing! This is another drastic form of disrespect! One day he says one thing, and then the next he says he never said it at all, disrespecting the entire country! Or New Jerseys Governor Chris Christie calling hard working American Citizens idiots! How disrespectful! But this is what we have cecome, and it looks like it will only get worse! When will it end, when will respect ce retained, and practiced by all, young and old! I'm waiting on that day!!!


                                                                  RESPECT!!!                                                                         

What's Really Going On Around Us???!!!???!!!???!!!

It amazes me how blind people are to what's going on around us, race bating, stripping us of our rights that many people have died for, how so many of our people are killed on a daily basis and it never is thought about on the news or outside of our neighborhoods! When our people are killed its justified, or swept under a rug. They target our people with unjust laws! You say well Blacc people act crazy, or other dark colored races act crazy. Well if you put their people in poor neighborhoods, defund their schools taking away their education they'll get the same result. It's a movement in place against our people, and if you can't see it you don't want to see it. Call me crazy, and think I don't know what I'm talking about. Just start paying attention to the news, & politics, and the laws Republican politicians are trying to pass. Look at the hundred...s of young Blacc males and females are killed everyday. But their is never any real push against gun control laws until its their people. They dump illegal gun in our neighborhoods on a daily basis, and literally hundreds of our people are killed daily. But who cares we don't look at the real problem we just say we're ignorant and don't know how to act. Well quit taking from are education and our neighborhoods so we can be taught how to act. The majority don't have the money to ship their children to other school districts, so we adapt to the environment we're in. But you rarely see us snapping killing a room full of innocent people, or killing are whole family. One of the reLeat things I read today that triggered these thoughts is from one of the realist to touch the streets of Muskegon!!! "if some of you all lose y'all day job, we'll read about y'all killing you're family then yourself" and that's real. We have to have the resources to teach our people how to act, for them to know how to act. Until then we'll continue to ce a product of our environment. Not an excuse, I'm looking at the whole picture, and facing reality. Keep thinking we just don't know how to act, it's bigger than that!!!

D.P. was there for you

I remember a song by a  music artist ~ E-40, called "Somethings Will Never Change". In that song, he said... "When you up, everybody want to come around! When you down, ain't nobody out there to ce found", this is so true!!!

A lot of times when we are doing well, we tend to help the ones around us. Or at least the ones who we consider to ce good friends, and family. This is what I dubbed "Blind Time" !!! Why do I call it Blind Time? I call it Blind Time cuz, you are blind to the fact that these same people who you are there for, jump ship on you as soon as the money is gone.

I can't even borrow five dollars from a nigga! Yet D.P. was there for you when you fell off, and needed help getting bacc on your feet! When you fucced off your girlfriends money, or girfriend put you out, and you needed money to get a room. D.P. was there for you! All the rides I gave you, early in the monrning, late at night, giving you rides to make money.  No body would give you a ride.... D.P. was there for you! I respected you, and was there for you, cuz you were my boy, and I thought you would ce there for me, like D.P. was there for you!!!


Now I know... Don't depend on D.P. no more!!!


Signed,

A PISSED OFF MAN!!!

Is Obama Really The First Blacc President?!?!? Who is John Hanson?!?!?

When Obama decided to run for President of the United States!!! A lot of us was happy that we were around to see the first "Blacc President"  of the United States!  But was Obama the First "Blacc" President, or the eighth? I know a lot of people don't want to celive it, but George Washington was not the first President!



A "Blacc" man, John Hanson was the first President of the United States! 1781 - 1782 A.D.??? George Washington was really the eighth President of the United States!  The first President of The United States was indeed John Hanson, a "Blacc" man. You wont find too much in History books about him, except a brief mention. The new country was actually formed on March 1st, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. Which was actually proposed June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia, and New York surrendered their western lands (Maryland feared these states would have too much power in the new government with such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a president was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other likely candidates refused to run against him, due to the fact he was a major factor in the revolution and an influential member of congress. As the first President, he had a hard road ahead of him. There had never been a President up until this point and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office will set the way for all future Presidents. Hanson took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Very soon after, the troops demanded to ce paid. Due to the long war, there were no funds to pay them. Therefore they threatened to overthrow the new government, and put Washington on as a Monarch. All the members of congress ran for cover, leaving hanson as the only one left running government. He calmed the troops down, and held the country together. If he would have failed to accomplish this, the government would have fallen almost, if not immediately, and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington. In fact Hanson sent 800 pounds of Sterling Silver by his brother Samuel Hanson to George Washington to supply the troops with shoes. Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as all foreign flags. This was quite a bold move, considering the fact that Europeans countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, The first  Secretary of War, and  the first Foriegn Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared the fourth Thursday of every November to ce Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year period, So Hanson had actually accomplished a lot during that lil bit of time, as Obama has. Six other Presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman  (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyruss Griffin (1788) - All prior to Washington taking office. How come we never hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States? Well The Articles of Confederation didn't work well at all. The individual States had too much power, and nothing could ce agreed upon. Something had to ce done, and this is when the Constitution was written.  George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States, but he was the first President under our Constitution! And yes our first President was "Blacc"

Obama accomplishments despite his harsh critics'.

Courtesy of Milt Shook









One of the most irritating things I hear these days is that President Obama is a socialist,no different than President Bush, or he has done nothing but hurt this country. Statements that are straight up ignorent! For one to celieve that, they are turning a blind eye to the facts, and probably not paying attention to, or listening to the rhetoric floating around them. Was anyone paying attention to the eight years Bush was in office? President Obama has done most of everything he has promised to do if he were to win the Presidential Election, and he has not completed his first ter yet. Think of what could ce accomplished is Congress, and others that don't support him, supported him.

Obama's not a failure, as a matter of fact, he's far as far can ce from a failure. Not cuz he killed Bin Laden, or how he's helped Libya. Nobody is perfect, and we all deserve a little criticism. Constructive criticism is one thing, but the whole idea that Obama is a failure, will only lead to another Republican like Bush voted into office, and is also a bald face lie! Just cuz he's not for radical views from the right, or think that the top %2 of the country are the ones who should get all the breaks. Doesn't mean he has not perfomed his job well we hired him to do.

So what has he done?

Within days after taking office, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5

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

On his first full day, he froze Whitehouse salerie. http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIx

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

He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems, and also signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1 http://bit.ly/fz8GAd

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

Improving the Economy, Preventing Depression

He pushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package,” despite the fact that not one Republican voted for that bill. In addition, he launched recovery.gov, So tax payers could track spending from the act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSs http://1.usa.gov/e3BJMk

In his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEE

He completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, and recovered virtually all of its costs. http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVS http://bit.ly/eCNrD6

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

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

He oversaw investment in updated and improved manufacturing processes. http://bit.ly/fJEyDI

He also doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nf

He signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system. It also created a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7

He signed the 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

He increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOw

He signed the 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

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

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

He 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

He 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

He took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7

He created a $60 billion bank to fund infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. http://bit.ly/e1SSaQ

He 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

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he 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

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

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

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

Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection

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

He 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

He made it so that banks could no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers' interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayj

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

He wholly 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

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

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

Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination

He 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

He 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 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

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

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

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

He's appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7D

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

He established a White House Council on Women and Girls http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM

He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring 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

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

He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x

Under his watch, National Labor Relations Board has 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

Fighting Poverty

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

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

Improved Foreign Relations and American Status Abroad

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

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

He did much 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

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

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

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

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

He worked to make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVY

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

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

He 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

He ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and a smattering of Democrats) who prevented him from following through. http://bit.ly/eW6CVF

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

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

He released the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0

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

Better Approach to “Defense”

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

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

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

He signed and pushed to ratification a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtw

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

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

He developed the 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

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

Fulfilled campaign promise and ended our involvement in Iraq, and will complete full troop withdrawal before Christmas 2011. http://onforb.es/nTUk4Z

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

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

Treating Soldiers and Veterans with Respect

He made sure that families of fallen soldiers could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB, by providing funding for it. He also ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. http://nyti.ms/glqN66 http://bbc.in/gWSSkA

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

He provided the troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2h

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

He 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

He supported and signed the 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

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

He 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

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

Education

He has 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

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

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr This includes a major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide http://bit.ly/fNDcj3 , as well as an expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrV

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

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

He passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe

Greater Transparency and Better Government

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

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

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

The Obama White House became the first to stream every White House event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5

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

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

He crafted 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. This will provide 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

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

National Safety and Security

He’s 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

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

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

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

Science, Technology and Health Care

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

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

He eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He also provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSO http://ti.me/edezge

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

He signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis. http://bit.ly/fOi2rb

He 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

His 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

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

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

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

He ushered throough a bill that authorized the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. 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.”

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

He also increased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3

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

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

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

He held a quick press conference, and urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put the increase on hold for two months. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9C

Ushered through and signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to 30 million more people, and ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established http://www.healthcare.gov/

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he 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

Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo

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

Provisions in the Affordable Health Care Act 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. Last year's increase was 4%. Compare that to the average 12% annual inflation rate during the previous 40 years. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpTh

Strengthening the Middle Class and Families

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

He 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

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

Under Obama, tax rates for average working families are the lowest they’ve been since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8

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

He 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

Environment and Energy

He fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact federal fuel efficiency standards that were above federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94x

He 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

He oversaw the establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, which creates more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73y

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

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

He 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.)

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

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

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

He doubled federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCE

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

He 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

He reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and even 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

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

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

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

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

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

He strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsH

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

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

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

Other Stuff

He has expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpY

He 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

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

He 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

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

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

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

His FDA banned the use of antibiotics in livestock production. http://bit.ly/jUjLzo

Ushered through and signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5