..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts. I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.
Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
The list below is a brief synopsis of bills that Barack Obama has either sponsored or co-sponsored since his election to the Senate. All of these can be searched and accessed via the media pundit and dollar free site of:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
S. 133
To promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes. (1/4/2007)
S. 768
S. 155
To promote coal-to-liquid fuel activities. (1/4/2007)
S. 230
To provide greater transparency in the legislative process. (1/9/2007)
S. 1606
To provide for the establishment of a comprehensive policy on the care and management of wounded warriors in order to facilitate and enhance their care, rehabilitation, physical evaluation, transition from care by the Department of Defense to care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and transition from military service to civilian life, and for other purposes. (1/13/2007)
S. 2377
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the quality of care provided to veterans in Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, to encourage highly qualified doctors to serve in hard-to-fill positions in such medical facilities, and for other purposes. (1/16/2007)
To provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans (4/10/2007)
S. 2330
To authorize a pilot program within the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development with the goal of preventing at-risk veterans and veteran families from falling into homelessness, and for other purposes. (1/8/2007)
S. 681
To restrict the use of offshore tax havens and abusive tax shelters to inappropriately avoid Federal taxation, and for other purposes. (2/17/2007)
S. 242
So, I'll repeat one of their questions: What exactly has Senator Obama accomplished in the IL State Senate and during his tenure thus far in the US Senate? Detractors try to tell you dismissively that he's only good for a speech; detractors who have co-sponsored Bills with him in the US Senate.
Fighting back the knee-jerk response of calling them outright liars (in public), I decided to visit the Library of Congress website at http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for all Bills and Amendments sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Obama. Take a look at the bulk of the Bills he has sponsored - Bills that have not yet been voted into law - and you will see some of what a President Obama has planned for education, veterans and military benefits, healthcare, the economy, the environment, foreign policy, energy, the reduction of poverty, and more. Note below, that as early as 2003 in the IL State Legislature, Obama supported preditory mortgage lending legislation aimed at averting home foreclosures. Soak it in. Judgment! Foresight! Bipartizanship! Accomplishment! Then laugh in their lying faces!
In addition to Bills sponsored in the US Senate, I also discoverd that there are several pieces of legislation, voted into law, that was sponsored by Senator Obama. Note too, I have grouped the Bills found on the Library of Congress website by category for easier perusal. There are over 100 Bills and Amendments sponsored by Senator Obama this past year alone; since his arrival in the US Senate, 4 Bills he sponsored or co-sponsored have been signed into law. The Library of Congress database only goes back to the beginning of 2007, and I do need to locate their archive for prior Bills. However, note that two of Senator Obama's Bills were passed into US law in 2006 - evidence that his work predates the current database entries. No "empty suit" here. Read on.
Senator Clinton vs Senator Obama's Legislative Record
The following information gathered from the Library of Congress on the Legislative experience Junior Senator Hillary Clinton and Junior Senator Barack Obama. Please Feel free to check these records for yourself and draw your own conclusion. Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term, which is 6 years and another year campaigning, has authored and passed 20 twenty pieces of legislation in her term of six years into law. These bills can be found at (wwwhomas.loc.gov).
Senator Clinton has passed. (1) Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site. (2) Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month. (3) Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. (4) Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall. (5) Name courthouse after James L. Watson. (6) Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea. (7) Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day. (8) Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day. (9) Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death. (10) Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. (11) Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. (12) Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program. (13) Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda. (14) Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death. (15) Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are more substantive. (16) Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11. (17) Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 (18) Assist landmine victims in other countries. (19) Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care. (20) Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system. She has a nice list, but note that these are The Fact's straight from the Senate Record; Therefore, it is not made up.
Now, It is time to post Senator Obama's record from the Library of Congress.I have to mention that Senator Obama's list is too substantive, one is coalesced to categorize. Since its alot, remember you can go to the Library of Congress website, and check it out yourself, but I am just summarizing his first 8 months.
During Senator Obama's first 8 eight months of elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced 233 bills regarding healthcare reform, 125 bills on poverty and public assistance, 112 bills on crime fighting, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. In his first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included: (1)the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 that became LAW, (2)The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act that became LAW, (3)The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act that passed the Senate, (4)The 2007 Government Ethics Bill that became LAW, (5)The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill that is in committee just to name a few.
In all since he entered the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no legislative record. Read the facts and not emotion.
In a (mostly) light-hearted article appearing in today's NY Times the authors offer a few details regarding Barack Obama's legislative efforts during his first term.
ALL OF US who support Barack Obama for President must share these details in response to the question "What has he really accomplished?" so that we can overcome this objection that threatens to derail his candidacy. Hillary Clinton will amplify this question in the Democratic Race, and John McCain will most certainly echo the question in the general election.
In brief, please be prepared to share the following details with those who question his preparedness:
> As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama joined with senior Republican colleague Richard G. Lugar to visit Russia and other nuclear states to assess the security of nuclear weapons - and later to pass legislation to reduce stockpiles of conventional weapons.
"(Senator Obama) sought out senior colleagues, traveling to Russia with Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, an advocate of nuclear disarmament."
> Senator Obama joined with Republican Senator Tom Coburn to oversee the development of a publicly accessible and *searchable* database that allows citizens to track government spending - and thus spotlight the pork-barrel spending secured by members of Congress.
" He worked with Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma and one of the most conservative in the chamber, to establish a public database to examine government spending after Hurricane Katrina."
> Finally, Barack Obama showed "real guts" by joining Senator Russ Feingold to propose *and* pass legislation designed to curb the influence of special interests in Washington through meaningful ethics reform.
"His most important accomplishment was his push for ethics reform. Party leaders named him their point person in 2006, and when the Democrats assumed the majority in Congress in January 2007, Mr. Obama and Mr. Feingold, a longtime Democratic proponent of ethics reform, proposed curtailing meals and gifts from lobbyists, restricting the use of corporate planes and requiring lobbyists who bundle donations to disclose individual donors."
The full article appears in The New York Times for Sunday March 9, 2008:
U.S. / POLITICS | March 9, 2008 The Long Run: Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role By KATE ZERNIKE and JEFF ZELENY In Barack Obama’s time in the Senate, there are two competing elements: his celebrity and the realities of the job he was elected to do.
I saw this post by bulldoglover on another site and it further convinced me of why I am voting on March 4th for Obama and not Billary. Check out paragraph 3 and the end - tell your friends we have the more experienced candidate.
Clinton v. Obama on Legislative Experience: Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term (6yrs.), and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law, (20) twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years. These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress (www.thomas.loc.gov), but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you: 1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site. 2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month. 3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. 4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall. 5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson. 6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea. 7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death. 10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program. 13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda. 14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death. 15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive. 16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11. 17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist landmine victims in other countries. 19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care. 20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system. There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.
Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize. During the first (8) eight months of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These inculded **the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law), **The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law), **The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate, **The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law), **The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee), and many more.
