There seems to be this meme, this fad, going around in the media that Obama hasn't accomplished anything, that he's inexperienced and that Palin's 20 months of governing the 3rd least populous state of America is more substantive than Obama's 12 years of public service. Well, here's a list of Obama's accomplishments. This probably isn't the first diary to be posted listing his accomplishments, and it probably won't be the last, but I feel like it's necessary to counteract this propaganda spreading around that Obama is inexperienced.
Note: these weren't composed by me. Just amalgamated.
From a comment on Huffington Post
During the first 8 years 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 included:
-The Coburn Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006
-The Lugar Obama Nuclear Nonproliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act
-The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act
-The 2007 Government Ethics Bill
-The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill
-Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act
Bills Obama has supported:
-Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act
-Secure Fence Act
-Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act
-Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
-Iraq War De Escalation Act
-Defense Authorization Act
-Iran Sanctions Enabling Act
-State Foreign Operations Appropriations bill
-Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007
-State Children's Health Insurance Program (amendment to provide protection for Family members caring for wounded soldiers)
In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 (eight hundred ninety) bills and co-sponsored another 1096 (one thousand ninety-six).
Here's a list of some of the accomplishments Obama has made while in the Illinois State Senate:
From http://doubledemon.newsvine.com/...
PA 90-612: McCormick Place Expansion Project Fund
This fund appears to have been created prior to this public act, this public act amended the existing statute. The amendment added two more years of increasing deposits (through 2007) and added a specified cutoff date for the fund (to pay for bonds) up until 2029 if they are still outstanding. Other changes were made as well throughout this long section.
PA 90-0142: Veterans Affairs Act Amendment of Powers and Duties:
This amendment added a section to "Encourage programs to address issues faced by Persian Gulf War Veterans" and it created a commission to study Gulf War diseases.
PA 90-0017: Public Aid Rules
This amendment changed the rules for who is ineligible for Illinois Public Aid by adding a person violating a condition of probation or parole to the list. It also added that people who have tried to get public aid from two states by misrepresenting their residency status is ineligible. People convicted of drug crimes don't get cash assistance but can get food stamps. There are numerous other changes please read them if interested.
PA 90-0551: Illinois Pension Salary Calculation Rules for Cops
This amended the way salary was calculated for police officers.
PA 90-0289: Use Tax Amendment
This added nonreusable tangible personal property used by restuarants as take out boxes etc, could be taxed as a sale at retail.
PA 90-0290: Public Aid Amendment
Added a breast pump and other devices associated with breast feeding as items that could be obtained via public aid.
PA 90-737: Gift Ban Amendment
Increased the amount a gift could be valued at from $1000 or $3000 depending on the circumstances to $3000. It also required that anything of value be reported, and the reported value must be made by the contributor's certified market value. It also added sections requiring disclosures on political literature and made the requirements for accepting donations tougher.
PA 90-0249: Public Aid Amendment
This required sending public aid recipients to rehab rather than cutting the benefits "where clinically appropriate substance abuse treatment capacity is available."
PA 90-0341: Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act amendmnet:
Provided a permit could be revoked for failing to provide an accurate disclosure statement and does not allow renewals until the same has been provided.
PA 90-0472: Probate Act Amendment
Removed all gender biased sections of the statute and made some other changes.
PA 90-0474: Job Training and Economic Development
Added a section for a grant program for organizations trying to help poor people get jobs.
PA 90-0141: Criminal Procedure
Added a motion for convicted defendants to get DNA or fingerprint analysis done to try to prove their innocence.
PA 90-0129: Youth Crime Prevention Consortium Act
Created this consortium.
PA 90-0651: Criminal Law additions and amendments
Changed and added sections to existing crimes and added at least one crime.
PA 90-0740: Code of Corrections Amendment
Added Reckless Homicide to crimes that require a judge to read certain passages at the time of sentencing about how long the person will spend in jail. There are also other changes associated with reckless homicide.
There are many others from the 90th General Assembly but I will move on to the 92nd General Assembly because the data I was able to find on the 91st General Assembly is too disorganized to effectively do the same.
PA 92-0087: Notice of employer responsibilities under federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
Added section about an advisory notice required to be sent to employers.
PA 92-0156: Emergency Contraception Law
Provides that emergency contraception shall be provided by hospitals that provide services to sexual assault survivors and requires rules to be developed by each hospital to conform with the law.
PA 92-0058: Drug Court Treatment Act
I am not sure if this was a new law or an amendment but it is a program for drug crime convicts providing for an alternative to prison.
PA 92-0088: Medical Care
Added grants for new community health centers.
So let's all study up, become familiar with Obama's extensive record, and be prepared if we're ever popped the question: "What are some of Obama's accomplishments?"