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The American Seniors Association 2010 Presidential Report Card

The United States of America

January 2009-July 2010

Student: Barack Obama
Position: President, the United States of America
Semester: Year 2, Mid-term
Progress: 18 months

Point Values Reporting Grade

5 Superior A Superior

4 Above Average B Above Average

3 Average C Average

2 Below Average D Below Average

1 Not Meeting Minimum F Not Meeting Minimum

Promise Standards

S Satisfactory

U Unsatisfactory

I Incomplete

NI Needs Improvement

Final Grades

Subject	Promise Grade	Point Values	ASA Grade
Health Care	N	2.2	D-
Social Security	S	3.3	C-
Finance	U	1.8	F
Homeland Security	S	3.4	C
Military	N	2.5	D
Economy	N	1.6	F
Energy	S	2.7	D +
Overall Grade	S-	2.5	D

*The Promise Grade is based on whether President Obama kept his promise.

**The ASA Grade is based on our 4 pillars, Conservative values, the Constitution, and how seniors are affected.

Grade Distribution:

Health Care :: 25 points

Social Security :: 20 points

Finance :: 20 points

Homeland Security :: 15 points

Military :: 10 points

Economy :: 5 points

Energy :: 5 points

"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." President Barack Obama, Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009

Health Care

"Congress is playing Russian roulette with seniors' health care." Cecil B. Wilson, President of the American Medical Association

Health Care Fact 1: He kept his promise to pass a "universal" health care law; a law that will radically change health care in America. President Obama himself signed the Affordable Care Act into law after the House of Representatives with a 219-212 vote passed the bill.

The health overhaul is estimated to cost the government $938 billion over ten years-this number having been reported by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimates that it will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the decade.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: F

Health Care Comment 1: As part of the Constitutional rights awarded to citizens of the United States, the U.S. government cannot require its citizens to purchase anything. There is no Constitutional provision that allows for government mandates to purchase, and this goes on to include a citizen's choice of health coverage. Many individuals who currently do not have health insurance have chosen to remain uninsured for various reasons, and forcing purchases upon citizens is not what our Founding Fathers had in mind when establishing this great nation. Why is it that America, the world's leader in exemplifying individual liberty and citizen rights, is now being stripped of its Constitutional foundation in a way that will result in the abandonment of individual rights? Choosing a health care plan is definitely an individual choice, and removing this choice removes a small part of our Constitution. ASA stands by its choice to fully uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.

In regard to any criticism he receives for the implementation of "government mandates to purchase", President Obama and his administration claim that the health care bill's provisions meet all technical legal requirements. The tax hikes and the IRS enforces credits that are included in the health reform, thus, by having the title of "IRS-enforced", the mandated purchases are classified as taxes. In addition, the IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman noted that those individuals who choose not to purchase health insurance under the new exchange will most likely lose their tax refunds. The IRS claims that it will not aggressively target those who do not purchase insurance as a way to downplay its role in helping enforce the health reform, with the term "aggressively" meaning freezing accounts, taking assets, or pressing charges. However, the IRS plans to offset refunds if necessary. Can the IRS honestly say that it is not one of the biggest enforcers of the health reform? The IRS is helping the government enforce the new health care law by strengthening its legality and helping the government move out of its debt. The IRS has done this by classifying the government mandated purchase of health care as various taxes, as well as penalizing those who do not choose to purchase the new standard health care plans by not granting them the tax refunds they have had in the past. In return, the government, by becoming so big and intrusive, will continue to protect the IRS from any outside threat as long as it continues to support Congress and its liberal agenda.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (2010), the health care reform falls short of cutting down runaway costs. President Obama's original idea held that by bending the cost curve down, the U.S. could expand health coverage to 95% of the country's citizens for the same amount that the U.S. would potentially spend without any reforms. The report shows the reality of President Obama's idea; this reality is actually not reality at all. The actual total health care spending over the next decade is predicted to exceed $35 trillion. The report explains in more detail that instead of reducing the deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years, the reform will lead to more spending-$311 billion worth of spending-on national health care over the decade.

Health Care Fact 2: He promises to award tax credits to help those individuals with lower-to-middle incomes purchase insurance and pay for their premiums if they meet the federal poverty level as an individual or family. The "Affordable Coverage Choices for All Americans - Premium Tax Credits and Cost Sharing Reductions" section of the health bill discusses the qualifications an individual must meet before receiving tax credits. Those individuals must not be insured by their employers, must not receive financial assistance from a government program like Medicare or Medicaid, and must purchase health insurance through the health exchange. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of this promise alone to be roughly $464 billion over the next decade (H.R. 3590, 2009).

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: D

Health Care Comment 2: The cost of subsidizing health insurance expenses for those who are qualified under the new health overhaul ($464 billion) is money that will never be replaced. President Obama and his administration claim that because the tax credits will not kick in until 2014, the same year the health exchanges begin, the money coming in will balance the debt. Wrong! ASA are going to go ahead and presume that the cost of granting tax credits to much of the American population is going to greatly outweigh the money gained through the exchange, which will primarily be through taxing the rich minority. ASA finds little research to prove the financial stability, or further, the financial growth from subsidizing health insurance expenses for those who can't afford it in exchange for taxing those who can. Why must those who earn more be penalized for their hard work? ASA sees this promise as a path to an even deeper financial burden, but hope that as a pending promise it may potentially and hopefully be revised.

Health Care Fact 3: He promises that no individual will lose their ability to choose their own doctor. He targets seniors by emphasizing that most doctors and hospitals participate in Medicare, which will guarantee extensive choice and access to medical care.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: D

Health Care Comment 3: President Obama must not be following the news regarding doctors and Medicare because recent reports show that the month of June showed new highs when it comes to doctors refusing new Medicare patients because of low government payment rates. Doctors are now feeling like they have no choice but to drop Medicare patients because the benefits are not there for them. The senior federal health insurance programs only pay a portion of what private insurers pay. A study published by the American Medical Association says, "...17% of more than 9,000 doctors surveyed restrict the number of Medicare patients in their practice. Among primary care physicians, the rate is 31%" (USAToday, 2010b). ASA sees President Obama's progress as minimal, as doctors are already dropping patients in large sums due to changes in health care and Medicare payments, but ASA hopes he does indeed keep this promise to guarantee choice for seniors.

Health Care Fact 4: He promised to prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: B

Health Care Comment 4: ASA likes where President Obama stands regarding generic drugs. He seems to understand a company's need for a period of exclusivity on the market to offset the price of R&D and encourage innovation, and he has proposed legislation to prevent major drug companies from blocking generic drugs once the period of exclusivity ends. He is aware that many of the drug monopolies are currently paying generic drug companies not to enter the market so that monopolies can maintain control of the drug market and make the best profit. For this reason, he proposed a plan to prohibit any anticompetitive agreement and collusion between brand name and generic drug companies. He also proposed a second plan that would prohibit what drug manufacturers term "evergreening," which is when manufacturers take preexisting products and reformulate them just enough to classify them as a new drug-a new drug that will be given another exclusivity period. ASA likes the competitive mindset President Obama has for drug manufacturers and hopes he continues to work on passing this legislation.

Health Care Fact 5: He promised to allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: B

Health Care Comment 5: ASA is in support of President Obama allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices because this fully supports free enterprise and competitiveness in the market. Although, similar to the last comment ASA made about encouraging the development of generic drugs to support competition and innovation, ASA knows that President Obama must be carefully watched to see if he follows through on his promise. This could be one of the few aspects of President Obama's new plan for Medicare that ASA supports.

Health Care Fact 6: He promised to close the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan. The donut hole is a coverage gap that results after an individual and their plan have spent a specific amount of money, normally ranging from $2,250 to $2,830, on covered prescription drugs. Once they reach the coverage gap, they must pay the full cost of prescription drugs and the cost of the plan's premium until they reach another limit, which normally ranges from $5,100 to $6,440. The Medicare recipients who reach their coverage gap in 2010 and who do not already receive Medicare Extra Help will receive a non-taxable $250 rebate check in the mail as a step toward closing the prescription drug "donut hole".

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: C

Health Care Comment 6: Although slow, progress has been made in closing the coverage gap in the Medicare Part D Prescription Plan. He began the process by beginning the mailings of the $250 rebate checks for 2010. He seems to understand that closing the prescription drug gap is going to take many years, intense work, and a lot more money. While he is on the right track in promising to close the unnecessary coverage gap affecting many seniors, ASA is not sure if his plan is completely realistic. In addition to issuing the $250 rebate checks, in 2011 he plans on provided a 50% discount to those that continue to fall in the donut hole. He will continue to increase the discount until the coverage gap is finally filled. As ASA emphasized before, where is the money coming from to allow for these discounts? Yes, it appears wonderful to seniors at first, but research shows that behind every $250 rebate check there are at least three other seniors paying a higher health premium, as part of the new health bill. This higher premium is a result of requiring everyone to purchase a health plan with higher government mandated minimum standards. Any senior who chose a plan below the President Obama's upcoming "standard plan" ends up paying more in premiums. Whose job is it to determine if one senior being helped is worth three others being hurt?

Health Care Fact 7: He promised to eliminate extra payments for Medicare Advantage after discussing how wasteful the program is during his presidential campaign.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Health Care Comment 7: Seniors have reaped the benefits of Medicare Advantage for years as they are given the freedom to choose a health plan they see best fitting and receive better value for their health care dollars than those who choose to enroll in traditional Medicare. The idea behind Medicare Advantage is to induce competition between private insurers so that the costs of treating Medicare patients are driven down. President Obama is not focused on the popularity of the program among seniors. He is focused on what it is costing the government and how this money could be used in other ways, such as paying for health care for the unemployed. He emphasizes the fact that Medicare pays a greater amount per person to private insurers who offer the Medicare Advantage Plans than it does to companies who offer original Medicare. He promises to cut Medicare Advantage costs by phasing the extra payments out completely in the next three to six years. He offers seniors the idea that everyone who has Medicare will be able to keep their same benefits under the health reform, as well as receive deductions in their premium costs once the provisions are phased in.

Medicare Advantage is easily voted the best of various Medicare programs among seniors. There are nearly 50 million seniors enrolled in Medicare today, and of this number over a quarter of them have chosen to enroll in Medicare Advantage. Among this quarter, the approval rate is reported to be on the higher end. President Obama wants to take away a program with this high of approval rating? Medicare Advantage is one of the highest rated programs within Medicare and health care, so there is no good explanation for taking it away from American seniors. Seniors don't deserve this abandonment. There is a way to reform the costly details of the program without phasing out Medicare Advantage completely. But President Obama is thinking purely about costs, not seniors, and as long as he and his supporter AARP have the power, Medicare Advantage will disappear in the overhaul. What does this leave us with? America will soon see reduced benefits and choices for seniors, dissatisfaction among America's seniors, and a pro-monopoly government. President Obama set up his plan accordingly: he gained the support of AARP, passed his health care legislation, and will now change the health care system so that AARP becomes a monopoly and leads the country in President Obama's ways. If AARP becomes a monopoly, no one will be able stand in President Obama's way.

Health Care Fact 8: He kept his promise to include a provision in the health care bill that bans insurance companies from denying insurance to individuals because of a pre-existing condition. Sections 2704 and 2705 address the idea behind President Obama's proposal. Section 2705 states, "A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not establish rules for eligibility (including continued eligibility) of any individual to enroll under the terms of the plan or coverage based on any of the following health status-related factors in relation to the individual or a dependent of the individual: health status; medical condition (including both physical and mental illnesses); claims experience; receipt of health care; medical history; genetic information; evidence of insurability (including conditions arising out of acts of domestic violence); disability; any other health status-related factor determined appropriate by the Secretary" (H.R. 3590, 2009).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: C

Health Care Comment 8: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is what was put into place to guarantee that uninsured with pre-existing conditions would be covered by an insurance policy. The Affordable Care Act is a transitional program, put in place until 2014 when a more permanent solution will be in place. By August 2010, those U.S. citizens and legal residents, who have previously been uninsured for at least 6 months and have had trouble getting insured because of a pre-existing condition, will be eligible to apply for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). The PCIP is run by either the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or by your state. To see what's available in your state, you can visit This Site (HealthCare.gov, 2010). According to the InsuranceJournal (2010), "the Affordable Care Act provides $5 billion in federal funding to support PCIPs in every state." Though costly, this will provide health insurance for those seniors who retired early, seniors who aren't covered by spousal plans, seniors who don't yet qualify for Medicare, those affected by the poor economy and job cuts, etc. and can't find insurance because of a pre-existing condition.

The long-term goal of this program is called Exchanges. By 2014, those who are insured under the PCIP and members of Congress will purchase their insurance through Exchanges. The Christian Science Monitor claims that these Exchanges are an attempt to bring retail competition to the insurance market (Grier, 2010). The idea is to allow individuals and small businesses the ability to find better prices and variety for health insurance options. In 2014, the plan is to have these Exchanges available in each state, the federal government would allocate funding to states for the start-up of this program and if a state fails to do so, the federal government will take over for the state. The Exchanges are open for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and individuals who are self-employed, unemployed, or retired but not eligible for Medicare. The idea of the Exchanges is that these small businesses and individuals who apply for insurance are, in essence, forming their own large corporation (when you look at it in insurance terms, the more employees you have the more spread out your insurance risk becomes so your insurance cost goes down). The claim is that the Exchanges would not be a monopoly and that those who choose would still be able to purchase health insurance from outside the Exchange. The Christian Science Monitor mentions that included in the new regulations is that "an insurer would have to charge the same rates outside the exchange as it does inside, for comparable plans" (Grier, 2010).

Giving those with pre-existing conditions more options is certainly a plus. But how much will this cost the government, short- and long-term? Hopefully, this new plan will keep free trade open and no monopolies will arise from this legislation.

Health Care Fact 9: He promised to completely reform the current Medicare formula so that Medicare costs are slowly reduced as waste, fraud, and abuses in the system are eliminated by 2012. One of his first steps is to appoint Dr. Donald Berwick as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the first permanent administrator since 2006.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: F

Health Care Comment 9: President Obama has sidestepped Congress and used a recess appointment to appoint Dr. Berwick as head of CMS, the federal agency that oversees Medicare. ASA found a quote by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, that accurately sums up ASA's viewpoint. "As if shoving a trillion dollar government takeover of health care down the throat of a disapproving American public wasn't enough, apparently the President Obama Administration intends to arrogantly circumvent the American people yet again by recess appointing one of the most prominent advocates of rationed health care to implement their national plan" ("Obama to use," 2010). President Obama never seems to mind making exceptions for individuals and companies that only further his priorities.

Health Care Fact 10: He promised to expand eligibility to Medicaid. While Medicaid has primarily covered children, pregnant women, and the disabled in the past, it will soon cover anyone under the age of 65 whose income falls within a certain range of the federal poverty level (up to 133 percent).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: F

Health Care Comment 10: Federal matching Medicaid funds are set to expire by the end of the 2010 year. This is coming at a time when more people are turning to the program. Medicaid was estimated to approach 31.5% of state general fund expenditures by fiscal 2010, yet as the stimulus is running out and as state revenues have grown only slightly, states are not prepared to face the deficit that is about to come their way if President Obama's plan to expand Medicaid moves forward. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, states will be experiencing deficits totaling $127 billion over the next two fiscal years. The situation could be made worse if Congress doesn't approve an additional $24 billion this year to cover the cost of Medicaid (Solomon, 2010).

The increase in Medicaid spending, met by the loss of federal matching is going to create a huge hole in every state's budget this year. States are the key players in moving the U.S. out of its economic situation, but because states are being negatively affected by the uncertainty of health care costs in Washington, President Obama's promise is backfiring and the financial burdens of states are widening the deficit instead of the reducing it. ASA dislikes any reform that works against state budgets.

ASA would like to make a final comment regarding President Obama's promises regarding health care. ASA is astonished Americans are being required to purchase a heath care plan that has to include specific minimum standards. Not only are citizens losing the freedom to choose their own health plans, but they are also losing money in paying for standard plans that not everyone needs or wants. Why should Americans be forced to pay for benefits that they have no intention of using? Citizens deserve the right to pay the real cost of what is used, not the cost of what others use. Any benefits citizens want to purchase above the necessary benefits, such as those that encompass preventative medicines or have "catastrophic purposes," should be of personal choice. Citizens of the U.S. deserve the right to life, but this right would better be served with a competitive health care market, one that includes quality care, as well as great pricing. America should be moving in this direction, and it definitely is not making that progress under President Obama's authority.

Social Security

"Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected, but all other discretionary government programs will." President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 27, 2010

Social Security Fact 1: He proposed an $11.6 billion budget to help streamline the approval process for Social Security but the final bill that was signed gave $10.6 billion for administration expenses, the final budget is only a 2% increase and barely covers inflation rates (Office of Management and Budget [OMB], 2010, p.109).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Social Security Comment 1: A few questions are raised in regard to the budgets assigned to improve the Social Security office. Where is this money coming from? Is this money being blindly handed over to the agency for distribution or has it been designated for specific use? If the inflation rate is barely covered by the minimal increase of budget, exactly how much 'increase' does the agency see?

Social Security Fact 2: He promised to streamline the Social Security disability approval process. So far, he signed an appropriations bill where $1 billion will be used to improve the agency's information technology so that it is better capable of handling the workload. This will help streamline the approval process by hiring on more staff to process applications (OMB, 2010, p. 109).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Social Security Comment 2: A part of this budget will be spent to restructure the wage reporting process; currently wages are reported on an annual basis. Obama wants to restructure the system to quarterly reporting; he hopes by doing this the administration process will be streamlined.

Social Security Fact 3: President Obama's promises regarding Social Security have had a negative impact on the U.S. This year Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes. This is because payments are rising more than expected because jobs are disappearing and people are applying for benefits sooner than expected, all while the program's revenue is decreasing due to the economy declining and fewer paychecks to tax.

Promise Grade: N/A ASA Grade: D

Social Security Comment 3: As one of ASA's four pillars, Social Security reform is important. Partial privatization of Social Security would be ideal and should be strongly considered in the near future. With President Obama clearly speaking out against any privatization of Social Security, ASA won't be holding its breath for any proposals. Partial privatization is ideal for an array of reasons but one that is especially sensitive right now is those seniors who have recently retired or on the brink of retirement during an economic depression. Will the current revenue be able to sustain the growing number of people claiming Social Security, those who are forced to early retirement because of job loss, and the upcoming baby boomers? With less people paying into the system, the sustainability of this program is grim. Changes need to be made soon and the American Seniors Association believes that partial privatization is the best option.

Finance

"Senior citizens making less than $50,000, you shouldn't have to pay income tax on your Social Security. We pay for these by closing tax loopholes and tax havens that are being manipulated." President Barack Obama, Democratic debate at Univ. of Texas in Austin, February 21, 2008

Finance Fact 1: He broke his promise to end income tax for seniors making less than $50,000. To date, this tax cut is not included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or any other legislation.

Promise Grade: U ASA Grade: F

Finance Comment 1: Even though President Obama promised that he would remove the payroll tax cap for those earning $250,000 and more, this promise seems to have been broken. So far, there has been no mention about any future plans of action for this promise. For a grade based on his promise alone, he clearly fails but still has two years to improve his grade. For a grade based on ASA standards, his promise, if acted upon, would hurt those individuals who create jobs. However, nothing has been done thus far, so ASA can't completely complain but will continue to hope that this promise remains lost in the shuffle.

Finance Fact 2: He promised to crack down on tax evasion.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: C

Finance Comment 2: Through legislation, international cooperation, and numerous programs such as the voluntary disclosure program, the IRS has been able to locate approximately 14,700 previously undisclosed offshore accounts (Browning, 2009). This promise seems beneficial to everyone, except those who are evading their taxes, but it is hard to gauge the IRS's current progress. Is 14,700 accounts a good number or is it a minimal dent in the total amount of overseas accounts? How much money is this costing the taxpayers? How much will be gained from these newly found accounts after collecting back taxes? How much does the administration believe will be collected in back taxes when the majority of these offshore accounts are found? Is U.S. autonomy being jeopardized by these operations?

Even though this promise seems promising, there are too many questions left unanswered. The administration needs to provide better literature on this operation before the experts and the administration are able to make an educated decision. More light needs to be shed on the process if President Obama expects to receive bipartisan approval for this spending. So far, this promise remains exactly as it is defined, 'promising'.

Finance Fact 3: He broke his promise that any family making less than $250,000 will not see "any form of tax increase."

Promise Grade: U ASA Grade: D

Finance Comment 3: This fact needs further insight because, in fact, those families making less than $250,000 have not seen an income tax increase they have potentially seen an increase in taxes. During his presidential campaign, President Obama stated, "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes" (Organizing for America, 2008). The key to this promise is "not any of your taxes". Though the broken promise may seem meaningless, it is worthy to note that this promise appears to be a tool to propagate his campaign.

This promise was broken because President Obama has passed several laws that will land consumers with an increased sales tax. Indoor tanners and smokers have already been slapped with paying higher taxes. The last law will affect those who, in 2014, opt out of health insurance. Those who opt out will be fined and the fine will be collected through your income taxes. Yes, these taxes aren't directly affecting income but as President Obama has said, "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig." Put simply, a tax is a tax, and it doesn't matter what is being taxed. ASA is 100% certain that there is at least one U.S. family that makes less than $250,000 a year and indoor-tans or smokes. ASA is anxious to see how many families making less than $250,000 choose to opt out of health insurance in 2014. The bottom line is that some people making less than $250,000 are seeing a tax increase.

Finance Fact 4: He promised to work on removing the payroll tax cap on those earning $250,000. This will create a doughnut hole between people who make $106,800 to $250,000.

Promise Grade: U ASA Grade: D

Finance Comment 4: Even though President Obama promised to remove the payroll tax cap for those earning $250,000 and more, this promise seems to have been abandoned. So far, there has been no mention about any future plans of action for this promise. For a grade based on his promise alone, he clearly fails but still has two years to improve his grade. For a grade based on ASA standards, his promise, if acted upon, would hurt those individuals who create jobs. Since nothing has progressed with this promise, ASA can't completely complain but will continue to hope that this promise remains lost in the shuffle.

Finance Fact 5: He promises to keep Bush's tax credit and marriage penalty fixes that were put in place with the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. This promise includes keeping the tax credits under the stated legislation.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: F

Finance Comment 5: President Obama finds the solution for the increasing deficit by taxing higher income households (those who make over $250,000), but he justifies this tax increase by saying that those in this income bracket comprise of only 2% of America. ASA calculated the amount that would be collected from taxing the top 2% to be around $991,000,000.

What President Obama left out was that he is doing away with the marriage penalty for couples who file jointly but these exemptions would phase out for high income families. Forcing a penalty for those high-income couples that do not file jointly is a façade so President Obama can continue to accrue increased taxes from those couples that, if filed individually, would fall underneath the $250,000 tax increase.

Taking values from Sahadi (2010) (see Resources), ASA discovered that tax cuts and credits combined for low-to-middle income households will cost Americans $2,824,400,000 over the next ten years.

While it's hard to complain about receiving a tax credit, the country's current economic situation does not warrant extraneous spending. Mainly, those who are receiving these tax credit will be among those who are receiving tax cuts. Those who receive tax credits and tax cuts will be double dipping from our system.

President Obama's tax cuts and credits are double dipping at its worst.

Sahadi (2010), gives a simple breakdown of the aforementioned tax cuts and credits.

-Making tax cuts permanent for those making less than $200,000 ($250,000 for couples); this will cost $2 trillion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

-Changing the parameter of the Alternative Minimum Tax to protect over 10 million middle-income families; this will cost $660 billion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

-Extend the Make Work Pay credit, a one year extension that adds a few extra dollars to workers' paychecks each pay period; this will cost $61.2 billion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

-Permanently expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families with three or more children, this would increase their credit 5% to 45% of their earnings with a maximum credit of $5,657; this will cost $15.2 billion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

-Expand child-care tax credit, families making less than $85,000 can claim almost double the child/dependent care tax credit for which they currently qualify; this will cost $12.6 billion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

-Permanently extend the American Opportunity Tax Credit, this expands the Hope Scholarship tax credit and made it partially refundable (translated: a tax filer can get money back even if it means they would be getting more back from the government than they originally paid in federal income tax), the credit is worth up to $2,500 for higher education expenses; this will cost $75.4 billion over 10 years (Sahadi, 2010)

For clarification, double dipping in this instance means that those who will receive tax cuts will also ear tax credits. All the while, those high-income families and individuals will be burdened with higher taxes and won't qualify for any of these tax credits.

Even with the taxes collected by taxing the upper 2%, the tax cuts and credits for the middle and lower income will result in a deficit of $1,833,400,000 in ten years. This deficit is just the lost amount from tax cuts and credits. If President Obama wants to make a difference in the national deficit, he needs to find appropriate cuts in government expenditures, and by appropriate the American Seniors Association does not mean military cuts. The CBO predicts the budgets deficit to reach $9.75 trillion over the next decade; meaning 11% of the total deficit over the next ten years is due to tax cuts and credits alone (Dickson, 2010).

These figures equal 90 percent of the estimated 2020 GDP, for comparison, the economically struggling Greece hit 115 percent last year (Dickson, 2010). These numbers are too close for comfort and something needs to change.

President Obama, where is this money coming from?

Homeland Security

"Every democracy is tested when it is faced with a serious threat. As a nation, we have to find the right balance between privacy and security, between executive authority to fact threats and uncontrolled power. What protects us are the procedures we put in place to protect that balance, namely judicial warrants and congressional review. These are concrete safeguards to make sure surveillance hasn't gone too far." President Barack Obama, In His Own Words, March 27, 2007

Homeland Security Fact 1: He kept his promise to allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk. The Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program will allocate money based on two components, a 50% all-hazards risk component and a 50% terrorism threat component.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Homeland Security Comment 1: President Obama kept his promise to allocate funding by priority, for example approximately 84% of the 2009 funds went to southwest Border States (this was a 25% increase from the 2008 budget). For 2010 the Urban Area Security Initiative's (UASI) $832 million of which 63% will go to the highest risk cities, this is up from 55% in 2009 (Department of Defense, 2010).

Homeland Security Fact 2: He kept his promise to increase funding for local emergency funding, gaining $21 million more than in 2009 to total $650 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: C

Homeland Security Comment 2: The $650 million for the UASI will be used to increase city preparedness and emergency response capacity. More specifically, this entails equipping and training local first responders from attacks and catastrophic incidents, to prevent respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks (Department of Defense, 2010).

Homeland Security Fact 3: He kept his promise to start a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime. Congress passed an appropriations bill in December that included $140 million to fund the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI). The bill also includes an additional $61 million for an increased workforce to increase the FBI's intelligence and technological capabilities. His 2010 budget will fund $355 million to make private and public sector cyber infrastructure more resilient and secure and $36 million will support the CNCI (OMB, 2010, p. 71-72).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: C

Homeland Security Comment 3: $391 million for cyber security efforts?, enough said.

Homeland Security Fact 4: He promised to establish regulations such as improving port security through better radiation detection, efforts to develop the next-generation BioWatch sensors will continue. The budget will terminate outdated systems used by the U.S. Coast Guard, this will cost $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years (OMB, 2010, p. 72).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Homeland Security Comment 4: Updating the U.S. coast guard's outdated equipment is understandable but the proposed budget for this upgrade seems extravagant. ASA couldn't find whether this upgrade was going to be all at once or phased in, but the budget suggests the former. No one enjoys handing out their hard earned money for miscellaneous expenses; handing it out in installments helps ease the initial sticker shock, so ASA suggests a steady but gradual replacement of these outdated systems to help ease tax payers' pain.

Homeland Security Fact 5: The Budget will fund $50 million for 15 new Visual Intermodal Protection Response (VIPR) teams at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), $25 million will support integrated planning at the Dept of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation, $64 million to modernize infrastructure used for travelers and workers, and other funds for adding 55 Bomb Appraisal Officers for security at U.S. airports (Transportation Security Administration, 2007).

Promise Grade: N/A ASA Grade: B

Homeland Security Comment 5: ASA wanted to know what these VIPR teams consist of so it could better assess President Obama's expenditure for 15 new teams. VIPR teams are "comprised of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers and explosives detection canine teams" (Transportation Security Administration, 2007). These teams appear to be an integral part of our security task force and a necessity to ensure U.S. security. When in operation, the teams "work with local security and law enforcement officials to supplement existing security resources, provide deterrent presence and detection capabilities, and introduce an element of unpredictability to disrupt potential terrorist planning activities" (Transportation Security Administration, 2007).

Homeland Security Fact 6: His 2010 budget for strengthening border security and immigration services allocated $368 million for existing Customs and Border Protection, $1.4 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement programs, $110 million to continue expansion of E-Verify, and additional allocations for strengthening the delivery of immigration services such as the application process (OMB, 2010, p. 71-72).

Promise Grade: N/A ASA Grade: D

Homeland Security Comment 6: The Bush administration allocated $500 million for Border Patrol to maintain and also expand the program. With a $132 million budget decrease, the President Obama administration seems to have dug itself a mighty large hole for their defense against Arizona and their immigration law. By significantly decreasing the Border Patrol budget this year, the Border States are almost forced to take matters into their own hands when it comes to border enforcement.

With a significant increase from 2009 for E-Verify, ASA can only hope that a significant portion of that budget will go to improving the reliability of the program. Westat, who touts itself as "an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies", ran reports on the accuracy of the E-Verify system. While analyzing the results, the percentages look promising but the numbers hold more value. Westat found that E-Verify is 96% accurate. Within that 96%, it correctly identifies 93.1% of the cases as people who are allowed to work and 2.9% as unauthorized, 3.3% of the cases were illegal workers mistaken for legal workers, and 0.7% were workers who are authorized to work in the U.S. but were initially identified as unauthorized. The most shocking result is that of the total illegal immigrants who are run through E-Verify, 54% result in an authorization to work! (Radnofsky & Jordan, 2010)

According to McNeill (2010), the estimated number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. was around 10.8 million in 2009. If ASA was giving President Obama a grade for his funding of the 96% accurate E-Verify system based on percentages then it would translate to an 'A', but unfortunately for President Obama ASA decided to translate those numbers. Until the results of the 2010 Census are published, the only illegal immigration numbers provided will be approximations. Though highly unlikely, if every illegal immigrant in the U.S. applied for jobs with businesses that use E-Verify there would be 5,832,000 individuals accepted as authorized workers. Ninety-six percent is above average but when looking at the numbers behind the percentage, the picture is scarier than it seems.

Some might argue that they are hard working people just trying to make a living but most of these people are taking jobs from U.S. citizens or those who are in our country legally. U.S. citizens and legal residents pay taxes and their hard work is reinvested into the system but those who are here illegally drain our system. Having 54% of illegal immigrants who are filtered through E-Verify come back as authorized workers is encouraging those who are already here illegally to stay and others to come over and try their chances. The American Seniors Association can't look past a 96% accuracy rate that gives millions of illegal immigrants American jobs.

Homeland Security Fact 7: He allocated $260 million for state and local level intelligence analysts (OMB, 2010, p. 71-72).

Promise Grade: N/A ASA Grade: B

Homeland Security Comment 7: According to the Department of Homeland Security 2010 Budget outline, $260 million will fund the existing Homeland Security Grant program. This funding will go toward "fortify[ing] the Nation's intelligence system by improving information sharing and analysis by adding thousands more State and local level intelligence analysts" (OMB, 2010, p. 72). More jobs is exactly what this country needs right now but are these jobs going to actually benefit those who need them most? The Federal Bureau of Investigation describes the requirements and qualifications for the intelligence analyst position on their website (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). The first discrepancy being, what is the meaning of thousands? Thousands could be anywhere from 2,000 to 999,999 jobs.

In order to be considered for the job you must meet one of four basic requirements listed on their website. The first is holding a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and it is preferred that your degree be in one of the 'critical skills' listed later in the job description. Some of these 'critical skills' are: counterterrorism, homeland/national security, intelligence, and weapons of mass destruction. How many people do you know with a B.S. or B.A. in Counterterrorism or W.M.D.? Another of the four basic requirements is that you must have served as a Federal employee for at least one year in the intelligence unit. According to the Bureau of Labor (2010), there are approximately two million Federal employees but how many of those employees are in the intelligence unit? Also, the U.S. Census Bureau 2009 Population Estimates claims that the 2009 U.S. population count was around 307,006,550 so whatever small percentage of Federal workers in the intelligence division are eligible to apply for one of these thousands of positions doesn't come close to making much difference in the employment rate. Job qualification requirements, understandably, are set to establish order for both job applicant and employer during the job process. They are used so all parties understand what will be required for that position so they can best judge whether they will be able to perform the duties to the best of their ability. But this promise for opening thousands of jobs by spending more money is mostly talk. Yes, there will be new positions created but there will only be a small percentage of the population that is eligible to apply for these jobs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).

This promise fills people with false hope. A small percentage of the U.S. population will be qualified for these positions. So it won't come close to making a dent in unemployment or even benefit the masses. Sound familiar? President Obama claims that by removing tax caps from a very small percentage of the U.S. population the government will be able to collect much needed taxes from those who can afford it. If raising taxes for 2 percent of Americans is not such a big deal then why should creating jobs for a similarly small percentage be a big deal? Where is the justification of this expenditure? ASA certainly can't find one.

Military

"We are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war, and that is what I am doing as President. We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August. We will support the Iraqi government-we will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and we will continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity. But make no mistake: This war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home." President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union Address, January 27, 2010

Military Fact 1: President Obama promised to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He recently named General David Petraeus top commander of American forces in Afghanistan after the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal on June 23rd, 2010. This came after President Obama fired General David MCKiernan from this same position not even a year after MCKiernan's appointment because of the worsening situation in Afghanistan that made apparent the need for a commander with experience in unconventional warfare.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: C

Military Comment 1: While President Obama has promised to bring an end to the terror occurring in the nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan by fighting to eliminate those terrorist groups that are the biggest threat to the U.S., he has never used the term 'victory' in describing the war in Afghanistan. This is because the U.S. is not dealing with nation-states per say, but is dealing with non-state actors in an unconventional war that will not have clear lines of victory. General Petraeus chose to use a term when referring to the war in Afghanistan that President Obama has avoided for so long by stating "We are in this to win." ASA does not care what term is used in reference to Afghanistan; ASA will take either synonymous term as long as the outcome is the elimination of the foundation of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Afghanistan has been the longest war to date and continues to be the greatest struggle of the century. President Obama, let's not forget this as you seem to already be preoccupied with the idea of U.S. troop removal. The U.S. must finish its duties in defeating and dismantling all potential threats to our nation, and this includes preventing another attack against our nation. Mr. Obama, please trust your generals when it comes to war and not just your own instincts on war.

ASA is grateful President Obama is continuing to revise the strategies and command in the war on terror, and ASA hopes that the appointment of General Petraeus will bring success similar to that of what Petraeus contributed in Iraq. ASA also knows that there is much work to be done in the Middle East and hopes that the president makes progress in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan during the second term of presidency beyond the liberal expectations.

Military Fact 2: He promises to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011, while continuing to focus on the war in Afghanistan. His goal is to remove 45,000 troops from Iraq by August 2010, which is not even 50 percent of troops stationed in the country. He promises to create diplomatic relations with Iraq and its neighbors, remove all permanent bases in the nation, and help provide care for Iraqi refugees. As the administration draws down in Iraq, it will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan this year with hopes of having 100,000 troops stationed in the country by 2011. President Obama promises to strengthen NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as the Afghan Army, and promises to provide non-military funds to the nation for reconstruction and other infrastructural projects.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: D

Military Comment 2: On a positive note, pulling troops out of Iraq means that soldiers will finally be reunited with their families. But this comes at a price. There has been a recent increase in the amount of violence reported in Iraq, most likely due to surrounding nations and groups becoming aware of U.S. removal. The U.S. is more likely to see positive results in Iraq if troops are removed in smaller numbers over a set period of time. While ASA is aware that it is not always best to drag out the removal process, it must note that by removing a large number of troops at once, the war-torn country is then seen as an opportunity to reignite violence. In situations such as Iraq, a slower exit strategy would potentially be more successful. Violence is sure to pop up as soon as the U.S. appears to be abandoning Iraq.

Kissinger (2010) quoted, "President Obama's Iraq Policy must be focused on more than withdrawal" states "The formal expressions of administration policy on Iraq primarily concern the rate of withdrawal...America needs to remain an active diplomatic player. Its presence must be perceived to have some purpose beyond withdrawal. An expression of political commitment to the region is needed. In executing an exit strategy, we must make sure that strategy remains linked to exit."

President Obama's fixation with withdrawal has distracted him from implementing a specific and realistic strategy in removing troops. The only details he has provided to the public are that he wants to reduce the number of troops in Iraq to 35,000 to 50,000 by August 2010, and he wants all troops removed by December 2011. Experts believe that majority of troop removal in Iraq will come at the end of the 18th month period. The lack of organization and strategy associated with U.S. withdrawal will most likely result in a mass removal of troops at the last second, which can assure increased violence in Iraq. ASA hopes that President Obama's promise to continue funding troops, equipment, and the reconstruction of Afghanistan is more successful than any progress the U.S. has seen in the country over the past eight years. Afghanistan has been the among the biggest struggles in our nation over the past decade, and it is evident that the Taliban is not easing up; therefore, ASA commends President Obama in strengthening forces in the nation but hopes he doesn't withdraw before the additional troops can does their job.

It almost seems that President Obama is simply transferring troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, and ASA does not think this transfer of troops is going to end as successfully as the president is planning. Both nations are still in need of help, and the violence that is igniting in Iraq as a result of U.S. troop removal is proof of this.

Military Fact 3: He promises to end the abuse of the military's supplemental budget for wars. President Obama's 2010 budget proposal for the Department of Defense was over $530 billion (base budget) with an additional $33 billion requested for overseas contingency operations. $130 billion of the budget is allocated for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the remaining funds working to provide for a pay increase for men and women in uniform, programs that assist Iraq's struggling neighbors (i.e. Pakistan), programs that monitor internal and external threats, expansion of retired military pay and Veterans Disability Compensation to retirees getting disability retired pay, expansion of the number of integrated mental health professionals with their deployed units, reformed acquisitions, improved facilities and improved housing and medical care for the ill or wounded service members. An additional $7.4 billion in Defense-related appropriations (less than 1% of the total stimulus package) is provided with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Office of Management and Budget [OMB], 2010, p. 53-55).

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: D

Military Comment 3: The Department of Defense is the most funded, and often, the most abused department in the U.S., justifying the fact that changes must be made in the department before the economic situation in our nation can change. ASA is happy to hear this because this fact is important in strengthening the military, as well as cutting out costs that could be used in other ways during the recession. However, ASA is anxious that Mr. Obama may be hiding some of his personal motives for cutting costs. ASA hopes that he is promising to end the abuse for the reasons listed above, not for reasons that pertain to his master plan, such as quickly removing troops out of the Middle East before the time is right. ASA wants to see that he follows through with this promise so that the U.S. can perform accordingly in nations like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Military Fact 4: He promised to provide additional funding as requested by the Defense Department for special operations forces in the 2010 budget proposal. The money as requested by Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be used to increase personnel by nearly 5% and purchase more Special Forces aircraft. He also promised an additional $9 billion with the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 (Office of Management and Budget [OMB], 2010, p. 53-55).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Military Comment 4: ASA likes this promise of President Obama's. ASA believes that special operations forces must receive additional funding at a time when the threats to the U.S. and its citizenry are continually evolving and transforming the way America must collect, filter, organize and disseminate intelligence to provide for a more secure nation. ASA wants to make sure that the additional funding Congress has approved for the 2010 budget will be used specifically for increasing personnel and special aircraft and will be watching the progress of this promise closely until the end of 2010.

Military Fact 5: He promises to redirect money in the defense budget to higher priority programs and projects that will end up producing savings at the Pentagon. The Pentagon is planning to cut overhead costs by $100 billion over the next five years (2012-2016). Defense Secretary Gates revealed a plan that will cut back in specific parts of the budget, as well as reduce costs by improving the efficiency of programs and activities, and will remove the unnecessary and wasteful programs. Cutting pentagon costs by this minimal, yet necessary, amount will do little to make up for the amount the government plans on spending on the health care overhaul and other reforms (Scully, 2010).

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Military Comment 5: President Obama may have to veto the 2011 defense budget if programs that are considered wasteful are included in the budget. He faces a dilemma over cutting expenditures at the Pentagon. Most citizens believe cutting costs in the defense area is an offense. It is either deemed a political offense or simply an offense in terms of devaluing citizen security. To many, the present threat our nation faces justifies an expanded defense budget. Reasons aside, the importance of the matter is why some feel threatened by President Obama's choice to fully fund any reform dealing with health care, while reducing funding for defense related programs. The question being "Who gets to choose America's priorities?" It should be the people, not President Obama. President Obama's record thus far shows that his priority lies in universal health care; therefore, it can only be expected that areas like the Defense Department will sacrifice. ASA is not here to say that the Department of Defense does not abuse much of its budget.

The wasteful and inefficient programs being funded by our tax dollars are indeed contributing to the unsustainable economic situation our nation is facing and need to be eliminated, but ASA also knows that President Obama needs to step into reality. While he is busy focusing on his big picture, that being the health care reform, he is forgetting the big picture in everyone else's mind. In reality, health care is only a minor facet of what America needs to fix. To remind you, the percentage of people who will soon get health care that did not have it before because they couldn't afford it, not those that didn't have it by choice, is an extremely small percentage (2%). Yet, the government is going to fork out billions of dollars and add to our deficit to provide for this minority. President Obama's skewed vision is apparent in many of his choices and priorities. Mr. Obama, step back into reality, cut funds in the defense department in ways that will force us to fix our wasteful programs, and utilize what is needed to keep America protected, but do not cut funds in other departments in order to preserve money for your priorities, especially since your main priority is not favored by the majority of Americans. Cutting pentagon costs by this minimal, yet necessary amount will do little to make up for the amount the government plans on spending on the health care overhaul and other reforms.

As ASA has stressed in previous comments, it really hopes that President Obama's motives in cutting costs at the Pentagon are for reasons that will benefit the Pentagon and not for reasons that will benefit President Obama's priorities that many Americans are opposing.

Military Fact 6: He promised to fund an increase in troops for the Army and Marines in his 2010 budget.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Military Comment 6: What President Obama is really doing is supporting a program that has already been in place for two years and is close to completion. He is in support of a program that increases the size of the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marines by 27,000 troops.

While President Obama does not deserve any gold star for this promise since the program was in existence before his presidency and is close to being completed, ASA does appreciate him supporting an effort like this one.

Military Fact 7: He promised to make sure the veterans are not deprived of funding in this harsh financial environment. According to Rowland (2010), President Obama asked for $125 million for the Department of Veterans Administration budget for fiscal 2011. This is a ten percent increase from 2010, in which he appropriated $109.6 billion, and a 16 percent increase from 2009 (Office of Management and Budget, 2010, p. 95-96).

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: C

Military Comment 7: The promise sounds promising. ASA agrees with President Obama in that veterans should never be deprived of any funding. But what is important in his promise is that he provides a proportional amount of funding to the number of veterans. With the increase in the number of veterans recently the government must make sure that funding makes up for this fact.

Therefore, ASA is worried that President Obama's approved funding may not cover the increase in the number of veterans in America. He must include a statement in his next year's promise that proves how the amount he requests for funding will be proportional to the number of American veterans.

Military Fact 8: He promised to increase the Veteran's Administration budget to recruit more mental health professionals to provide the best care for veterans' mental health conditions. He is also promising to expand the VA mental health screening and treatment services to veterans in rural areas.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Military Comment 8: President Obama did include additional funding for the Veterans Administration in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 that is meant to provide for the recruitment of more mental health professionals to help with treating veterans returning from war with any psychological issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder. ASA likes the idea behind President Obama's promise, as well as his promise to expand mental health screening and treatment services in rural areas, as rural areas are often deprived of special services such as these for suffering veterans. (Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010).

ASA believes that suffering veterans deserve the best treatment for their combat wounds and hopes he follows through with his promise to extend care to rural areas so that these veterans are not overlooked. ASA hopes that President Obama plans on acting on this promise as much as he is working to fulfill his promise for universal health care so that mental health services are extended to every veteran equally.

Military Fact 9: He promises to make the Veterans Administration the leader in the national health reform.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Military Comment 9: Most veterans probably cringe when they read this promise; however, it appears that President Obama plans on making it the leader by investing in technology that will completely transform the Veterans Administration. The VA has already made great progress in developing electronic medical records, and it is in the process of developing what the government refers to as the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER). The VLER is supposed to be the solution to all the common issues that present themselves between the veterans' private and public health providers, as well as the issues and delays that come with service members on active duty transitioning to veteran status. Those veterans that are in the middle of waiting to see a doctor, waiting to hear responses on claims, or waiting to hear back from an appeal made to a disability claim are probably very excited to hear about any progress being made on this promise. (Office of Management and Budget, 2010, p. 95-96).

For now, ASA can only say that it likes where the president is going with this promise in terms of bettering technology for the VA but is aware that the promise is nowhere near satisfied. ASA hopes he follows through in improving the efficiency of programs within the Veterans Administration because this is critical to the department's success.

Military Fact 10: He kept his promise to fully fund the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2010. At one point, Congress proposed a bill that would place the VA health care programs on a two-year budget cycle, but this was axed when President Obama decided, in the veterans' favor, to fully fund the department each year, making sure to enforce that appropriations for the medical programs be approved a year in advance. Therefore, the $48.2 billion Congress appropriated to the VA health care programs for fiscal year 2011 was approved in 2009 and was in the 2010 budget. (Office of Management and Budget, 2010, p. 95-96).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: D

Military Comment 10: ASA can praise President Obama for the organization and passage of a law (Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act) that requires Congress to approve the VA appropriations a year before the budget provides funding. This is a step in the right direction, but ASA thinks he made the right step in the wrong order. He should have first ordered evaluations of the VA to ensure that the veterans medical budget is being used efficiently and effectively. Some concerns expressed in Rowland (2010) are the inefficiency of veterans from wars other than Iraq and Afghanistan claiming eligibility for care and veterans waiting on answers to disability claims and answers to appealed claims.

If Mr. Obama had made proper evaluations before handing out funds, the funds would be much more realistic and would force the Veterans Administration to reexamine their programs and fix the inefficiencies. By President Obama fully funding the Veterans Administration without first addressing the problems, the issues will never be resolved and funding will most likely end up wasted the way it was in years before.

Military Fact 11: He promises to make deployments more predictable for service members in active duty and the Reserves so that the members and their families know better what to expect in terms of the duration of deployment. It is believed that this will lead to an increase in the morale of troops and their families. One way to go about establishing regularity in deployments is ending the stop-loss program, a program that has forced troops to serve for longer than their original commitments. Another way is to set deployment to the ratio of "1 to 5", one year of duty for every five years of non-service (Garamone, 2009).

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: D

Military Comment 11: President Obama seems to have borrowed this promise from President Bush. President Bush had already set the promise to develop a realistic deployment ratio in motion at the end of his term, so President Obama is just following through on President Bush's promise. The morale of the nation's soldiers and their families is such a critical factor that affects the morale of this nation; therefore, ASA wants to see President Obama make this promise a reality. Whether it's ending the stop-loss program or establishing the '1-to-5' ratio, or whatever it may take, Mr. Obama needs to move forward with President Bush's promise to make it a promise kept.

ASA has not seen much done to secure predictable deployment but has great hopes for him keeping this promise.

Economy

"Everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. ... All this we can do. And all this we will do." President Obama, Inaugural Speech, January20, 2009

Economy Fact 1: He promises to rebuild the economy into a new, sustainable economy. President Obama came into presidency with a $1.3 trillion deficit, a crisis in the banking system, and increased unemployment. His promise includes making bold and wise investments in health care, education, and energy initiatives, as well as restoring fiscal accountability to government spending. His promise also includes a reform on Wall Street by creating a strong consumers protection program and holding big banks accountable to eliminate abuses on Wall Street.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: F

Economy Comment 1: President Obama did indeed walk into an unpleasant financial situation and growing deficit at the start of his presidency; however, unlike promised, his reforms are only adding stress to America's recovery period. Most of the growing deficit can be credited to the health care reform signed into legislation this past spring. The cost-containment measures included in the overhaul will do little-to-nothing to improve the economic outlook. The other measure that places nothing but stress on our economy is the tax credits funded in the health reform and stimulus package. Analysts of the Congressional Budget have gone on to declare that the extension of various tax cuts President Obama plans to provide for the middle class will only make the situation worse. While the deficit has been predicted to reach $9.3 trillion over the next decade, financial experts realize the deficit will most likely exceed that amount. Further, the CBO has predicted that national debt is now nearly 60 percent of the economic output (Montgomery, 2010).

To further ASA's argument, the administration estimated that the 2010 first quarter GDP would grow by 3.2 percent (later lowered to 3 percent), but as it appears in the latest revision of the economy, GDP grew by only 2.7 percent during the first quarter. President Obama acknowledges the forward movement but is admitting that he is not happy with the current recovery. Unemployment was said to be at 9.7% as of May 2010. This statistic shows that companies are still responding at a slower pace in terms of hiring, despite what President Obama claims to be slight move toward recovery in U.S. growth (Montgomery, 2010).

ASA is aware that his promise is still incomplete and his reforms have a long way to go; however, it does not see a bright future for the president if he continues depleting funds at this pace in such a fragile economy.

Economy Fact 2: He promised to pass the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the "Stimulus Package," that is meant to create 3.5 million new jobs, make necessary investments in infrastructure, and give almost 95 percent of workers a tax cut. The package will distribute a total of $787 billion, which is broken up into three categories: tax benefits ($288 billion), contracts, loans, and grants ($275 billion), and entitlements ($224 billion) (Recovery.gov, 2010).

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: D

Economy Comment 2: In regard to the stimulus package, "...the bulk of stimulus funds already have been spent. Of the $787 billion approved early last year, about $150 billion was slated for states to help prevent layoffs and provide health care, including Medicaid. The remainder went toward tax relief, contracts, grants and loans. About 70% of the $787 billion is expected to be spent by September, according to the Congressional Budget Office" (Solomon, 2010).

This percent is proven accurate when looking at the government's website for tracking the money appropriated by President Obama under the Recovery Act, recovery.gov. Of the $288 billion appropriated for tax benefits, $163 billion has already been paid out (56%), and of the $275 billion appropriated for grants, loans, and contracts, $119 billion is already paid out (43%). Finally, of the $224 billion appropriated for entitlements, $135 billion is already paid out (60%). As ASA noted in the previous comment, America's economic outlook is nowhere near where President Obama envisioned it to be at this point in 2010. He is raising more and more concerns about job growth, investments, and consumer spending, but all he can seem to do is requests more funds. With majority of the stimulus funding already being depleted, ASA doesn't know if Congress can or will continue to fund President Obama's promises if there are no returned benefits. ASA would advise President Obama to stop expanding and bloating government expenditures and start cutting expenditures. This is a time when it is necessary to think outside the box. (Recovery.gov, 2010).

Economy Fact 3: He promised to allow penalty free hardship withdrawals from retirement accounts in 2008 and 2009. The idea behind his promise was to relieve those individuals who may be suffering during the recession and need extra cash for the time being.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: F

Economy Comment 3: He broke the promise that would have allowed workers the possibility to take money from their 401(k) retirement funds before retirement without paying the normal 10 percent penalty fee on top of normal taxes. While he made this promise during his campaign, it seems that the promise never got mentioned again. It was never included in the Recovery Act, nor was it included in any budget outline.

Economy Fact 4: He promises to offer a tax credit to small businesses who hire unemployed workers. President Obama believes this is incentive enough for small business to begin hiring, which is a key component in economic recovery.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Economy Comment 4: President Obama is constantly urging Congress to offer tax breaks and incentives to assist small businesses. He vows to protect these businesses, as he sees job creation here as critical to recovery. He has proposed legislation that would eliminate capital gains taxes for investments in small companies to encourage people to open businesses. Most business leaders and tax experts are aware that small businesses are unlikely to hire more workers in exchange for a simple tax break. Small businesses need increased demand and more revenue before considering expansion. The tax credit awarded to start-up businesses is an exemption from paying the 6.2 percent Social Security Tax on the wages of the new workers. The incentive just doesn't seem to be the most effective method in creating jobs as President Obama sees it. The CBO estimates that this incentive would only generate an average of 13 full-time jobs per $1 million in tax breaks (Ohlemacher, 2010). ASA agrees that this method needs to be reconstructed if President Obama is going to continue stressing that recovery lies in the growth of small businesses. ASA agrees that investment in small businesses is part of the solution, but there must be more incentive beyond tax credits on Social Security taxes for the start-ups.

He went on to propose the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 (H.R. 5297), which was passed by the House in June 2010. The act provides incentives for banks to increase lending to small businesses. The legislation allocates $30 billion for the program, and the CBO predicts the fund will bring about a $1.1 billion profit for taxpayers, which is meant to reduce the current deficit. The major flaw of H.R. 5297 is that it doesn't require banks to actually lend to small businesses, it only provides an incentive. ASA agrees with the Republican representatives who find the bill to be just another bank bailout (Beahm, 2010).

The small businesses are the ones still suffering in the wake of the recession, and the legislation passed by the House will only continue to increase the deficit at the expense of these start-ups.

At this point in his presidency, ASA concludes that President Obama is not following through on his promise to save small businesses as a way to induce economic recovery.

Economy Fact 5: He promises to spur growth by creating jobs in the private sector. It has been reported that over half a million private sector jobs have been created since January 2010. Much of his promise relies on triggering investment in small businesses, which are the businesses that are more likely to hire unemployed workers.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: D

Economy Comment 5: ADP (2010) shows 13,000 private-sector jobs were added from May to June 2010. Data included in the report shows that the total number of private-sector jobs having been added from January to June 2010 is roughly 170,000. "Recent ADP Report data suggest that, following steady improvement through April, private employment may have decelerated heading into the summer" (ADP, 2010). What happened to the summer of recovery? Experts projected that employment growth would be four times the growth recorded during the month of June.

ADP (2010) also shows that June saw a 3,000 worker employment increase for large businesses, those with 500 or more workers, and an 11,000 increase for medium-sized businesses, those between 50 and 499 workers. However, it appears that small businesses, those with less than 50 workers, had an employment decrease of 1,000 workers in the month of June.

Again, ASA must comment on President Obama's minimal effectiveness in encouraging growth in small businesses. President Obama still has much work in the private sector (the fact that employment growth should be four times what it is now proves this). As predicted, too much government involvement in the private sector combined with non-effective measures has gotten the U.S. nowhere (Beahm, 2010).

Economy Fact 6: He promises to stabilize the housing market by reforming the regulatory system and increasing credit flow. The reform will prevent more foreclosures and help millions of Americans refinance their homes at low mortgage rates.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: 3

Economy Comment 6: President Obama recently introduced a monthly scorecard that will rate the progress of the housing market in the U.S. The scorecard is funded by the Department of Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will highlight key indicators of the market and the impact President Obama's housing reforms are having on housing recovery each month. Click Here to see specific details on the current trends in the housing market and the information the scorecard will provide (U.S. Department of Housing et. al, 2010).

ASA believes the administration's introduction of a monthly scorecard is a step in the right direction and hopes that this project helps improve the transparency and accountability of government funding for housing recovery.

Economy Fact 7: He promises to eliminate capital gain taxes for small businesses, while increasing the capital gains and dividends taxes for high income individuals and families.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: 2

Economy Comment 7: He will raise the capital gains and dividends taxes from 15 to 20 percent and completely abandon the tax cuts approved by President Bush to individuals who make over $200,000 and couples who make over $250,000. All the while, he is providing an exclusion of up to 75 percent of the gain from capital gain taxes for investors in small businesses as a way to encourage entrepreneurship. While President Obama has not completely eliminated capital gain taxes for small businesses, he did eliminate majority of the taxes. Not only is President Obama doing away with the tax cuts once offered to individuals who made over $200,000 or to couples who made over $250,000, he is planning on taxing these individuals and couples more than before. ASA does not agree with President Obama's strategy to eliminate tax cuts and increase taxes for these individuals who are often the ones to create jobs. ASA just doesn't understand the logic he is using for this promise.

ASA would like to point out that Mr. Obama compromised part of the promise to eliminate capital gain taxes for small businesses by only providing an exclusion of up to 75 percent under the stimulus bill. ASA hopes that he ends up compromising other parts of his promises regarding tax exemptions and tax increases.

Economy Fact 8: He promised to help combat the global financial crisis. He agreed to participate with other nations around the globe and provide $1.1 trillion as part of the agreement made at the G20 Summit.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Economy Comment 8: President Obama sees the U.S. as making progress towards overhauling the U.S. banking system and encouraged measures such as this at the opening of G8 at the end of June 2010 in Toronto, Canada. The G8 meeting was held before the larger G20 meeting to discuss resolving the major differences in global financial reform. Many of the nations' leaders do not appreciate President Obama lecturing them on why their nations should run a trade surplus in order to boost domestic spending, while the U.S. is telling its consumers to begin saving. The U.S. can't rely on other nations to behave in a way that will benefit the U.S. at this point. It appears that the major dispute is over President Obama's belief in stimulus spending and other nation's beliefs in deficit reduction. ASA will watch Mr. Obama closely to see what becomes of the global financial crisis (CBSNews:Politics, 2010)

ASA likes the initiative President Obama took to lead the G20 summit to show that he is taking steps toward combating the global financial crisis, but he must not forget about his bigger issue-the financial crisis at home. Problems must be resolved at home before he can carry over U.S. measures to be used successfully in the global economy. Further, other nations' deficit reducing plans may be worth noting, considering the lack of great progress made in the U.S. from the stimulus bill. He should lead by example only if his example is proven to work.

Energy

"...[T]o truly transform our economy, to protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power, advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more efficient cards and trucks right here in America." President Barack Obama, 2009 State of the Union address, February 24, 2009

Energy Fact 1: President Obama promises to invest in alternative and renewable energy, as America has relied on foreign oil for far too long, and as the conditions of the environment are affecting the economy, our health, and the future.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: D

Energy Comment 1: Part of his promise to expand the use of alternative energy sources was to require 10 percent and 25 percent renewable energy to be used by the years 2012 and 2025, respectively. He promised to enact a 10 and 25 percent Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard that would require 10 and 25 percent of the electricity consumed by the U.S. by the years mentioned come from sustainable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal power. While the administration claims that it is making progress, the only progress he made was the provision included in his 2009 cap-and-trade bill that requires specific companies use six percent renewable energy by the year 2012. Not only has President Obama compromised his promise by requiring four percent less than his original goal of 10 percent, but it is also noticed that he is also allowing the companies the opportunity to report energy savings as part of the six percent. This is a clear opt-out.

President Obama also fell through on his promise to enact a Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard. There has been no legislation passed for such a standard, and ASA sees that he is leaving it up to states to make their own RPS's. What a way to show my example, Mr. President. If you want people to take you seriously, you may want to consider taking action at the federal level. ASA knows you have the ability; you showed America this ability with the passage the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. ASA agrees that states should be directly involved and create their own standards if federal standards aren't being enforced (ASA will compare this to the Arizona Immigration Law), but the Federal government also needs to step it up.

Energy Fact 2: He promised to enact a cap-and-trade program that will result in an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

Promise Grade: I ASA Grade: F

Energy Comment 2: He was successful in passing H.R. 2454 in June 2009, which he thought was the ticket to establishing the cap-and-trade program before Copenhagen last fall; however, the legislation clearly had much work that needed to be done before any program was implemented, and as the health care reform overshadowed majority of proposed legislation this past Spring, a cap-and-trade program is still being discussed. Senate Majority Leader addressed that the cap-and-trade system will be included in the next climate change bill on July 13, 2010. ASA is anxious to see what becomes of the program this year.

Energy Fact 3: He kept his promise in raising fuel economy standards.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: B

Energy Comment 3: President Obama promised to increase vehicle inefficiency by four percent annually during his campaign, but changed this amount to five percent in May 2009. It appears that President Obama stuck to his promise by enacting a joint rule between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in April 2010 that will require all cars and light trucks get an average of 35.5 miles per gallon by the year 2012. This new law, which is a step up from an existing law created under President Bush, applies to all vehicles of this type made between the years 2012 and 2016. (Environmental Defense Fund, 2010).

ASA commends President Obama for acting upon his campaign promise and improving that promise so that it holds better standards for our vehicles.

Energy Fact 4: He promised to double the funding for research on clean, sustainable fuels.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: C

Energy Comment 4: After clarifying that the $3 billion funded for energy innovation each year was not nearly enough, President Obama promised to double this fund for clean energy science and research. The Department of Energy reports that the stimulus package provided $2.5 billion this year to R&D, as well as to demonstration and deployment activities for renewable energy sources. The latest round of appropriations from the package gave an additional $2.2 billion. The Office of Science under the Department of Energy also received $4.9 billion from the stimulus bill. Therefore, over $10 billion was awarded to the Department of Energy on behalf of alternative energy research and development, much more than the original $6 billion requested. While this fact may seem positive at first, ASA would like to point out that the stimulus package is predicted to be 70 percent exhausted by September 2010, as mentioned earlier in the report card. ASA doesn't have any issue with the first round of appropriations because clean energy is an important investment; however, ASA doesn't understand why last round appropriations were assigned to the Department of Energy when America clearly has more critical issues at the moment. Last round appropriations should have been funneled to job stimulation.

ASA must acknowledge the fact that President Obama followed through on his promise to more than double the funding for research on alternative energy fuels; however, ASA believes that money appropriated in the stimulus bill would be money better spent on areas of our economy that need immediate funding, at least until America starts seeing more recovery.

Energy Fact 5: He promised to provide a tax credit for individuals who purchase plug-in hybrid cars.

Promise Grade: S ASA Grade: C

Energy Comment 5: A tax credit of up to $7,500 was approved for consumers who purchased the first 250,000 plug-in hybrid cars under the 2009 Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). President Obama extended this legislation under the stimulus bill by offering the same tax credit to the first 200,000 consumers per manufacturer, foreign or domestic. While none of the large car manufacturers currently make these highly-efficient cars, they are supposed to be coming out with them in the next few years, postponing the stimulus funding by a few years (LaMonica, 2008).

What happens if the stimulus funds are dried out by the time the manufacturers come out with the cars? Recent reports show this presumption to be correct. ASA would like to stress that, yes, this tax credit is a personal incentive that will reduce the costs of the consumer, but how is the incentive going to help the government?

The priorities of the president should not get in the way of fixing America. First comes the economy then comes the tax breaks for those who help save the environment. Let's keep it in this order. ASA hopes that the president is continually reminded of what is important in America right now so that his energy plans don't end up costing citizens in the end.

Side Note: President Obama must help resolve the crisis of the Gulf oil spill and clean up the mess that America is dealing with from its current energy sources before the government can make its transition.

Energy Fact 6: He promises to stimulate job creation through clean-energy manufacturing tax credits.

Promise Grade: NI ASA Grade: C

Energy Comment 6: President Obama called on Congress to approve an additional $5 billion on July 9, 2010 to be used for clean-energy tax credits that he proposes will lead to job growth. He asked for more than the approved $2.3 billion included in the 2010 budget because he claims there were not enough tax credits to go around. The President claims the additional funds will create an additional 40,000 jobs and more than $12 billion in private sector investment (Muskal, 2010).

ASA does not know why President Obama is persistent in claiming that a "green economy" will boost job creation. Nations such as Spain, who are making the switch to a greener economy are experiencing accelerated unemployment (20 percent). ASA is aware that it may take time to feel the positive effects from the addition of "green jobs," but the nation does not have time to sit around and wait for unemployment to pick up on its own. An article by Joseph Watson titled "President Obama Plans to Sneak through Carbon Tax by Stealth," points out potential effects of the energy programs proposed by President Obama such as the cap-and-trade legislation. The article finds that the cap-and-trade program supported by President Obama and many state representatives could cost each American an average of $122.50 annually, as well as cost the economy $2.9 trillion by 2050. The article also mentions an increase in gas prices and utility bills, as well as what it called "green police" sticking their rules and business in our private lives.

President Obama must improve his strategy to ensure that his promise does not end up destroying the jobs, freedoms, and luxuries that American citizens cherish and deserve.

Prognosis

"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage." President Obama, Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009

This report card was designed to show the public where President Obama stands at this point in his presidency according to the viewpoint of the American Seniors Association. As a conservative organization that upholds the original principles embedded in the U.S. Constitution, ASA is here to provide seniors with the information, updates, services, and choices that affect their ways of life. ASA hopes that the facts, promises, comments, and grades provided in the report card give seniors a basic guideline of what programs and reforms the current president is undertaking that could ultimately transform every citizen's life, especially the lives of seniors. President Obama has made hundreds of promises during and after his 2008 campaign, many of which he has upheld, compromised, abandoned, or failed to fulfill.

ASA assigns President Obama a "Promise Grade" for each promise he has ever made that we chose to include in the report card and assigns an "ASA Grade" for each of the promises and/or facts as well.
He either earns a Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, Incomplete, or Needs Improvement grade for each promise, depending on where he stands in keeping his promise. Therefore, if the president has fulfilled his original promise, despite what ASA might think of the promise, he has earned himself a satisfactory grade. The majority of his promises are still pending, meaning ASA had to grade the majority of his promises as incomplete or needs improvement. However, there are a few promises that President Obama kept that ASA felt still needed much improvement, and thus, ASA believes he deserves a needs improvement grade. The president earns an unsatisfactory grade if he abandons or breaks his promise. Based on President Obama's total "Promise Grades" of 17 Satisfactory, 13 Needs Improvement, 13 Incomplete, and 4 Unsatisfactory, President Obama receives an S- for his overall "Promise Grade".

The "ASA Grade" is graded subjectively. ASA takes into account what progress the president has made on his promises, as well if the promises align with ASA's beliefs. If the promise does not align with ASA's values or its four pillars, ASA believes President Obama earns himself a low score. The values ASA chooses to uphold are those related to conservative fiscal policies. The four pillars are Social Security Reform, Medicare Reform, Tax Reform, and reforms affecting illegal immigration. President Obama is graded on a point value scale of one to five, with one being the lowest rated promises and five being the highest. These point values are translated into letter grades, e.g. 1 is equivalent to an "F" and 5 is equivalent to an "A". Each section is then given an overall grade based on averaging the point values of each promise. President Obama is assigned an overall "ASA Grade" by taking each subject's individual point value grade and weighing each subject's grade according to the grade distribution chart provided at the beginning of the report card. For example, Health Care is worth 25 points, Social Security is worth 20 points, and so on; therefore, Health Care will affect the overall grade the most. The point values for each subject all add up to 100 points. ASA distributed the points within the grade distribution according to what subject's it thought most important to its members. Again, the grade distribution is purely subjective.

The overall grade shown for President Obama is quite low, and while many may see this as unfair, ASA believes it graded the president appropriately by taking into account our values, beliefs, and pillars. The promises and facts ASA considered are the ones having significant affects on seniors in the U.S. Knowing this, it is more evident why President Obama earned a low grade. He has yet to do much in terms of benefiting the lives of seniors, and the programs, reforms, and projects he has funded endanger seniors in ways beyond his knowledge. Being a conservative organization that values the rights and livelihood of its members, it should not come as much surprise when one see's the grade President Obama earns from ASA. As seen throughout the comments in the report card, ASA did indeed commend the president for any progress or success that he is making for the economy, military, environment, or the health and well-being of every citizen. ASA is confident in its decision to give the president an overall grade of a "D" or a 2.5 on a 5-point grading scale for the lack of progress he has made in the first 18 months of presidency, often credited to the unreality of his promises that ASA pointed out throughout the report card.

If President Obama continues with the current policies found in his health care reform, economic and fiscal reforms, energy reform, and changes he is making within the military ASA can expect the future to look drastically different. The recent passage of the health care reform is one of the reasons for major change in America. A dream that America hoped would never be realized is slowly coming to life, and will soon be forced upon Americans, regardless of choice. He wants no more than for this reform to be shoved into the homes, jobs, communities, and ways of life of every U.S. citizen. The word 'shoving' being used here as Americans seem to have no choice in the future of their health care. The health care reform is just one of the few examples listed in the report card proving the detrimental effects of the president's promises. Citizens are seeing many of their well-earned freedoms slowly dissolving. For use of a better word, the rights and freedoms of American citizens are being apprehended. If the president follows through in enacting all provisions and programs within the health care bill, Americans will lose the freedom to choose personal health plans, lose the freedom to pay the real of cost of their health needs, lose the freedom to choose their own doctors, and lose any remaining stabile aspects of the economy. Seniors specifically will lose much of the variety and choice within their health care plans.

Changes in taxes, primarily tax cuts and credits, are going to dissolve our budget rapidly if expenditures are not proportionally cut.

Changes in the environment, while potentially positive in the end, are going to eliminate valued jobs, funds, and personal choices and freedoms that every person deserves. Stricter policies are one thing if majority are voluntary, but forcing rules and regulations into the personal lives of citizens' homes is no way America was intended to run.

The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and any neighboring countries are in need of more and more attention, but under the current administration all ASA sees are plans to get out. The president has hopes for early dismissal of troops, and if this occurs the political and economic turmoil that could take over these vulnerable nations will make all the progress made and money spent worthless. America has not fought this hard for so many years to end war without defeat. This is something our future must never know.

The threats facing our nation in terms of terrorism are vast and need to be addressed. The withdrawal of troops in the Middle East could possibly result in increased violence abroad and in within our borders if terror threats are not eliminated. ASA hopes that the progress President Obama is making in Homeland Security continues at a pace that counteracts the increasing number of threats America will face in the upcoming years. Keeping America safe and secure is a duty the government has made to its people, and President Obama must lead us into the future with the same mindset.

Immigration laws and dealing with illegal immigrants are issues this nation is constantly dealing with, as ASA have watched the Arizona Immigration Law drag out. President Obama is tearing the bill apart; referring to the law as one that violates the civil rights of citizens, breaks the legal technical requirements, and undermines federal authority. While ASA believes that the Arizona debate should be no debate at all; senate bill 1070 satisfies every legal technical requirement and works with current Federal Law, not against it as the president states, President Obama should be thanking states like Arizona for their individual efforts in helping him and his administration a secure future. The future of America must include secure borders, but this is unlikely to change if the president is determined to fight measures that help this cause.
President Obama must work to educate citizens before forcing reforms down their throats, must protect our borders through increased security, must combat evolving threats by increasing intelligence measures, must fight our enemies until they are defeated, and specifically, must deal with issues realistically and with citizen opinions and values in mind. It looks as if President Obama has more work to be done if he wants to fulfill his long range of promises for this nation. His second term appears to hold more pressure than the first, but...ASA hopes that by the time our next evaluation rolls around, President Obama has made significant changes that benefit all Americans of all ages.

America is in store for an interesting ride, so hold tight. There is no telling what our future holds under the current administration of President Barack Obama. Let's hope the ride slows down a bit; let's hope the scary thrills are over; let's hope the ride begins to stabilize!

A Final Note from ASA President, Stuart Barton

The current policies are leading us down the wrong path. A path of crushing debt, punitive taxes, government ownership of business and a less secure nation due to the policies and posturing of an arrogant administration.

The first 18 months of President Obama's term have been filled with some of the most partisan politics Washington has seen in decades. The power that came with filibuster proof majorities in both houses gave the White House an arrogance of power that has rarely been seen on a national scale. Without the need to capture at least some republican votes, Sen. Reid, Rep. Pelosi and President Obama's team set out to do what he promised to do, fundamentally change America. It is our opinion that the changes he has brought to our country, along with the proposals he has on the table, will damage our great republic for many years, or generations to come.

Elections have consequences and the consequence of the election of 2008 has been monumental. The convergence of an economy spiraling downward, a "tiredness" of eight years of republican ownership of the White House, and a charismatic choice created the perfect storm of a practically unstoppable Democratic takeover over Washington. When it became unnecessary for the President to reach across the aisle to accomplish his goals, he didn't. Speeches about the need for bi-partisanship were many, actual meetings between the two parties were primarily photo opportunities.

A major reason for the poor grade for the first 18 months is this complete disregard for two party rule. There was never a serious effort to negotiate programs or policies. Greed, a word usually reserved for Wall Street or private enterprises, took over the policy planning at the offices of Sen. Reid, Rep. Pelosi and President Obama. The could have had almost everything they wanted, but they couldn't bear to compromise on anything, so new programs, stimulus packages and takeovers of private businesses were steamrolled through congress. The special election of Sen. Brown of Massachusetts after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy illustrates this greed.

Once they lost the 60 vote majority, the clock was ticking. America had spoken at Town Hall meetings, at rally's, and most importantly in the ballot box in one of the most liberal states in the country. The push back from main street America against the policies being proposed was gaining momentum. Instead of taking a step back to re-evaluate their proposals, the greed of the administration came bubbling to the surface. There could be no better example than the convoluted passage of the Health Care Bill. House rules were circumvented and votes were taken late at night on Christmas Eve. An absolute panic set in and instead of a bipartisan effort moving forward through Congress, a poorly drafted bill that will cost billions more than promised was birthed.

The elections of 2010 offer real hope for change. With anticipated gains by the Republicans in both houses in November, the give and take of bipartisanship can return to Washington. The President has the right, the obligation, to present the programs and policies he believes are in the best interest of America. The Congress has their own obligation to debate, discuss and decide which of these proposals should move forward. The "balance" that occurs when there is a bi-partisan agreement usually works out best for the country. The election of 2010, followed by a hopefully inactive lame duck session, can help to restore the political process that has been tarnished by the greed of an over-reaching and greedy administration.

Sincerely,
ASA Banner Logo
Stuart Barton

President, American Seniors Association

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Resources

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Beahm, J. (2010). Small Business Lending Fund Act Passes House. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from Click for Link

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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 ed. Retrieved July 1, 2010, from Click for Link

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Grier, P. (2010). Health care reform bill 101: What's a health 'exchange'?. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved July 12, 2010, from Click for Link

H.R. 3590--111th Congress: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (2009). In GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). Retrieved July 13, 2010, from Click for Link

HealthCare.gov. (2010). Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, State Information. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from Click for Link

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