Osama-Hiden

[Timmy!]

Another novel....

VETERAN'S AFFAIRS:

In the Senate, Barack Obama led a bipartisan effort to remedy both the immediate and more systematic shortcomings that contributed to the deplorable conditions causing wounded warriors to fight a second battle at home. The Senate passed legislation based on several Obama proposals, including measures to improve medical outpatient facilities, slash red tape, reform the disability review process, strengthen mental health care support, and add needed healthcare benefits for family members caring for loved ones. Separately, the Senate passed an Obama measure to provide these family members with a year of job protection so they don't have to choose between caring for a loved one and keeping their jobs. In 2005, Senator Obama passed legislation ensuring wounded warriors recuperating in military hospitals would not have to pay for food services. The Obama amendment was included in the conference report accompanying the FY2005 Supplemental Appropriations bill.

Following reports that veterans in Illinois were receiving less in disability benefits than those nearly anywhere else in the country, Senator Obama led efforts to correct the problems that created these disparities. As a result of his efforts, the VA opened an investigation into the matter, agreed to hire more disability claims specialists for the Chicago regional office, and agreed to re-examine the claims of Illinois veterans who felt they had been treated unfairly. Senator Obama worked with Senator **** Durbin (D-IL) to force the VA to notify veterans in Illinois and other states traditionally underserved about their right to seek a review of their past claims. The resulting outreach led to significant numbers of Illinois veterans getting the benefits they deserve.

He has supported the annual Defense Department appropriations bills and supplemental appropriations bills that fund American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senator has also supported pay raises for the troops, efforts to improve military readiness, and the acquisition of new weapons systems.


Senator Obama backs efforts to expand TRICARE eligibility and reduce TRICARE premiums so that our nation's service members, Guard members, reservists, and their families can have improved access to

Senator Obama successfully passed legislation in the Senate to force the Pentagon to work towards an efficient electronic medical records system that will help ensure better care for our nation's troops. It is Senator Obama's goal for each separating service member to receive a secure electronic copy of his or her military and medical records at the time of discharge to smooth the transition to the Department of Veterans' Affairs health care system.

As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has been tracking the high incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among the veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBI is being called the signature injury of the Iraq war. Often caused by the shock wave of improvised explosive devices, TBI can result in permanent brain damage. In order to ensure that these returning heroes receive appropriate medical attention, Senator Obama passed legislation in the Senate that requires all soldiers to be assessed for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) after they return from deployments.

In 2005, Senator Obama introduced and the Senate passed legislation that would require the Department of Defense to issue a plan to protect our troops from an avian flu pandemic.

Senator Obama joined with other Illinois members of Congress to protect Illinois' military bases during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Illinois military bases - such as the Springfield Air National Guard, Rock Island Arsenal, Peoria Air National Guard, and Scott Air Force Base - are critical to protecting the state and the nation.

In 2006, Senator Obama introduced an amendment that was signed into law to require the Air Force to report on its plans for future missions at bases like Springfield Air National Guard, which is scheduled to lose units as a result of BRAC. The report will include an assessment of each base's capabilities and a description of potential future missions.

[Timmy!]

More....

ENERGY:

In the 109th and 110th Congress, he joined with Senator Lugar to introduce the American Fuels Act to increase domestic production, distribution, and end uses of biofuels. Among other improvements, the American Fuels Act would expand the manufacture of ethanol-capable vehicles, offer tax credits to spur cellulosic fuel production, require clean-fueled transit buses bought with federal dollars, and provide incentives to ethanol plants to invest in E-85 blending equipment on their premises.

In January 2007, Senator Obama joined Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa in reintroducing the Biofuels Security Act, which calls for 60 billion gallons of renewable biofuels in the nation’s vehicle fuel supply by the year 2030. Senator Obama also authored legislation with Senator Cochran, the Alternative Diesel Standard, to require 2 billion gallons of alternative diesels - - including agriculture feedstocks such as biodiesel - - as part of the 40 billion gallon national diesel pool.


Given that major supermarket chains are expected to comprise 15% of the vehicle fuels market in the coming years, Senator Obama has also called upon the 14 largest supermarket and discount stores that sell gas to also install alternative fuel pumps.

As the author of the Fuel Economy Reform Act, Senator Obama has worked to gain bipartisan support for an innovative approach to raising automobile fuel efficiency standards (also known as “CAFE” standards) and break two decades of inaction and deadlock on reforming fuel economy laws. This proposal has attracted cosponsors from both parties – maintaining support from long-time champions of improving fuel economy standards while attracting support from traditional opponents. The bill would establish regular, continual, and incremental progress in miles per gallon fuel efficiency by an increase of four percent annually, and preserve flexibility by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to vary the rate of improvement and how best to technologically achieve those fuel economy targets.

Senator Obama introduced the “Health Care for Hybrids Act” to provide health care assistance to domestic automakers in exchange for their investing 50% of the savings into technology to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. His proposal has been praised by President Bill Clinton, the University of Michigan’s auto research center, and numerous newspapers.

In May 2007, Senator Obama, along with Senator Harkin, authored the National Low Carbon Fuel Standard Act (S. 1324), which requires a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the national transportation fuel pool by 2020, a reduction of about 180 million metric tons of emissions in 2020 – the equivalent of taking over 30 million cars off the road. The Obama-Harkin fuel standard embraces the growth of the renewable fuels market, including corn-based ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel as a key component of fighting climate change, while creating incentives for lower carbon emissions in their production.

In the 110th Congress, Senator Obama has introduced the Oil SENSE Act to eliminate unnecessary tax breaks to the oil industry. A version of the bill was passed by House of Representatives in January 2007.

In the 109th Congress, Senator Obama sponsored legislation, the FILL UP Act, requiring oil companies that made at least $1 billion in profits in the first quarter of 2006 to invest at least 1% of the their total reported first quarter 2006 profits into installing E-85 pumps.

Senator Obama also worked with Congressman Rahm Emanuel to obtain several million dollars to establish the first ethanol-to-hydrogen refueling station for refueling Chicago natural gas bus fleets.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Senator Obama traveled in 2005 to the former Soviet Union with Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) to investigate the dangers posed by unsecured weapons. The two senators introduced legislation that was signed into law in January 2007 to help other nations detect and stop the transfer of weapons of mass destruction. The legislation also established the next generation of cooperative threat reduction efforts to destroy conventional weapons that could fall into the wrong hands. Senator Obama worked with Senator Lugar to ensure that funding was appropriated for the Lugar-Obama nonproliferation initiative.

Senator Obama also joined with Senator Hagel (R-NE) to introduce a broad bill that seeks to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, and stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related technology. One provision, which was signed into law as part of the FY08 omnibus appropriations bill, requires the President to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for ensuring that all nuclear weapons and weapons-usable material at vulnerable sites around the world are secure by 2012 to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.

Senator Obama has called for the United States to bolster its efforts to help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors, including working toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians, while ensuring Israel can defend itself against those who oppose this vision. He believes that the starting point for this effort should always be a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel, our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy, and to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state. Senator Obama traveled to Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories in 2006 and met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to expand his understanding of the challenges that confront the region. He outlined his positions on key issues related to the Middle East in his remarks to AIPAC in 2007.

Senator Obama was one of the first legislators to recognize the dangers of a potential avian influenza pandemic, and successfully secured $25 million for U.S. agencies working in Southeast Asia to combat and contain widespread outbreaks of avian flu. He also worked with other Senators to provide $4 billion in funding to the Centers for Disease Control to combat avian flu, including more than $3 billion to build a stockpile of antiviral drugs that had been in short supply.

Senator Obama has been a leading voice urging the end of genocide in Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, a version of which was signed into law. Senator Obama has traveled to the United Nations to meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. Working with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Obama secured $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission.

Senator Obama wrote and passed legislation to build on the historic election in the Congo and promote stability in the country. Senator Obama revamped U.S. policy in the Congo to include a commitment to help rebuild the country, develop lasting political structures, hold accountable destabilizing foreign governments, crack down on corrupt politicians, and professionalize the military. The bill also authorizes $52 million in U.S. assistance for the Congo, calls for a Special U.S. Envoy to resolve ongoing violence, and urges the administration to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force.

In December 2007, he worked with Senators Chuck Hagel and Maria Cantwell to introduce the Global Poverty Act, which requires the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce extreme global poverty in half by 2015 through aid, trade, debt relief, and coordination with the international community, businesses and non-governmental organizations. Senator Obama is working to get the bill, which was reported favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February 2008, passed in the Senate.

[Timmy!]

....

DOMESTIC ISSUES:

During his first year in office, Senator Obama successfully fought to get the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish long-overdue rules for how contractors involved in the renovation and remodeling of homes should deal with lead paint hazards. To force the EPA to issue the rules, Senator Obama threatened to block the confirmation of an EPA official and passed an amendment to stop the EPA from delaying the rulemaking process. When the rules are eventually finalized, they will prevent 28,000 lead-related illnesses each year, resulting in an annual net economic benefit of more than $4 billion.

Lead is also present in many children's products. In 2003 and 2004, nearly 150 million pieces of toy jewelry were recalled because of toxic levels of lead. To address this problem, Senator Obama introduced the Lead-Free Toys Act to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban any children's product containing lead.

Senator Obama is also an original cosponsor of the Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act, which would provide tax credits to property owners who eliminate or contain paint hazards in homes where low-income young children or women of child-bearing age live.

Recognizing that 30 years after the ban of lead in paint many of our children are still being exposed, Senator Obama also introduced the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act, which would help protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that all non-home-based child care facilities, including Head Start program locations and kindergarten classrooms, be lead-safe within five years. The legislation would also establish a $42.6 million grant program to help local communities pay to make these facilities safe.

He also introduced the Healthy Communities Act to identify and address problems in communities that are at high risk from environmental contaminants. In addition, recognizing the contribution of housing, parks, trails, roadways, and public transportation to healthy lifestyles, Senator Obama introduced the Healthy Places Act to assess and support improvements to the built environment.

Sampling conducted by the Tribune showed surprisingly high levels of mercury in freshwater and saltwater fish purchased in the Chicago area. The Tribune series also reported on how existing programs at the Food and Drug Administration and the EPA have failed to adequately test and evaluate mercury levels in fish.

To address this problem, Senator Obama introduced two bills: the Mercury Market Minimization Act and the Missing Mercury in Manufacturing Monitoring and Mitigation Act . These bills would significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish. Senator Obama will continue to press for these needed changes in the 110th Congress.

In November, Senator Obama called upon the Department of Energy to stop its proposed sale of large quantities of mercury. The Department subsequently announced it would not sell its stockpiles.

[Timmy!]

Education...

EDUCATION:

In the 110th Congress, Senator Obama reintroduced the Innovation Districts for School Improvement Act. Under this initiative, school districts would submit plans on how they would become centers of reform. Twenty districts nationwide would be selected based on the best plans to increase achievement for all students and put qualified and successful teachers in all classrooms. These districts would receive substantial federal resources but would be required to implement systemic reforms and show convincing results. Senator Obama will continue to work with his colleagues on the HELP Committee to realize these important changes in the new Congress.

Differences in learning opportunities during the summer contribute to the achievement gaps that separate struggling poor and minority students from their middle-class peers. In January 2007, Senator Obama reintroduced the Summer Term Education Programs for Upward Progress Act (STEP UP) to address the achievement gaps among schoolchildren in the early grades. STEP UP establishes a grant program to support summer learning opportunities to be offered by local schools or community organizations. The bill was included in a comprehensive proposal to improve U.S. competitiveness that passed the Senate in July 2007, and was signed into law in August.

Senator Obama has introduced legislation to support a better way of teacher preparation. Teaching Residency Programs train those new to the profession in a way similar to recent entrants to the medical profession, through residencies, where novices learn under the guidance of skilled mentors. Such programs have shown success in preparing teachers in several cities, both increasing student success, and decreasing turnover of inexperienced teachers. Obama's proposal for Teaching Residencies Programs was passed by the Senate during reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Senator Obama worked with Senator DeMint to introduce the Education Opportunity Act in the 109th Congress. This proposal would make grants available to low-income high school students to earn college credit at their local university or community college. Such grant support for high school students, who may not have exposure to college-level programs in their school, would allow students to qualify and earn credit for at least one college class each semester, giving them a greater chance for success on their path to a college diploma.

To address this problem, Barack Obama's first bill as a U.S. Senator was the HOPE Act (Higher Education Opportunity Through Pell Grant Expansion Act) which would help make college more affordable for many Americans. The bill would increase the maximum Pell Grant from the then current limit of $4,050 to a new maximum of $5,100. Through his work on the Senate HELP Committee, Senator Obama has worked to increase the maximum Pell Award to $5,100 next year, and to $5,400 over the next several years, an increase of 25% over current levels.

[Timmy!]

Man, this is a lot of posting... I know McCain's record takes up a lot too but this sure is a lot for someone who hasn't done anything....

CRIME & DRUGS:

Senator Obama cosponsored the Combat Meth Act, which provides more money for fighting methamphetamine (meth), tightens controls on the sale of meth ingredients, and provides assistance to the children of meth abusers. The legislation would limit access to cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, the primary ingredient used to make methamphetamine. This bill passed the Senate and became law in the 109th Congress.

Senator Obama has supported greater funding to fight meth through the use of Byrne Justice Assistance Grants. The Byrne Grant program provides important funding to many local Illinois law enforcement groups. For example, the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group (SIEG), a meth taskforce that polices 31 Illinois counties, pays for 5 of its 12 agents through Byrne grants. During Senate consideration of the Department of Justice funding bill, Senator Obama cosponsored an amendment to raise Byrne funding to $900 million in 2006; the amendment passed the Senate.

He supported the reauthorization of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in the 109th Congress and supports efforts to increase COPS funding. The COPS program provides local law enforcement funding for: (1) hiring and training law enforcement officers; (2) procuring equipment and support systems (3) paying officers to perform intelligence, anti-terror, or homeland security duties; and (4) developing new technologies, including inter-operable communications, and forensic technology. Since 1994, the COPS program has funded more than 5,800 additional police officers and sheriffs deputies in Illinois and over $45 million in crime fighting technology assistance.

Senator Obama cosponsored Dru's Law which creates a nationwide sex offender database and requires greater monitoring of sex offenders upon their release from prison. The bill passed the Senate in July of 2005. This legislation was incorporated into a larger bill, the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, which Senator Obama supported and which has been signed into law.

He also cosponsored the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. This bill increases the penalties for sex crimes against children under the age of 12 and creates a national Internet site known as the National Sex Offender Public Registry. The bill would also provide grants to local law enforcement to assist in preventing and investigating sex crimes against minors.

Senator Obama is a cosponsor of the KIDS Act, which requires convicted sex offenders to provide their Internet identifiers, such as e-mail addresses and instant message addresses, for inclusion into the national sex offender registry

Senator Obama cosponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act which passed the Senate on October 4, 2005 and was subsequently signed into law. The Act provides important funding and assistance to help communities, non-profit organizations, and law enforcement combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Act establishes a sexual assault services program and provides grants for education programs to prevent domestic violence and encourage reporting of abuses.

IMMIGRATION:

Senator Obama played a key role in the crafting of the immigration reform bill that the Senate passed before the 109th Congress adjourned. The bill, which President Bush supports, would provide more funds and technology for border security and prevent employers from skirting our laws by hiring undocumented immigrants. The bill also would provide immigrants who are now contributing, responsible members of society an opportunity to remain in the country and earn citizenship. But not all undocumented immigrants would be guaranteed the right to remain in the U.S. under this proposal: they would first have to pay a substantial fine and back taxes, learn English, satisfy a work requirement, and pass a criminal background check.

Senator Obama offered three amendments that were included in the Senate bill. The first amendment would strengthen the requirement that a job be offered at a prevailing wage to American workers before it is offered to a guestworker. The second amendment would make it simple, but mandatory, for employers to verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the United States. And the third amendment would authorize $3 million a year for the FBI to improve the speed and accuracy of the background checks required for immigrants seeking to become citizens.

[/QUOTE]

[chpthril]

Yes, but most importantly of all.......

What is her position on wakesurfing?

She's got my vote no matter what position she's in, hum, I mean, takes

[Dan and Christy]

She's got my vote no matter what position she's in, hum, I mean, takes

Attaboy

[chpthril]

Barack Obama was seated next to a little girl on an airplane He
turned to her and said, 'Let's talk. I've heard that flights go
quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.'

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the Obama,
'What would you like to talk about?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the Obama. 'How about What Changes I Should Make To America ?' and he smiles.

'OK, ' she said. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass - .
Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow
turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass.
Why do you suppose that is?'

Obama, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks
about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'

To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to
change America when you don't know crap ?

[chpthril]

So, what's this about Biden saying during a speech that Hilary was a better choice for VP then him I heard a blip on the morning news, but the story was over before I realized.

This will translate to: "Obama's lack of experience led to the wrong VP choice"

[Fast1911]

So, what's this about Biden saying during a speech that Hilary was a better choice for VP then him I heard a blip on the morning news, but the story was over before I realized.

This will translate to: "Obama's lack of experience led to the wrong VP choice"

Yep, it was the vast right-wing conspiracy that led him to choose Biden. I think he should get a do-over pick......

[jwanck11]

Biden was the best possible pick for him. If anything it will make the vote closer than (I think) it would have been otherwise

[chpthril]

Get you T-shirst and Bumper Stickers here

I'll take one of each.

[chpthril]

More

[Fast1911]

those are awesome Chp.....

Love the avatar.....guess I'll change mine to

[Fast1911]

There, that's better