New Paradigm, Please...

A new paradigm?  Yes, the two party system no longer serves the people of this country, it serves only those running for office and they are perpetually running, so they don't really do the people's business as was witnessed by the stalemates wrought by the Republican party prior to this election.  I suspect the Democrats will be no better.


Please, people, do your own investigation of the candidates in the next election.  If we learned nothing else from this one, we learned that nothing you see on political ads - from either side- should be taken as fact.  Nor, should you trust only one source for your information.  Take the time, it's too important.  


Here are a few of the promises Obama kept within the past 20 months for a point of reference for 2012:
As listed on PolitiFact

Require economic justification for tax changes

 Tax changes must have significant economic justification, as a federal law  

Establish a credit card bill of rights

Increase minority access to capital

Close the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug plan

Expand loan programs for small businesses

Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions

Give tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums

Require large employers to contribute to a national health plan

Require children to have health insurance coverage

"Require that all children have health care coverage. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage by allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans."

Expand eligibility for Medicaid

"Expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function."

Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)

"Expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function."

Require health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care

"Require health plans to disclose the percentage of premiums that actually goes to paying for patient care as opposed to administrative costs."

In non-competitive markets, force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care

In markets where the insurance business is not competitive, "force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration."

Eliminate the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans

"Eliminate the excessive subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans and pay them the same amount it would cost to treat the same patients under regular Medicare."

Increase funding to expand community based prevention programs

"Increase funding to expand community based preventive interventions to help Americans make better choices to improve their health."

Increase the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals

Increase "the VA budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals."

Fully fund the Veterans Administration

Fully fund "the VA so it has all the resources it needs to serve the veterans who need it, when they need it."

Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as 'must-pass' legislation

"Obama will meet early in the budgeting process each year with congressional leaders and the nation's leading Veterans' Service Organizations (VSOs) to ensure the VA budget is always given 'must-pass' status."

Expand the Veterans Administration's number of "centers of excellence" in specialty care

Expand the number of "centers of excellence for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD, vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, women's health and other specialized rehabilitative care."

Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act

Provide "funds to help communities, nonprofit organizations and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking."

End the abuse of supplemental budgets for war

"End the abuse of the supplemental budgets, where much of the money has been lost, by creating system of oversight for war funds as stringent as in the regular budget."

Strengthen and expand military exchange programs with other countries

Existing U.S. programs of military to military exchanges, joint training, education, and human rights programs must be reoriented from their current Cold War standards to reflect new strategic priorities and ethical standards. Relationships that reassure potential future competitors both of America's goodwill and its strength may help dissuade emerging powers from becoming threats. An Obama administration will also prioritize the strengthening training and working relationships with the next generation of military leaders in allied states in the Muslim and wider developing world, in order to build professionalism and respect for rights and democracy, as well as open and sustain unofficial channels of communication and influence.

Allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk

"Direct our precious homeland security dollars according to risk, not as a form of general revenue sharing."

Create a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan

"The federal government's National Asset Database, which is supposed to guide homeland security priorities, lists 77,069 potential U.S. targets including petting zoos and popcorn factories. Experts say this database is relatively useless for any level of homeland security planning. Barack Obama's Department of Homeland Security will develop a meaningful critical infrastructure protection plan across the nation and will work with the private sector to ensure that all real targets are prepared for disasters both natural and man-made."

Increase funding for local emergency planning

"Obama is committed not only to rolling back the funding cuts that have affected first responders, but also to increasing federal resources and logistic support to local emergency planning efforts."

Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program

"The (Bush) administration has consistently proposed to cut or eliminate funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program, which funds anti-drug and anti-gang task forces across the country. …Since 2000, this program has been cut more than 83 percent. ... As president, Obama will restore funding."

Establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas

"As president, Barack Obama will establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas. This partnership will increase research and development in clean coal technology, the next generation of sustainable biofuels and in wind, solar and nuclear energy. The partnership will also look for ways for nations to coordinate to transport green energy across national borders. It will help Latin American and Caribbean nations become more energy independent and promote sustainable growth for the region. The partnership also will create additional markets for American biofuels and American-made green energy technology."

Release presidential records

"Will nullify the Bush attempts to make the timely release of presidential records more difficult."

Provide affordable, high-quality child care

"Will provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families."

Reduce subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers

Will "eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders, which will save nearly $6 billion dollars per year, and invest the savings in additional student aid."

Increase funding for national parks and forests

"Will repair the damage done to our national parks by inadequate funding and emphasize the protection and restoration of our National Forests."

Increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Will support "increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports land acquisition and maintenance of parks" and "will lead efforts to acquire and conserve new parks and public lands, focusing on ecosystems such as the Great Plains and Eastern forests which do not yet have the protection they deserve."

Expand Pell grants for low-income students

"Will continue to work to ensure that the maximum Pell Grant award is increased for low-income students. Specifically, he will ensure that the award keeps pace with the rising cost of college inflation."

Expand access to places to hunt and fish

Will "support the Open Fields Incentives legislation that provides incentives to farmers and ranchers who voluntarily open their land to hunting, fishing and other wildlife-related activities."

Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors

"Will place the weight of (his) administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes."

Restore funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

"Will restore funding to these vital agencies (the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs), reduce their charge backlog and strengthen laws already on the books that help workers fight pay discrimination."

Reform mandatory minimum sentences

"Will immediately review (mandatory minimum) sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the ineffective warehousing of nonviolent drug offenders."

Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

"Will restore funding for the CDBG program: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is an important program that helps strengthen cities and towns throughout the nation by providing housing and creating jobs primarily for low- and moderate-income people and places. The Bush administration has consistently attempted to cut funding for CDBG, including by $1.2 billion next year and $6.9 billion over the next five years. Barack Obama has fought against these cuts and, as president, he will restore funding for the CDBG program."

Establish 'Promise Neighborhoods' for areas of concentrated poverty

"Will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in cities that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement. The Promise Neighborhoods will model the Harlem Children's Zone and seek to engage all resident children and their parents in an achievement program based on tangible goals, including college for every participating student, strong physical and mental health outcomes for children as well as retention of meaningful employment and parenting schools for parents. Cities and private entities will be required to pay 50 percent of the program costs."

Use the private sector to improve spaceflight

"Will stimulate efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate spaceflight capabilities."

Conduct robust research and development on future space missions

"Will support a robust research and technology development program that addresses the long-term needs for future human and robotic missions. He supports a funding goal that maintains at least 10 percent of the total exploration systems budget for research and development."

Work toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system

"Will lean forward to deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system that will work for decades to come. The recommendations in the recent National Research Council decadal survey on Earth observations from space will guide his priorities in this regard.

Support commercial access to space

"Will stimulate the commercial use of space and private sector utilization of the International Space Station. He will establish new processes and procurement goals to promote the use of government facilities."

Rebuild schools in New Orleans

"Will help communities in the Gulf make necessary school infrastructure investments so all kids from all backgrounds have safe and supportive environments to learn."

Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear

"Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination."

Create new financial regulations

"I'll put in place the common-sense regulations and rules of the road I've been calling for since March -- rules that will keep our market free, fair, and honest; rules that will restore accountability and responsibility in our corporate boardrooms."

Increase funding for land-grant colleges

"Obama will increase research and educational funding for land-grant colleges."

Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees

"Barack Obama will issue an executive order banning registered lobbyists or lobbying firms from giving gifts in any amount or any form to executive branch employees."

Sign a "universal" health care bill

"I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president ... ."

Create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud

"We will crack down on mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud by increasing enforcement and creating new criminal penalties."

Raise fuel economy standards

"Will increase fuel economy standards 4 percent per year ... ."

Create a 'Green Vet Initiative' to promote environmental jobs for veterans

"Will ensure that more of our veterans can enter the new energy economy. They will create a new 'Green Vet Initiative' that will have two missions: first it will offer counseling and job placement to help veterans gain the skills to enter this rapidly growing field; second, it will work with industry partners to create career pathways and educational programs."

Invest in public transportation

"Will re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Obama and Biden will work with state and local governments across the country on efforts to create new, effective public transportation systems and modernize our aging urban public transit infrastructure."

Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits

"Obama and Biden believe Congress should immediately extend unemployment insurance for an additional 13 weeks to help families that are being hit hardest by this downturn. In addition, they believe we should temporarily suspend taxes on unemployment insurance benefits as a way of giving more relief to families."

Reverse restrictions on stem cell research

"I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order ... .."