but I'll post a link or two.
Obama’s state senate votes on some key issues:
BUDGET & TAXES=
# Voted to raise the minimum wage in Illinois from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour over two years. (2003)
# Helped pass a 5 percent earned-income tax credit for low-income working families in 2000; made the credit permanent in 2003.
# Voted to end $300 million worth of tax breaks for businesses. (2004)
# Voted against making permanent the repeal of the state's 5 percent sales tax on gasoline. (2000)
HEALTH CARE=
# Voted for having Illinois endorse embryonic stem cell research. (2004)
# Successfully sponsored the Health Care Justice Act, a study of ways to implement a universal health care system statewide. (2004)
# Voted against restrictions on public funding of abortion. (2000)
# Successfully co-sponsored a prescription drug discount buying club program for seniors and the disabled. (2003)
CRIME & GUN CONTROL
# Voted against letting people argue self-defense in court if charged with violating local weapons bans by using a gun in their home. (2004)
# Voted to let retired police and military police carry concealed weapons. (2004)
# Successfully sponsored requirement that law enforcement videotape interrogations of suspects in some serious crimes. (2003)
# Successfully sponsored law enforcement study of the race of people pulled over for traffic tickets. (2003)
# Helped pass an overhaul of the state's troubled death penalty system. (2003)
# Unsuccessfully sponsored measure to expunge some criminal records and create an employment grant program for ex-criminals. (2002)
# Unsuccessfully sponsored limit of one handgun purchase per month. (2000)
# Voted against making gang members eligible for the death penalty if they kill someone to help their gang. (2001)
MISCELLANEOUS
# Unsuccessfully co-sponsored ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. The measure became law after Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate. (2003)
# Successfully sponsored move to shield Illinois workers from federal rules that threatened overtime pay for some employees.
# Successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform called the Gift Ban Act. (1998)
# Voted against giving tax credits to parents who send their children to private school. (1999)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/17/... http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/wh... /
What would qualify a person to be a good leader.Experience of course is essential, but good decision making skills, an open mind and a compassionate heart are key to any good leader.
My reasons for backing him are basically my interpretation of what I "see" in him that sets him apart from the others, starting with his diverse life due to his cultural background.
He started out in life having to merge differing and sometimes opposite sets of cultural mores. Being born in the 60's was better then the 40's but still right in the middle of the largest civil rights movement in the history of the US. He was born submerged in a society unenlightened to the dangers of prejudice. He grew up seeing both sides of the coin. What he also brings is his ability to manage others. Management is the name of the game; whether it's a company or a country, if you can manage others successfully the battle is 3/4 won.
The other and I think more important factor is the fully vetted ability to bounce back without negativity overwhelming him. He thinks before he speaks, he measures the cost of his angry responses and his loyalty to the America of his dreams. He looks forward and doesn't wallow in the past, he sets his sights on the goals and manifests them one step at a time and he hasn't stepped on the crushed remains of others to get where he is.
He is a bridge to the new and I have every reason to believe that he can integrate our past and future. The time has come to leave the old world behind, to look to the future through new and fresh eyes.
He is the person for the job and it is my firm belief that should he win the presidency we will all be given a chance to see where we were and how very dark it has been and be very pleased that the old paradigm has washed away.
I can only hope that America is ready to take that step, I know that I am.
