With the mid-term elections less than a month away, people need to take a hard look at the issues and what has actually been accomplished. So, the Democrats were swept into power in 2008 under the banner of “Hope and Change.”

So, let’s see if it’s working.

Change the way Washington works

• Obama wanted to lessen the influence of lobbyists in government. (By recent count, approximately 11% of the Obama Administration once worked as a lobbyist.)
• More transparency in the workings of government. Obama reneged on this promise until the CEO of C-Span called him on it.
• The Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, among others in getting Obamacare through the Senate.

The $787 Billion Dollar Stimulus

• This bill was supposed to put the country on the track to recovery by providing funding for shovel-ready projects. According to Recovery.gov, approximately $145 billion (of the $275 billion) was awarded in contracts, grants, and loans. That amounts to 53% which is the only source for actual work in this bill. ($288 billion was in tax benefits which haven’t put anyone to work. $224 billion was in entitlement funding.)
• At last count, 55% of Americans opposed another stimulus because they think it has hurt the economy.
• Keep unemployment under 8%. The unemployment rate has held steady around 9.6% for the last 5-6 months. A number that has been buoyed by the U.S. Census work.

Obamacare

• This legislation was supposed to be a stabilizing factor in every American’s life. It was supposed to propel the United States into the 21^st century alongside France, Germany, and England into years of economic growth and prosperity.
• Since the bill was signed into law, the CBO has revised its estimates on the costs on multiple occasions.
• 22 states are currently suing the federal government because of the law over the individual mandate.
• Most recently, the Obama has issued waivers to the United Federation of Teachers, a New York teachers union, and 29 other companiesto exclude them from implementing Obamacare.

Bailouts

• $350 Billion- Second part of the TARP funds which had to be approved by a Democratic Congress
• $787 Billion- (Later changed to $862 billion) Ahhh, yes the legendary stimulus plan that hasn’t lived up to the hype.
• $85 Billion- Auto bailout, and we still own 60% of GM
• $23 Billion- Teachers union bailout
• $26 Billion- Cash-strapped states
• $8-$10 Billion- Potential bailout of unions which could go as high as $165 Billion. (SEIU gets to live for another day.)
• $145 Billion- (With a worst case scenario of $1 Trillion) for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• $3 Billion- Housing bailout

So, Chicago-style politics at its finest has led the Democrats to failure in making Washington more transparent and efficient; failure at revitalizing the economy; and success at leading the United States down the road to bankruptcy.

Should I even discuss foriegn policy?