A list of some of the accomplishments of President Obama's Administration

"Robert P. Watson, Ph.D. Coordinator of American Studies Lynn University "Email: rwatson@lynn.edu
I am always being asked to grade Obama's presidency. In place of offering him a grade, I put together a list of his accomplishments thus far. I think you would agree that it is very impressive. His first six months have been even more active than FDRs or LBJs the two standards for such assessments. Yet, there is little media attention given to much of what he has done. Of late, the media is focusing almost exclusively on Obama's critics, without holding them responsible for the uncivil, unconstructive tone of their disagreements or without holding the previous administration responsible for getting us in such a deep hole. The misinformation and venom that now passes for political reporting and civic debate is beyond description.As such, there is a need to set the record straight. What most impresses me is the fact that Obama has accomplished so much not from a heavy-handed or top-down approach but from a style that has institutionalized efforts to reach across the aisle, encourage vigorous debate, and utilize town halls and panels of experts in the policy-making process. Beyond the accomplishments, the process is good for democracy and our democratic processes have been battered and bruised in recent years. Let me know if I missed anything in the list (surely I did).
1.. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba , allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49.. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices
50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57. Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform.......
Oh, and he had a swing set built for the girls outside the Oval Office

I think this last accomplishment shows what kind of man we have for a president. I hope you have a great day.

National Train Day at 30th Street Station

Come on down to the station and join the celebration in Philadelphia! Don't miss your chance to see model trains, train equipment displays (tickets needed for train equipment displays go to website www.nationaltrainday.com)and much more:
Baseball Junction: The History of Baseball and the American Railroad
Train Equipment Displays
Model Train Displays
AmtraKids Depot
Go-Green Express: Eco Exhibit
National Park Service Trails & Rails Exhibit
Snapshot Station
Trains Move our Economy Exhibit
Amtrak Brand Display - Enjoy the journey®
National Train Day in Philadelphia features Baseball Junction: The History of Baseball and the American Railroad. In the early days of America's favorite pastime, trains helped baseball teams travel across the country to meet their rivals on the diamond. On National Train Day, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station will feature an exhibit showcasing memorabilia, photos, video and audio depicting the memories of former players from a variety of leagues. A prominent sports personality will host a panel discussion with former players

The Nuts and Bolts of Grant Writing Sat. April 24th 10am-1pm

EPIC LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE The Department of Human Services, Community Based Prevention Services Division along with the Equal Partners In Change (EPIC) Community Stakeholder Groups are sponsoring “The EPIC Leadership Initiative” a series of capacity building workshops focusing on individual and organizational skill building. All the workshops are free and open to individuals, community residents and organizations. The Nuts and Bolts of Grant Writing and Proposals Dates: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 10am – 1 pm Loc: Temple University Center City, 1515 Market Street Note: Bring photo Identification to gain admission This workshop provide attendees with a better understanding of how to write a strong applications, grant application guidelines and how to access grants from corporations, foundations and government agencies. Topics include: Components of a Grant Proposal Requirements for Proposal/Grant Application Government Grants (Federal, City, State) Program Planning Evaluation Tools How to Start a 501 (c) (3) Non Profit corporation Dates: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 10 am – 1 pm Loc: Temple University Center City, 1515 Market Street Note: Bring photo identification to gain admission This workshop provides attendees with an understanding of how a non-profit is organized for charitable, religious or educations purposes. The workshop will also cover what documents are needed for the State and Federal Government in order to become a non-profit corporation. Topics include: Forming a non-profit corporation Types of non-profit corporations Articles of Incorporation By-laws Applying for federal tax exempt status To register call 215-683-4068 or 4027 or email aretha.m.hall@phila.gov. Space is limited. Blessed by the Best Michael Rice Community Development Specialist Office of Truancy & Delinquency Prevention Division of Community Based Prevention Services Three Parkway 1601 Cherry Street, 9th floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-683-4027

College Fair April 10th 10am-2pm

PHILADELPHIA, March 24 – State Rep. Cherelle L. Parker, D-Phila., in partnership with Future Minds, will host a College Fair for all young people interested in pursuing higher education.

Parker said that more than 30 accredited colleges, universities and other educational institutions will be on hand for the event, as well as agencies and organizations that can assist students in finding financial aid, scholarships and other funding opportunities.

"There are so many young adults who are interested in obtaining a college education but they just don't know where to start," Parker said. "This event brings colleges and universities from Philadelphia and all across our region, as well as organizations and agencies that offer financial aid options, to one location. I encourage any resident of my district who is interested in getting a college education to attend this worthwhile and important event."

The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 10 at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Family Life Center, 2800 W. Cheltenham Ave. Registration is not required.

Although incomplete at this time, the list of colleges expected to attend includes: Bryn Athyn College, Chestnut Hill College, Cheyney University, Cornell University, Eastern University, Eastern University (School of Arts & Sciences), Hampton University, Hofstra University, Johnson C. Smith University, LaSalle University, Manor College, Metropolitan Career Center, Pennsylvania State Police Academy, Rosemont College, St. Joseph's University, Spelman College and the University of Notre Dame.

For more information, contact Parker's office at 1536 E. Wadsworth Ave. or by phone 215-242-7300.
Melissa Scott
State Representative Cherelle L. Parker
200th Legislative District
1536 E. Wadsworth Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19150
215.242.7300- Phone
215.242.7303-Fax
mscott@pahouse.net

Become a community news reporter

Community News Reporting
DATES: Thursday, Thursdays April 15th, 22nd, 29th and May 6th. May 1 at WPEB. TIMES: 7:00 – 9:00 PM and Saturday from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM *Saturday will take place in the WPEB Studio; SPRING 2010
Instructor: Heshimu Jaramogi
Workshop Location:
Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut Street
3rd FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19104
Fee: $75. Free to members of the WPEB 88.1 FM community
Learn the skills to be a community news reporter!
How do you uncover the news? How do you know if a story is important? How do you produce a radio news story – quickly and accurately? Workshop participants learn the craft and technique of radio journalism by researching, producing and editing short news or feature stories about West Philadelphia for broadcast on WPEB. The workshop culminates in a live radio broadcast on WPEB featuring news reports produced by workshop participants.
INSTRUCTOR: Heshimu Jaramogi anchors the morning news on WURD-AM and is also a correspondent for the American Urban Radio Network. His career in radio spans 25 years. He has worked as a news anchor/producer for Clear Channel Radio, a public affairs program host for WHYY, WPEN and WCAU and as a reporter for WDAS AM & FM, WPEN, and WCAU.

Umar Bin Hassan of The Last Poets at Temple Thursday March 25th

HIP HOP 101 and Pan African Studies Community Education Program

present

UMAR BIN HASSAN
of
THE
LAST POETS


“THE GODFATHERS OF HIP HOP”


WHEN: Thurs., 3/25, 7 pm
WHERE: Temple Univ.
1700 N. Broad St., 3rd Fl.
(Broad & Cecil B. Moore Ave.)
COST: FREE!

215/552-8714
MichaelCoard@msn.com

50th Anniversary Conference of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) History

http://www.sncc50thanniversary.org/sncc.html

Home What is SNCC Conference Hotel Registration Form Planning Committee Program Saturday Dinner Support News Meet the Authors Links
What Happened in Raleigh in 1960?
In February 1960 black students initiated a series of “sit-ins” to protest racial injustice and discrimination in cities across the south. The student protesters from Atlanta, Memphis, Greensboro and other cities did not know each other. The idea arose to get the various student movements together at a conference so they could network and learn from each other.
Article from Greensboro Times Feb 2, 1960
One of the most enthusiastic observers of the student protests in the early months of 1960 was Ella Baker, SCLC chief of staff. Baker hoped that a meeting of student leaders would enable protesters to communicate with each other and to acquire the knowledge necessary to sustain their movement. Her desire was that the student protest remain student led and not be taken over by an established civil rights organization.
By the second week of March 1960 Baker was working on plans for such a meeting to be held over Easter weekend, April 15-17 at her alma mater, Shaw University in Raleigh. After borrowing $800 from SCLC and contacting an acquaintance at Shaw to secure facilities there, she sent a note, signed by herself and Dr. King, to all major protest groups, asking them to send representatives to The Southwide Student Leadership Conference on Nonviolent Resistance to Segregation. In the letter, student leaders were offered the opportunity “TO SHARE experience gained in recent protest demonstrations and TO HELP chart future goals for effective action.” The purpose of the meeting was to achieve “a more unified sense of direction for training and action in Nonviolent Resistance.” The letter assured students that, although “Adult Freedom Fighters” would be present “for counsel and guidance,” the conference would be “youth centered.”
On March 16 Baker flew to Raleigh to finalize the arrangements. Since Shaw could only house about 40 people, Baker contacted nearby St. Augustine College, the YMCA, and local residents to arrange additional housing.
On April 5 Baker issued the first public announcement of the Shaw meeting. The release explained how student representatives from across the South had been invited, and that James Lawson, who had been expelled from Vanderbilt’s divinity school in March for advising the Nashville sit-in students to continue their protest, would be the keynote speaker.
On April 10 Dr. King spoke at Spelman College, and the next day talked with reporters about the upcoming Shaw conference. King predicted “a Southwide council of students will come out of the meeting,” one wrote. “He said he would serve in an advisory capacity only, and any future direction in the protest actions would come from the student themselves.” He also urged the students to learn more about the philosophy of nonviolence.
Nearly 100 of the student demonstration leaders from 19 states spent the first weekend in April at Highlander Folk School in New Market, Tennessee at the invitation of Septima Clark, where they exchanged phone numbers, philosophies, and their favorite tips about how to run a demonstration.
Two weeks later, some 300 students and observers, three times the number Baker expected, gathered at Shaw on Friday April 15. 120 black student activists representing 56 colleges and high schools in twelve southern states and the District of Columbia attended, along with observers from thirteen student and social reform organizations, representatives from northern and border state colleges, and a dozen southern white students.
One of the largest delegations at the Raleigh conference, and the one that would subsequently provide SNCC with a major share of its leaders, was the Nashville student group. Fisk University provided a number of these protest leaders, most notably Marion Barry and Diane Nash. Another Nashville protest leader, John Lewis, was a ministerial student at American Baptist Theological Seminary.
King spoke to the press and students at the beginning of the meeting, emphasizing “the need for some type of continuing organization.” He hoped that the students would weigh a nationwide selective buying campaign, and that they also “seriously consider training a group of volunteers who will willingly go to jail rather than pay bail or fines.
That evening James Lawson delivered a keynote speech on the importance of nonviolence. Lawson expressed a visionary set of ideas that distinguished the student activists both from the rest of society and from more moderate civil rights leaders. On Saturday, the delegates split up into discussion groups to talk about nonviolent protest and the next steps for the student movement. When the delegates assembled on Saturday afternoon, King spoke to them, praising Lawson’s speech.
The student delegates held the final plenary meeting on Sunday. A “temporary” Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was approved, to be headquartered in Atlanta, with King and Lawson each serving as advisors. The only controversy was over whether only southern students, and not northern ones, would be represented on that committee. A compromise solution was agreed upon, and the delegates departed from what almost all agreed had been an encouraging conference.
Lawson’s influence was evident in the conference’s general emphasis on nonviolence.
Students at the conference affirmed their commitment to the nonviolent doctrines popularized by King, yet they were drawn to these ideas not because of King’s advocacy but because they provided an appropriate rationale for student protest. SNCC’s founding was an important step in the transformation of a limited student movement to desegregate lunch counters into a broad and sustained movement to achieve major social reforms.
Ms. Baker’s speech to the conference, entitled “More than a Hamburger”, warned that work was just beginning: integrating lunch counters was one thing, breaking down barriers in areas as racially and culturally entrenched as voting rights, education and the workplace was going to be much tougher. Ms. Baker also warned: don’t let anyone else, especially the older folks, tell you what to do. A few months later Ella Baker wrote in The Southern Patriot that the student conference made it “crystal clear that the current sit-in and other demonstrations are concerned with something bigger than a hamburger…The Negro and white students, North and South, are seeking to rid America of the scourge of racial segregation and discrimination—not only at the lunch counters but in every aspect of life.”
At the Raleigh conference Guy Carawan sang a new version of “We Shall Overcome,” which had previously been adapted from a religious hymn, “I’ll be Alright” into an old labor song. This new song would become the national anthem of the civil rights movement. People joined hands and gently swayed in time singing “Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome some day.” This bonding act of camaraderie represented a coming together and reaching out to one another for strength and spiritual support.
The conference ratified a Statement of Purpose drafted by Lawson (reproduced below). Marion Barry, SNCC’s newly elected chairman, conducted his first press conference for the few reporters covering the meeting. (Barry resigned the chair of SNCC in the fall to return to graduate work at Fisk University; Charles McDew then became SNCC’s second chair).
The student movement’s temporary coordinating committee held its first official meeting in Atlanta on May 13 and 14. The 11 students present ratified the statement of purpose and voted to hire a temporary staff member whom SCLC offered to house in its office at 208 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta. Baker recruited Jane Stembridge, daughter of a white Baptist minister from Virginia and a student at Union Theological Seminary, to run the SNCC office until a permanent administrative secretary could be found. In June, Stembridge and other student volunteers published the first issue of SNCC’s newspaper, the Student Voice.
In July, Baker and Stembridge were joined by Robert Moses, a former graduate student at Harvard Univ. When Stembridge suggested that Moses assist SNCC by recruiting black leaders in the Deep South for an October conference, he agreed to do so at his own expense.
Also during that summer Barry and other SNCC representatives were given an opportunity to address members of the platform committees of each party at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Stembridge addressed the National Student Association (NSA) at its annual convention in August.
At a fall conference at Atlanta University on October 14-15, 1960, SNCC attempted to consolidate the student protest movement by establishing an organizational structure and clarifying its goals and principles. Topics covered in workshops included desegregation of public facilities, black political activity, discrimination in employment, and racial problems in education. Workshop leaders included black students who had been active in sit-ins – Diane Nash, Ben Brown of Clark College, and Charles McDew of South Carolina State College – a white southern student, Sandra Cason of the Univ. of Texas, and Timothy Jenkins from the National Student Association. About 140 delegates, alternatives and observers from 46 protest centers attended the conference, as well as over 80 observers from northern colleges and sympathetic organizations. The principal accomplishment of the conference was to create a permanent organizational structure for SNCC. The delegates voted to drop “temporary” from their name, and established a Coordinating Committee to be composed of one representative from each southern state and the District of Columbia. In addition, there was to be a staff made up of field secretaries and an expanded office staff. The going salary was $10.00 a week.
The October conference marked a turning point in the development of the student protest movement. SNCC gained permanent status, and its student leaders became increasingly confident of their ability to formulate the future course of the movement. Charles McDew, a native of Massilon, Ohio and a student at South Carolina State, replaced Barry as chairman. McDew served as chair until the election of John Lewis in 1963.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Statement of Purpose adopted in April 1960
We affirm the philosophical or religious ideal of nonviolence as the foundation of our purpose, the presupposition of our faith, and the manner of our action. Nonviolence as it grows from Judaic-Christian tradition seeks a social order of justice permeated by love. Integration of human endeavor represents the crucial first step toward such a society.
Through nonviolence, courage displaces fear; love transforms hate. Acceptance dissipates prejudice; hope ends despair. Peace dominates war; faith reconciles doubt. Mutual regard cancels enmity. Justice for all overthrows injustice. The redemptive community supersedes systems of gross social immorality.
Love is the central motif of nonviolence. Love is the force by which God binds man to Himself and man to man. Such love goes to the extreme; it remains loving and forgiving even in the midst of hostility. It matches the capacity of evil to inflict suffering with an even more enduring capacity to absorb evil, all the while persisting in love.
By appealing to conscience and standing on the moral nature of human existence, nonviolence nurtures the atmosphere in which reconciliation and justice become actual possibilities.
Sources:
BEARING THE CROSS, David J. Garrow, pp. 131 et seq.;
EYES ON THE PRIZE, Juan Williams, p. 137
IN STRUGGLE, Clayborne Carson. Ch. 2
Ijele: Art eJournal of the African World (2001): http://www.ijele.com/vol2.1/morton.html
ELLA BAKER AND THE BLACK FREEDOM MOVEMENT, Barbara Ransby, Ch. 8
WALKING WITH THE WIND: A MEMOIR OF THE MOVEMENT, John Lewis, p.115
ELLA BAKER: FREEDOM BOUND, Joanne Grant, Ch. 7
FREEDOM’S DAUGHTERS, Lynne Olson, 148-49
ORGANIZING BLACK AMERICA, Nina Mjagkij, P. 647
PARTING THE WATERS, Taylor Branch, 290