BarackObama.com/plans - How President Obama plans to move America forward

[janedrake]

Bookmark and memorize - there will be a quiz!



President Obama took office four years ago, when the country was facing two wars and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. He immediately began working to turnaround an economy in freefall, bring the troops home, and lay the foundation for an economy built from the middle out. Four years later, we’ve added back more than 4.5 million private sector jobs over 30 straight months of job growth.

But there’s more to do. Obama for America’s Policy Director James Kvaal outlines the real, achievable national goals the President has laid out to keep moving this country forward:

Double U.S. exports: In 2010,President Obama launched an initiative to doubleexports over five years and created the National Export Initiative to promote U.S. goods and remove trade barriers, expand access to credit, and promote strong growth worldwide. In 2010 and 2011, exportsby 36%, putting us on course to reach our goal. So far, record-breaking exports have supported an additional 1.2 million jobs. President Obama will help American businesses finish the job by the end of 2014, making sure that no foreign company has an unfair advantage over U.S. companies by offering more aggressive financing and opening new markets. The Trans-Pacific Partnership that will open up new markets totaling 40% of global trade to more U.S. goods. He’ll also continue to crack down on China’s unfair trade practices to ensure that American workers and businesses are competing on a level playing field.

Create 1 million new manufacturing jobs: Under President Obama, the manufacturing sector has rebounded, creating 530,000 jobs over the past 29 months and marking the strongest job growth since the 1990s. To create 1 million manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016, President Obama will effectively lower corporate tax rates for domestic manufacturing by nearly 25%, end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, and create a new tax credit for companies that bring jobs back to the U.S.

Cut net oil imports in half: President Obama has charted a course to cut net oil imports in half between the time he took office and 2020, cutting imports by 5.5 million barrels per day and reducing imports to their lowest level in almost three decades. Thanks to the progress we have already made, President Obama is raising the bar on his previous goal of cutting imports by a third, or 3.7 million barrels a day, by 2025. He would reach this new goal through his all-of-the-above energy strategy to responsibly develop America’s great natural resources including oil, gas, clean coal, nuclear, and renewable energy like wind and solar while investing in advanced vehicles. And he is doubling fuel economy standards, an essential step toward energy independence which will save 2.2 million barrels of oil a day by 2025.
Support 600,000 natural gas jobs: In 2009, the U.S. became the world’s leading producer of natural gas—we possess a supply that can last almost 100 years. President Obama will take every possible action to safely develop this energy—streamlining the oversight of natural gas drilling, while protecting the quality of our air and water and requiring disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on public lands. And he is investing in the technology to get natural gas in our vehicles by building corridors for natural gas trucking, converting municipal buses and trucks, and investing in advanced research. Based on independent estimates, the development of natural gas support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade in natural gas production and supply chains.

Recruit 100,000 math and science teachers: Teachers are the single most important factor in our schools and great math and sciences teachers need both deep content knowledge and strong teaching skills. President Obama will help states recruit and train 100,000 excellent science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers over the next decade, as recommended by his council of science and technology advisers, by providing resources to states with the best plans, rewarding the best teachers with a STEM master teacher corps, and investing in research and innovation into teaching math and science.

Train 2 million workers at community colleges: Even with millions of Americans looking for work, many companies cannot fill their job openings that require technical or other special skills, particularly in fields like health care, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and information technology. President Obama would bring together community colleges and employers, training 2 million Americans for good jobs that already exist. The program is modeled on efforts from Charlotte and Chicago to Orlando and Louisville.

Train 2 million workers at community colleges: Even with millions of Americans looking for work, many companies cannot fill their job openings that require technical or other special skills, particularly in fields like health care, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and information technology. President Obama would bring together community colleges and employers, training 2 million Americans for good jobs that already exist. The program is modeled on efforts from Charlotte and Chicago to Orlando and Louisville.

Cut the growth of college tuition and fees in half: College tuition and fees have grown by 40% over the past decade. President Obama worked to make college more affordable by investing in college scholarships and tax credits, financed in part by ending wasteful bank subsidies on student loans. President Obama is setting a new goal to cut these tuition and fee increases in half or more over the next 10 years by working alongside colleges, universities, and Congress. He’ll encourage innovation to help meet this goal and help states and colleges committed to a quality education at an affordable price, while taking some funding away from colleges that cannot or will not give students a good value at an affordable price. Achieving this goal will save a typical student thousands of dollars.

Reducing the deficit by more than $4 trillion: President Obama has put forward a specific, balanced plan of spending cuts and revenue increases that reduce the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade, including $1 trillion in spending cuts he has already signed into law. His plan includes cutting annual domestic spending to its lowest level as a share of our economy since President Eisenhower, reining in defense spending based on the advice of our military leaders, reforming Medicare by reducing the cost of health care, asking the wealthiest Americans to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000, and closing corporate loopholes and wasteful tax subsidies to big oil companies. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the President’s budget would stabilize the national debt as a share of the economy,and reduce deficits to a sustainable level.

End overseas wars and rebuild the economy: President Obama responsibly ended the war in Iraq and will end the war in Afghanistan in 2014. His plan would commit half of the money saved from responsibly ending overseas operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to reducing the deficit, and the other half to putting Americans back to work rebuilding roads, bridges, runways, and schools here in the United States. His plan would make investments to support a million jobs improving America’s roads, bridges, transit systems, railways, aviation systems and runways, putting construction workers back to work now and strengthening our economy for years to come.

Only one candidate has a concrete plan to create jobs and build a strong, globally competitive economy. Share the facts with your friends, family, and everyone who needs to know how we can move this country forward.

Much more at the link:
http://www.barackobama.com/plans

[sandnsea]

Here's an article from October 1996, Clinton's Bridge To The 21st Century internet upgrade and plan to connect every classroom in America. He put a face on the economic plan, schools & hospitals & first responders. Obama needs to do the exact same thing for new energy and infrastructure. Clinton talked about the need for a faster internet, the way Obama talks about the need for clean energy infrastructure. But Clinton put the practical application front and center, he connected it to things we value. You lead with values, not features. That's what is missing with Obama's economic plans. People don't get it because they can't see it connecting to their every day life in any practical way.

http://articles.cnn.com/1996-10-10/us/96...g?_s=PM:US

And I'm not talking about education or any of that other stuff. Clinton had education programs too, so people could learn to use computer & internet technology. But that still isn't the thing you can wrap your head around in your own living room. It's as abstract as electricity if you don't have anything to plug in.

[janedrake]

Fair enough, SandnSea - so I'll help by posting articles here I've come across that speak to your point, and please - everyone reading this, how about posting here what you come across as well.

Digital Age Is Slow to Arrive in Rural America
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/18b...wanted=all

Obama Unveils Wireless Expansion Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/us/pol...obama.html

Obama Talks Up Clean-Energy Vehicles
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/...-vehicles/

We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces Seven Major Renewable Energy Infrastructure Projects that Would Power 1.5 million Homes to be Expedited
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...able-energ

Obama Releases $470 Million for Highway Work
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...hway-work/

[sandnsea]

(09-07-2012 07:14 PM)janedrake Wrote:  Fair enough, SandnSea - so I'll help by posting articles here I've come across that speak to your point, and please - everyone reading this, how about posting here what you come across as well.

Digital Age Is Slow to Arrive in Rural America
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/18b...wanted=all

Obama Unveils Wireless Expansion Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/us/pol...obama.html

Obama Talks Up Clean-Energy Vehicles
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/...-vehicles/

We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces Seven Major Renewable Energy Infrastructure Projects that Would Power 1.5 million Homes to be Expedited
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...able-energ

Obama Releases $470 Million for Highway Work
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...hway-work/

*sigh* This isn't what I mean either. I remember Clinton & Gore showing up at schools to help wire them, not just issue press releases. but I can see it doesn't matter what I say, it'll fall on deaf ears, so I'll just shut up now.

[janedrake]

Wow, I wasn't expecting that my effort was so "off" it merited a "sigh." Okey-doke - sorry that I misunderstood!

But I would also like to add that since the early days of his presidency, Pres. Obama has steadily visited factories, plants and schools to talk about his initiatives, and has volunteered at various facilities to raise awareness for different programs. No, he hasn't actually personally wired a school, but he's been extremely hands on. I would post the links, but that would probably end up generating another "sigh!"