All I hear him talk about is change. Not how it he will accomplish this change, just that he wants it and wants to do it in a united way. I do not hear plans that will unite people in a push for making things different - just how he will change this, that, or the other thing. We have to change our approach to health care, immigration, international affairs, etc. He is long on talk and short on ideas. I like listening to him, but cannot figure out what his plan is for anything. Combine that with all of his missed votes in DC and Illinois, and he just seems shallow to me.
What does Obama stand for?
- Thread starter Texclerk
- Start date
BrothaHorn
1,000+ Posts
Change..yours and mines!
triplehorn
2,500+ Posts
Texclerk - sounds like you've found yourself a learning issue. How about you do some research and get back to us. If you've already tried and came up dry, I'd like to know where you looked and maybe then some kind soul will turn on the lights.
Apologies if I sound abrupt, but your thread reminds me of someone who has lost their head, gets tired looking for it, and has to take a rest on the round rock they stumble into.
.
Apologies if I sound abrupt, but your thread reminds me of someone who has lost their head, gets tired looking for it, and has to take a rest on the round rock they stumble into.
.
Horneius_Maximus
250+ Posts
RyanUTAustin
1,000+ Posts
"Change" has to do with who he is as a person.
The Audacity of hope (go pick up the book) and the willingness to fight against conventional politics.
His change has to do with getting the same old politicians to do nothing on big issues and sending the same people back to Washington.
He himself is the change, and the movement he has following him is following him as a group of people who want things to be different.
It has little to do with Barack as a person and more to do with the people who are following him.
People who say he stands for just change are lazy, go read what his plans are on policy if you don't know.
He outlines everything he wants to do under the issues tab on his website.
The Audacity of hope (go pick up the book) and the willingness to fight against conventional politics.
His change has to do with getting the same old politicians to do nothing on big issues and sending the same people back to Washington.
He himself is the change, and the movement he has following him is following him as a group of people who want things to be different.
It has little to do with Barack as a person and more to do with the people who are following him.
People who say he stands for just change are lazy, go read what his plans are on policy if you don't know.
He outlines everything he wants to do under the issues tab on his website.
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
First, I'm not a volunteer for any candidate and don't consider myself a political junkie.
I do think that the more you put forth detailed ideas at this point in the campaign gives your opponent more ammunition to throw back at you. Additionally, it gives any general election opposition much more time to prepare their arguments against you. So, the more you can get through the primary with less concrete ideas and propositions the better. A candidated will have 6 months of the general election campaigning to further educate the voters on the details for their ideas.
Now...this "Obama missed so many votes" is bunk I'm chalking that up to propaganda from their opponents. From what I've been able to gather most of these "missed votes" came from his time in the Illinois Senate where abstaining from a vote is a very common tactic to show a Senators displeasure with the legislation. So, it's a little disingenuous to chastize Obama for working within the cultural norms of the Illinois Senate.
I'm a registered Independent voter that is leaning to Obama over Clinton.
I do think that the more you put forth detailed ideas at this point in the campaign gives your opponent more ammunition to throw back at you. Additionally, it gives any general election opposition much more time to prepare their arguments against you. So, the more you can get through the primary with less concrete ideas and propositions the better. A candidated will have 6 months of the general election campaigning to further educate the voters on the details for their ideas.
Now...this "Obama missed so many votes" is bunk I'm chalking that up to propaganda from their opponents. From what I've been able to gather most of these "missed votes" came from his time in the Illinois Senate where abstaining from a vote is a very common tactic to show a Senators displeasure with the legislation. So, it's a little disingenuous to chastize Obama for working within the cultural norms of the Illinois Senate.
I'm a registered Independent voter that is leaning to Obama over Clinton.
MaduroUTMB
2,500+ Posts
Gone To Texas
500+ Posts
I set out in response to this thread by making a bulleted list of Obama's policy positions (see The Link). But I got tired. You can read them yourself. Here's a sample of bullet points. I omitted text that is non-specific or purely rhetorical, and tried instead to focus on the underlying policy he offers. The basic theme I get from reading his policy positions is that there's no change that more money and regulations from the federal government can't buy.
Put an end to... ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division [of the Justice Department].
Pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.
Strengthen federal hate crimes legislation.
Sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.
Ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies.
Provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders.
[Eliminate] the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine.
Give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.
Provide Americans with disabilities with educational opportunities.
Provide universal screening of newborns and 2-year-olds for disabling and life-threatening conditions.
Increase funding for vocational rehabilitation programs.
$4,000 tax credit for college tuition.
Provide more grants to community colleges.
Fund a "comprehensive" study of students with disabilities' access to higher education and jobs.
Sign the ADA Restoration Act.
Increase funding for the EEOC.
Prohibit discrimination by employers and health insurers on the basis of genetic information.
Create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family... [which] completely eliminatines income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return.
Pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
Double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent.
Increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training.
Create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025.
Get broadband to every community in America.
Network providers should not be allowed to charge fees to privilege the content or applications of some web sites and Internet applications over others.
Fight for the Employee Free Choice Act's passage and sign it into law.
Overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
Ban the permanent replacement of striking workers.
Raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief.
Pass the STOP FRAUD Act which provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.
Create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages.
Eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments.
Create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features.
For credit cards: ban unilateral changes, apply interest rate increases only to future debt, prohibit interest on fees, prohibit "Universal Defaults", and require prompt and fair crediting of cardholder payments.
Extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans.
Create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses.
Expand the FMLA to cover more purposes, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence.
Double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs.
Create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts.
Put an end to... ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division [of the Justice Department].
Pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.
Strengthen federal hate crimes legislation.
Sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.
Ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies.
Provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders.
[Eliminate] the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine.
Give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.
Provide Americans with disabilities with educational opportunities.
Provide universal screening of newborns and 2-year-olds for disabling and life-threatening conditions.
Increase funding for vocational rehabilitation programs.
$4,000 tax credit for college tuition.
Provide more grants to community colleges.
Fund a "comprehensive" study of students with disabilities' access to higher education and jobs.
Sign the ADA Restoration Act.
Increase funding for the EEOC.
Prohibit discrimination by employers and health insurers on the basis of genetic information.
Create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family... [which] completely eliminatines income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return.
Pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
Double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent.
Increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training.
Create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025.
Get broadband to every community in America.
Network providers should not be allowed to charge fees to privilege the content or applications of some web sites and Internet applications over others.
Fight for the Employee Free Choice Act's passage and sign it into law.
Overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
Ban the permanent replacement of striking workers.
Raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief.
Pass the STOP FRAUD Act which provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.
Create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages.
Eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments.
Create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features.
For credit cards: ban unilateral changes, apply interest rate increases only to future debt, prohibit interest on fees, prohibit "Universal Defaults", and require prompt and fair crediting of cardholder payments.
Extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans.
Create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses.
Expand the FMLA to cover more purposes, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence.
Double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs.
Create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts.
chuychanga
500+ Posts
I'll bite, since there have been about a dozen of these posts in the last few weeks. I know this information is painstakingly hard to find, so I'll go ahead and share my complex method of finding such information:
I googled "Obama" and clicked on the first site that popped up. Amazingly, it was actually Obama's official website. Once there, I clicked on "Issues." Who would've thought?
Energy and Environment
"Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies."
"Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe"
"Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years. His plan will provide retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers, so that they can build new fuel-efficient cars rather than overseas companies. Obama will also invest in advanced vehicle technology such as advanced lightweight materials and new engines."
Ethics
"Obama will create a centralized Internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance filings in a searchable, sortable and downloadable format."
"Obama will use the power of the presidency to fight for an independent watchdog agency to oversee the investigation of congressional ethics violations so that the public can be assured that ethics complaints will be investigated."
"Obama supports public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests. Obama introduced public financing legislation in the Illinois State Senate, and is the only 2008 candidate to have sponsored Senator Russ Feingold's (D-WI) tough bill to reform the presidential public financing system."
"Obama's Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks by disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with a written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate."
"No political appointees in an Obama administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
Families and the Economy
"Provide a "Making Work Pay Tax Cut" for America's Working Families: American people work longer and harder than those in any other wealthy nation in the world. But their hours are getting longer and their wages aren't getting any higher. In addition they are being squeezed by rising health care, education and energy costs. Rather than relieving the burden on working families, the current administration has provided tax cut after tax cut to the wealthiest Americans and enacted tax breaks for the most well-connected corporations. Barack Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they deserve. Obama will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. This refundable income tax credit will provide direct relief to American families who face the regressive payroll tax system. It will offset the payroll tax on the first $8,100 of their earnings while still preserving the important principle of a dedicated revenue source for Social Security. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans. The tax credit will also provide relief to self-employed small business owners who struggle to pay both the employee and employer portion of the payroll tax. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit offsets some of this self-employment tax as well."
"Provide a Living Wage: Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage's real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968. As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing -- things so many people take for granted."
"Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit: In both the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate, Obama has championed efforts to expand the EITC, which is one of the most successful anti-poverty programs to date. As president, Obama will reward work by increasing the number of working parents eligible for EITC benefits, increasing the benefit available to parents who support their children through child support payments, and reducing the EITC marriage penalty which hurts low-income families. Under the Obama plan, full-time workers making minimum wage would get an EITC benefit up to $555, more than three times greater than the $175 benefit they get today. If the workers are responsibly supporting their children on child support, the Obama plan would give those workers a benefit of $1,110."
"Expand Paid Sick Days: Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year."
"Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Barack Obama will expand the FMLA to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. Barack Obama will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities at school; allowing leave to be taken for purposes of caring for individuals who reside in their home for 6 months or more; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence and sexual assault."
"Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.
"Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
"Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama believes that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama will slash earmarks to no greater than year 2001 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid. Obama will also increase the efficiency of government programs through better use of technology, stronger management that demands accountabilityand by leveraging the government's high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.
End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Obama has called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.
Foreign Policy and Iraq
Bring Our Troops Home: Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.
Press Iraq's leaders to reconcile: The best way to press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government – to seek a new accord on Iraq's Constitution and governance. The United Nations will play a central role in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new national accord is reached addressing tough questions like federalism and oil revenue-sharing.
Regional Diplomacy: Obama will launch the most aggressive diplomatic effort in recent American history to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East. This effort will include all of Iraq's neighbors – including Iran and Syria. This compact will aim to secure Iraq's borders; keep neighboring countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq's sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq's reconstruction.
Humanitarian Initiative: Obama believes that America has a moral and security responsibility to confront Iraq's humanitarian crisis – two million Iraqis are refugees; two million more are displaced inside their own country. Obama will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find a safe-haven.
Iran: The Problem: Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. But Obama believes that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting this threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush administration's warnings of war, just like he stood up to the war in Iraq.
Health Care
* Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
5. Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
6. Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
7. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
8. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
* National Health Insurance Exchange: The Obama plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, public.
* Employer Contribution: Employers that do not offer 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 employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
* Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
* Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
* Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.
Poverty
* Help Americans Grab a Hold of and Climb the Job Ladder: Obama will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans succeed in the workforce.
* Create a Green Jobs Corps: Obama will create a program to directly engage disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities, while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career field.
* Improve Transportation Access to Jobs: As president, Obama will work to ensure that low-income Americans have transportation access to jobs. Obama will double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.
I doubt you read everything here, because you probably didn't really want to know what Obama's plan are. You probably just wanted to regurgitate the tired statement that Obama talks big about change but has no plans. This was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what information is on his website in case you are truly interested in his plans and his previous record on such issues.
I googled "Obama" and clicked on the first site that popped up. Amazingly, it was actually Obama's official website. Once there, I clicked on "Issues." Who would've thought?
Energy and Environment
"Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies."
"Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe"
"Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years. His plan will provide retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers, so that they can build new fuel-efficient cars rather than overseas companies. Obama will also invest in advanced vehicle technology such as advanced lightweight materials and new engines."
Ethics
"Obama will create a centralized Internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance filings in a searchable, sortable and downloadable format."
"Obama will use the power of the presidency to fight for an independent watchdog agency to oversee the investigation of congressional ethics violations so that the public can be assured that ethics complaints will be investigated."
"Obama supports public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests. Obama introduced public financing legislation in the Illinois State Senate, and is the only 2008 candidate to have sponsored Senator Russ Feingold's (D-WI) tough bill to reform the presidential public financing system."
"Obama's Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks by disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with a written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate."
"No political appointees in an Obama administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
Families and the Economy
"Provide a "Making Work Pay Tax Cut" for America's Working Families: American people work longer and harder than those in any other wealthy nation in the world. But their hours are getting longer and their wages aren't getting any higher. In addition they are being squeezed by rising health care, education and energy costs. Rather than relieving the burden on working families, the current administration has provided tax cut after tax cut to the wealthiest Americans and enacted tax breaks for the most well-connected corporations. Barack Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they deserve. Obama will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. This refundable income tax credit will provide direct relief to American families who face the regressive payroll tax system. It will offset the payroll tax on the first $8,100 of their earnings while still preserving the important principle of a dedicated revenue source for Social Security. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans. The tax credit will also provide relief to self-employed small business owners who struggle to pay both the employee and employer portion of the payroll tax. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit offsets some of this self-employment tax as well."
"Provide a Living Wage: Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage's real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968. As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing -- things so many people take for granted."
"Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit: In both the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate, Obama has championed efforts to expand the EITC, which is one of the most successful anti-poverty programs to date. As president, Obama will reward work by increasing the number of working parents eligible for EITC benefits, increasing the benefit available to parents who support their children through child support payments, and reducing the EITC marriage penalty which hurts low-income families. Under the Obama plan, full-time workers making minimum wage would get an EITC benefit up to $555, more than three times greater than the $175 benefit they get today. If the workers are responsibly supporting their children on child support, the Obama plan would give those workers a benefit of $1,110."
"Expand Paid Sick Days: Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year."
"Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Barack Obama will expand the FMLA to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. Barack Obama will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities at school; allowing leave to be taken for purposes of caring for individuals who reside in their home for 6 months or more; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence and sexual assault."
"Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.
"Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
"Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama believes that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama will slash earmarks to no greater than year 2001 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid. Obama will also increase the efficiency of government programs through better use of technology, stronger management that demands accountabilityand by leveraging the government's high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.
End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Obama has called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.
Foreign Policy and Iraq
Bring Our Troops Home: Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.
Press Iraq's leaders to reconcile: The best way to press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government – to seek a new accord on Iraq's Constitution and governance. The United Nations will play a central role in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new national accord is reached addressing tough questions like federalism and oil revenue-sharing.
Regional Diplomacy: Obama will launch the most aggressive diplomatic effort in recent American history to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East. This effort will include all of Iraq's neighbors – including Iran and Syria. This compact will aim to secure Iraq's borders; keep neighboring countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq's sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq's reconstruction.
Humanitarian Initiative: Obama believes that America has a moral and security responsibility to confront Iraq's humanitarian crisis – two million Iraqis are refugees; two million more are displaced inside their own country. Obama will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find a safe-haven.
Iran: The Problem: Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. But Obama believes that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting this threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush administration's warnings of war, just like he stood up to the war in Iraq.
Health Care
* Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
5. Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
6. Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
7. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
8. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
* National Health Insurance Exchange: The Obama plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, public.
* Employer Contribution: Employers that do not offer 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 employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
* Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
* Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
* Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.
Poverty
* Help Americans Grab a Hold of and Climb the Job Ladder: Obama will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans succeed in the workforce.
* Create a Green Jobs Corps: Obama will create a program to directly engage disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities, while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career field.
* Improve Transportation Access to Jobs: As president, Obama will work to ensure that low-income Americans have transportation access to jobs. Obama will double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.
I doubt you read everything here, because you probably didn't really want to know what Obama's plan are. You probably just wanted to regurgitate the tired statement that Obama talks big about change but has no plans. This was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what information is on his website in case you are truly interested in his plans and his previous record on such issues.
RyanUTAustin
1,000+ Posts
It is perplexing to me that people ***** about spending money on things for this country but you don't hear anything about the 275 Million dollars a day, $4,100 per household, and 40 Billion dollars we have flushed down the toilet in Iraq.
RyanUTAustin
1,000+ Posts
You just gave me one of the worst justification's for killing people I have ever seen.
We needed to go kill innocent Iraqis to have influence in their region.
The money is one thing, I kept out the fact that thousands of people have died because the U.S. is so obsessed with being the biggest power in the world (according to you).
"but one thing was clear we were not going to be able to deal with Sadaam any longer so change was made"
No, that was not clear.
Sadaam had nothing, and had no intent on striking us or our allies.
We needed to go kill innocent Iraqis to have influence in their region.
The money is one thing, I kept out the fact that thousands of people have died because the U.S. is so obsessed with being the biggest power in the world (according to you).
"but one thing was clear we were not going to be able to deal with Sadaam any longer so change was made"
No, that was not clear.
Sadaam had nothing, and had no intent on striking us or our allies.
LurkerintheDark
250+ Posts
He ain't Bush.
He ain't Hillary.
He ain't a Publican.
That be enough fer this simple-mided prole.
Gobama!! (not the tide)
He ain't Hillary.
He ain't a Publican.
That be enough fer this simple-mided prole.
Gobama!! (not the tide)
I did not say I was happy about any of the above, but if you think that is not how the world operates you're naive. As for the people here not getting off their asses and making something of themselves. I stand by that. I have it better because I chose to make it better for me.
Jive_Turkey
1,000+ Posts
Kiss my a$$ triiplehorn.
I visited his website and read all of his points before posting. All of them say that he is going to extend this credit or that credit and develop this program or that, but he does not say how he wants to accomplish it. How is he going to pay for it all. The joker in the WH, who I once worked for, is not the model of fiscal restraint, but I see nothing better in Obama (for that matter, the only thing I like about any of those currently in the hunt is that McCain voted agains the tax cuts due to a lack of mirrored cuts in spending).
GTT: As someone who represents employers and employees, the wage/labor/employee stuff is fluff. It sounds good and most of it will happen whether he is elected or not and he cannot accomplish it alone. Moreover, most of it will not amount to anything for a whole host of reasons that would make up numerous law review articles.
What I want to know is what he will do. I understand he is for changing the way things work in DC, but hell, all policitians say that. I have not seen anything from him in his public life that suggests he is any more sincere about it than others.
Look, I am not bomb throwing. I am conservative, no doubt about it, but I am really have a debate with myself about who to vote for and the substance behind people. I view Rommney much the same way I view Obama - short on substance and great on saying the right thing. I know what Clinton and McCain are likely to be like as president becuase they have set out to try to accomplish things, accomplished some of them, and shown that they are full of hot air on others. Obama sounds great, but I just do not see the substance and would like intellegent people with a different perspective to show me what I am missing.
I visited his website and read all of his points before posting. All of them say that he is going to extend this credit or that credit and develop this program or that, but he does not say how he wants to accomplish it. How is he going to pay for it all. The joker in the WH, who I once worked for, is not the model of fiscal restraint, but I see nothing better in Obama (for that matter, the only thing I like about any of those currently in the hunt is that McCain voted agains the tax cuts due to a lack of mirrored cuts in spending).
GTT: As someone who represents employers and employees, the wage/labor/employee stuff is fluff. It sounds good and most of it will happen whether he is elected or not and he cannot accomplish it alone. Moreover, most of it will not amount to anything for a whole host of reasons that would make up numerous law review articles.
What I want to know is what he will do. I understand he is for changing the way things work in DC, but hell, all policitians say that. I have not seen anything from him in his public life that suggests he is any more sincere about it than others.
Look, I am not bomb throwing. I am conservative, no doubt about it, but I am really have a debate with myself about who to vote for and the substance behind people. I view Rommney much the same way I view Obama - short on substance and great on saying the right thing. I know what Clinton and McCain are likely to be like as president becuase they have set out to try to accomplish things, accomplished some of them, and shown that they are full of hot air on others. Obama sounds great, but I just do not see the substance and would like intellegent people with a different perspective to show me what I am missing.
triplehorn
2,500+ Posts
oh, I guess you discovered that wasn't a rock you were sitting on after all.
congrats !
.
congrats !
.
DigglerontheHoof
1,000+ Posts
Obama stands for getting his *** elected just like every other jackass in this election. And if he gets elected, he'll fight to get re-elected.
None of these folks has anyone's best interest in mind but their own. Anyone who believes differently is naive, imo.
None of these folks has anyone's best interest in mind but their own. Anyone who believes differently is naive, imo.
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