What can we thank Obama for?

[DuncanONeil]

[QUOTE=Mirvoina;865996]Here are some things for which I think we should thank Obama. The list comes from The Daily Dish (I added the last item).

An end to illegal torture of terror suspects. A beginning to a saner method of detaining, trying and convicting terror suspects.

Yes! He said that but as I remember the previous administration also took that action.

Adept handling of the worst financial crisis and recession since the 1930s, leading to a profitable bank bailout (excluding Freddie and Fannie) and a return to growth. Check.

Personally I believe that this only equates to the '70s. Spending was the solution in the '30s. Extended that recession out for ten years. I don't want to see that again. Most of the growth reported has come from only one sector of the economy -Government.

Salvaging of the automobile industry, which is now showing signs of life.

Taking over is not the best way to "save" anything. In fact GM is using money "borrowed" from the Government to repay previous money "borrowed" from the Government. Not much to suggest they are improving in that.

Passage of an ambitious stimulus package that has helped repair many crumbling parts of the US infrastructure and poured money into green industry.

Most of the "stimulus has yet to be spent! So I'd say it is not much of an effect. A large part of that infrastructure is something the Feds put in place and shifted the upkeep to the states. My state has a tax that is directly for maintaining the transportation infrastructure. The Governor keeps taking that money into the general fund to cover his and the state legislature overspending. Feds aren't any better.

Pouring money into green industry is kind of interesting as there really is no green industry yet. This is still being developed. Is ineffectual. No amount of Government money is really going to due what the Government claims!

The biggest social policy reform since LBJ - guaranteeing access to health insurance for all Americans.

It is not the Governments responsibility to pay for the day to day costs of the citizens.

Financial re-regulation of an out-of-control Wall Street, and the beginnings of real scrutiny (see Goldman) of the self-serving corruption at the heart of the financial industry.

A lot of the impetus behind this statement is based on assumptions. There is a significant amount of regulation already levied on the financial industries. As for Wall Street, why do you think the SEC is in existence?

Repaired relations with Russia, leading to a new START treaty, and better relations with China, leading to a revaluation of the yuan.

Unsure of this! but many still accuse China of trying to manipulate world currencies to their benefit.

Joint Chiefs' endorsement of ending Don't Ask Don't Tell.

No real comment, except as a former member of the service we did not much care. As long as a person did their job. I was even hit on while in service so don't try to hard to challenge me on this one.

A tough re-balancing of the US position in the Middle East, away from the Likudnik-oriented jerking knees of the last eight years, and an assertion that US foreign policy should be conducted to advance the interests of the United States, not the interests of a belligerent faction in a foreign country.

You really think that the US foreign policy should not consider how such policy affects the interests and safety of this country?? Some might say that Clinton's knees jerked more reflexively, and often, than most Presidents. Others might say the current President is engaging in appeasement than policy building.

Lowering my (and probably your) taxes.

Ain't gonna happen! Unless you already pay no taxes. But even that will be an illusion. Every product in the country will increase due to all the taxes being levied on business