President Obama's Wins

When President Obama took office in 2009, the nation was in an economic meltdown. The banks and American auto makers needed government bailouts, millions were losing their jobs and businesses were going bankrupt. America was on the verge of a great depression.  

Since that time, the things have drastically improved.  Today, the stock market is at an all time high, corporate profits have shattered records, 90% of Americans have healthcare, the country has the longest job growth streak in history and the deficit has shrunk. 

Here are just a few of President Barack Obama's accomplishments during the last eight years of his presidency:

• Signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus package.);
• Launched recovery.gov, a website that allowed taxpayers to track spending from the Act.  Allowed taxpayers to track spending of the stimulus money spent to jump star the economy;
• By the end of his first year, the economy created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and the ARRA stimulated the economy by 3.5%;
• Established the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan;
• Today the unemployment rate has dropped to a five year low of 4.6 %. in 2009 when President Obama took office it was 10%;
• 82 consecutive months of private sector job growth. Longest history of job growth with no job losses;
• Ordered all federal contractors to pay a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour, leading the way to a national increase. As a result of this decision, a number of large employers, including Disney and Walmart, have increased their minimums;
• Assembled most diverse cabinet in history;
• Named 3rd and 4th women to the Supreme Court;
• Appointed first Latina Supreme Court Justice;
• Appointed a record number of women and minority judges;
• Passed the Affordable Care Act;
• 20 million people now have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act;
• 90 percent of Americans now have health insurance;
• Cannot be denied health insurance for preexisting conditions;
• No insurance caps. Health care law stops insurance companies from limiting yearly or lifetime coverage expenses for essential health benefits;
• Women cannot be charged more money for insurance;
• Appointed 1st ever U.S. Chief Technology Office;
• Deficient was 10% of GDP now its 3% of GDP;
• Banks have to pass stress test. Federal Reserve conducts a annual stress tests on banks with $50 billion or more in assets to determine if the bank has the capital to manage itself during tough times;
• Created and implemented rules so banks can no longer use depositors’ money to invest in derivatives and other high-risk financial instruments that work against depositors’ interests;
• Saved U.S. auto industry. Reorganized General Motors, bailout money was paid back;
• American car companies are the most profitable the world, millions of jobs were saved;
• In February 2016, General Motors gave a share of the profit to each worker, with checks up to $11,000;
• Number of homeless veterans dropped by 47%;
• Signed and implemented Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, making more money available to enable better medical care for veterans;
• ​Implemented the Green Vet Initiative, which provides special funding to provide veterans with training in green jobs;Initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs;Oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals;
• Signed the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty can avoid state taxes in their temporary residence;
• Ordered improvements to access to mental health care for veterans, military personnel and their families; 
• Along with Congressional Democrats, reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB. Also provided funding for it.  Ended the media blackout coverage of the return of fallen soldiers;
• Stopped military don't ask don't tell;
• Combat positions open to women;
• Convened first Nuclear Security Summits to convince countries to get rid of uranium;
• 16 countries disposed of their uranium;
• Syria disposed of chemical weapons. It was handed over and destroyed;
• Foreign oil dependence dropped;
• Found and killed Bin Laden;
• Banned torture by U.S. personnel;
• Secret overseas prisons shut down;
• U.S. embassy opened in Cuba after 50 years of cold war;
• Overturned ban on stem cell research;
• High school graduation rate at highest in history of 83%;
• Landed rover on mars;
• Federal prison population declines for first time in decades;
• Solitary confinement banned for juveniles in federal prison;
• Visitor Access Records - made public list of people who visited the white house;
• Credit card reform. Creditors can't raise interest rate without notification to consumers;
• Signed and implemented 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;
• Legalized same sex marriages;
• If you work for a federal contractor, you cannot be fired because you are gay or trans;
  Implemented the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers;
• Tobacco companies have to list ingredients in cigarettes;
  Banned Muslim Registry;
• Under the Affordable Care Act - Implemented the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, to reduce costly and potentially life-threatening hospital readmissions. Penalizes hospitals when Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after they are discharged. This means they get the best possible care the first time they are admitted to the hospital before they are discharged;
• College students who qualify for Pell Grants can now receive the grant it they attend school in the summer.  This will allow them to graduate sooner and accumulate less debt;
• Used the fiscal cliff negotiations to extend for five additional years the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides tax credits to families for college-related expenses, thus saving those families up to $10,000;
• Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to limit waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting systems;
• Banned gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch; 
• First president to stream every White House event, live;
• Created an airline passenger bill of rights, preventing airlines from stranding passengers on tarmac for hours, requiring them to return to the gate within three hours or face fines
• Signed and implemented the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, to improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier;
• Opened the white house so that all Americans could enjoy it.