Congress passed an $814 billion economic stimulus package soon after President Barack Obama took office, tapping a staggering sum of money to avoid a full-blown depression. Democrats have trumpeted the gains from that effort, but know it's not enough for restive voters. "Americans still see themselves in a ditch," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
The two other landmark acts of this session were the health care overhaul, a giant step toward universal coverage that had eluded presidents back to Franklin Roosevelt if not Teddy Roosevelt, and the Wall Street accountability act.
Obama has also signed into law at least a dozen other pieces of legislation of significance. They include:
_Making college loans more affordable.
_The Cash for Clunkers program that helped rejuvenate the auto industry.
_New consumer protections for credit card users.
_Making it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination.
_Increasing federal regulation of tobacco products.
_Cracking down on waste in Pentagon weapons acquisition.
_Making attacks based on sexual orientation a federal hate crime.
_Giving businesses tax incentives to hire unemployed workers.
_Tax credits for first-time homeowners.
So where is the love?
Wasps are notoriously productive in the way they build nests in the corners of your front porch, and there's not a lot of love for them, either.
Let's not confuse "productive" with "useful" when things like Cash-for-Clunkers did nothing but add to the federal debt with little - if any - real economic payoff. And "making attacks based on sexual orientation a federal hate crime"? Really? Why do we have hate crime laws anyway? Aren't all crimes still crimes?
And you don't want to even start talking about the hate crime on the basic structures of American life (personal choice & responsibility) that is the health care law...
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