All Articles Tagged "2010"
President Obama’s Top 12 Accomplishments of 2010
by Anthony Jerrod
What grade would you give President Obama for his performance this year? Like many conservatives and staunch liberals, would you give him a big red D or F and hope that somehow he will be impeached? Or, do you feel that he has done a decent job of keeping most of his campaign promises and should receive at least a B-minus? Obviously, there is a strong dichotomy that exists across the nation on President Obama’s performance during the first two years of his presidency, as objectively evidenced by numerous polls. Some individuals wholeheartedly believe that President Obama could have simply snapped his fingers by now to fix the economy and other enormous issues that evolved years prior to his presidency. Conversely, there are certain people that believe that his 200-plus accomplishments over two years are truly extraordinary and unprecedented.
Certainly, politically-polarized cable chatter and frequent under-reporting of his accomplishments by the mainstream news media have led to a significant shortage in the amount of unbiased assessment of his performance. For individuals who are solely interested in the truth, it has become extremely important to research non-partisan media outlets and fact-checking organizations that consistently lay out the facts without unnecessary sensationalism and bias. Effective engagement in politics requires the truth about all aspects of public policies and an honest assessment of a president’s accomplishments and weaknesses.
In 2010, President Obama did have some major achievements that were unparalleled and very significant in nature. Although not an all-inclusive list, the following do represent twelve of the best legislative successes that President Obama, Congress and other key stakeholders were able to accomplish and to promulgate to the public:
1. New START. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) that is purposed to reduce the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers by half and to establish a new inspection and verification regime. The treaty was recently ratified by Congress after being signed earlier this year by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
2. DADT Appeal. President Obama recently signed the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) Repeal Bill into law, which will allow gays to serve openly in America’s military. For the first time in history, gays no longer have to hide their sexual orientation or face dismissal. According to objective statistics, more than 13,000 military personnel were released under the DADT since 1993.
3. Tax Cuts. President Obama recently signed an enormous tax cut bill that will extend the Bush era tax cuts for families at all income levels through 2012. The bill also consisted of a new payroll tax cut for wage earners, numerous tax breaks for businesses and extended jobless benefits to the long-term unemployed.
4. Fair Sentencing Act. Earlier this year, President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to reduce racial inequity that has historically existed relative to the sentencing of people caught with crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. To be charged with a felony, crack users needed to possess only 5 grams of the drug to be sentenced with the same charge that powder cocaine users needed to be caught with (500 grams). Now, to be charged, crack users need to possess 28 grams of crack cocaine to 500 grams of powder cocaine.
5. Childhood Obesity Act. President Obama recently signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was primarily spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama. This bill is purposed to subsidize free meals in low-income areas, to ensure that children receive well-balanced and nutritious school meals, to provide free or reduced-price meals to nearly 31 million low-income children and to ultimately reduce childhood obesity.
What Should You Wear to Your Office Holiday Party?
It’s the time of year when holiday parties are prevalent. Whether you like your job and your co-workers or not (that’s another story), it’s almost an un-written obligation to attend your company’s holiday party. So what will you wear to ensure that you’re not over-doing it but still stylish enough to demonstrate your personal style outside of those four walls you call work?
While no one ever really says what you can or cannot wear to a holiday party, there are a few dos and don’ts to consider. Although it’s not actually at your office, it’s still a work function equipped with all of your co-workers, your boss, and possibly your boss’ boss. So with that in mind, the underlying rule is to keep it professional.
Silent Superhero – Osas Ighodaro
“Silent Superheroes” is a weekly column on Madame Noire, which showcases ordinary women doing superordinary things. Stay tuned for more topics, comment or write us at editors@madamenoire.com if you have suggestions!
One of the strongest attributes of a superhero is knowing how to keep a cool head and wade the difficult waters of life when situations get tough. Engrossed in a cut-throat industry, full of disappointment and rejection, Osas Ighodaro often finds herself having to do just that.
Hampton University Launches Virtual Campus
(Daily Press) – Hampton University has just launched a virtual campus that offers myriad of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The web-based courses can be taken through HamptonU Online beginning Aug. 2, and are targeted to working adults who need the flexibility of online courses.
NBA Draft 2010 Cuties
With NBA officials gearing up to pick some of the nation’s best basketball players in the 2010 NBA Draft, we figured we’d help them in their selection process. To jazz things up, we’re adding a cutie criteria. See whom we’ve drafted for our 2010 NBA “Cutie” Draft…
Tea Party Express Backs Underdog in Alaska GOP Senate Battle
(CNN) –The Tea Party Express has ignited somewhat of a political mystery, touting in a statement that it will make a “major endorsement in the 2010 elections” on Wednesday. CNN has learned who will receive that endorsement: U.S. Senate candidate for Alaska, Joe Miller.
Four Cities Report More Murders In 2010
(USAToday.com) — Crime is dropping throughout much of the country, but statistics show that one category of violence is bucking the trend: murder.Some of the nation’s largest cities—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia—are reporting slight increases in murders so far this year, according department records. That’s due in part to shootings involving multiple victims and unexpected spikes in domestic killings, criminal justice analysts say.
Obama Asks 2008 Coalition to Help in 2010
(AP) – – Desperate to curtail expected widespread losses this fall, President Barack Obama pleaded with supporters of his 2008 campaign Monday to help elect Democrats as his aides intensified their focus on re-energizing his broad coalition of backers.
“I need your help once more,” the president said in an online video sent to millions of his supporters. “If you help us make sure that first-time voters in 2008 make their voices heard again in November, then together we will deliver on the promise of change, and hope, and prosperity for generations to come.”
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2008, 2010, coalition, Democrats, elections, Obama, online video, promise of change, supporters, widespread lossAmerica's Most Stressful Jobs 2010
(CNBC.com) – With unemployment high, many people with jobs are grateful to get their weekly paychecks, but that feeling alone doesn’t take the stress out of the daily grind.
To get a sense of the most stressful jobs in America, CareerCast.com looked at 21 different factors that can cause stress on the job, and ranked 200 professions by how significantly these demands factor into the average workday.
