Draw down in Afghanistan?

I'll admit it -- a portion of me wanted President Obama to just look at this war, say good-bye, pull the funds, turn out the lights and close the door. We are spending billions of our scarce dollars a day in this far-off country. The cumulative costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been reported to be at about one trillion dollars -- most of it spent before President Obama was elected. Remember under Bush, we lowered taxes and built tanks. We had our war without body armor in the field and with butter and guns at home. While the death of bin Laden has not immediately caused the demise of al Qaeda, it has certainly made it less virulent. The Taliban appears to be on the run from our drone attacks in Pakistan, despite the protection from some members of the Pakistan army and the blustering by the cabinet members. Although there is a summer offensive in Afghanistan, it appears to be concentrated in guerrilla activities such as car bombs, I.E.D.s, and suicide missions. The civilian death toll is rising from attacks in public places.

So it appears that there are many caveats in this discussion. I believe we need to bring our troops home and let the Afghanis start fixing their country with the blood, sweat and toil of their own people. Should we leave forces in place to lead humanitarian efforts? Perhaps, yes, if we could guarantee their safety. Others report that there will be an international competition for the mineral resources thought to be hidden under the mountains and valleys of this remote country. So we should probably not leave a financial or legal vacuum, which might allow others to enter and plunder the slight resources of this beautiful place. Frequent reports mention the incredible corruption in Afghanistan; discuss the mood swings of the mercurial President and the drug running of his family members and friends. The coalition Army reports training substantial numbers of police forces who will be slotted to take over the security of the country. It is said that there are over 300,000 in place now. What is not reported is the reality that many of them are illiterate. While they are fearless fighters and brave men, they are not ready to run the country in an organized manner.

Attempts to teach farmers to grow food crops instead of poppies have not been successful as the Taliban and the war lords were both maintaining the drug distribution lines. Opium and hashish bring in much more money than wheat crops, so the country cannot feed itself and has no real export economy. With no economic products and balances of trade, the presence of the war machinery provides the cash which keeps the country running. Recently, over $14 billion directed toward contracting costs has been thought to have been widely misused, partly due to the costs of doing business in this country. The elections held over the last year or so were widely found to be rigged and cronies of President Hamid Karzai eventually won out in most contested races. Only this week the Afghan Court declared that one-quarter of the officials elected in the last election were chosen fraudulently. Other reports mention the schools built by Americans or UN forces are being destroyed by the Taliban. Schools that taught girls were particularly targeted. An educated electorate is probably contrary to the aims of the Taliban. Reports last year also indicated that Karzai was supporting rollbacks of the limited freedoms recently granted to Afghani women. Many women returned to the burqa in an attempt to keep their freedom to move around in public. Reports from the United Nations last year on the disintegrating status of women (IRIN) have noted the following dismal facts:

• Every 30 minutes an Afghan woman dies in childbirth

• 87 % of Afghan women are illiterate

• Only 30% of girls have access to education today in Afghanistan

• 1 in every 3 Afghan women has experienced physical, psychological or sexual violence

• More than 1.25 million Afghani women are widowed and have no means of support

• The average life expectancy for women in Afghanistan is only 44 years

• Even today 70-80 % of women are forced into arranged marriages

• Close to 60% are forced into marriage before the legal age of 16

Many women around the world had supported the UN and American presence in Afghanistan because they believed that the medieval reign of the Taliban was being overturned and ending the war against women was part of the coalition effort. However, given the facts noted above, unless and until the power of the Taliban is thoroughly broken, and the support for women’s rights from the elected government is strong, an American pull out will allow a return to more repression against women. The Taliban, mostly driven from their territory now and hiding in the mountains or in the Pakistani territories, have given no hint that they are willing to change their goals or allow women greater freedom. Can we permit a situation which might return this backward group again to a state of powerful and reprehensible reign? Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush have advocated for protections for the women of Afghan and the need to ensure that these safeguards continue. Hopefully these prominent voices will help those mostly unseen women in Afghanistan.

So what should the United States do? Should the President have announced a draw down of more than 30,000 troops over the next year or so? (This reduction leaves more than 65,000 troops still on the ground and expected to be withdrawn gradually by 2014. Iraq has already drawn down and has a support mission with assigned troops due to leave in December.) More than 4500 troops have been killed in Iraq since 2003, in Afghanistan more than 1500 have died since 2001. The way I look at it, no one wants to be the last to die in this war. I do not believe that this country needs to fight a war in each generation. Frequently I travel in the community near Walter Reed Army Hospital. I see the young people on crutches or in wheelchairs, missing limbs or with the vacant looks of those with PTSD. One more injured soldier is also one more too many. Has the mission changed? Is it narrowing and becoming more limited? I would hope so.

Our country has suffered economically the last few years, but the war budgets keep increasing. It is time to turn about and move toward fixing the needs at home now. The cost of the war effort is taking money which is needed to repair cities and towns which have been so impacted by the downturn. The national conference of mayors, meeting this month in Baltimore, has called for a diversion of funds to be instead, used at home to repair our infrastructure instead of that in a country so far away. Some Democratic members of Congress have chided the President for this decision to decrease the military presence more slowly. But given the information presented above, I believe we need to have a gradual removal of troops, so consequently, but reluctantly. Because I cannot come up with a better idea, I support the President in this effort.

Let me know your thoughts -- pro or con -- as long as you tell me your name and email. What should the US do?

There is so much ugliness in the news recently, so many men behaving badly, so many governments around the world shooting and killing their own people that I decided to write about some of the more beautiful things in my world.

Right now, in Maryland we are in the lushness of a waning Spring, which was somewhat tentative this year. As I drive on the country roads in the upper parts of Montgomery County where I live, I can now enjoy the "tiger lilies" dotting the roadside. These perky orange lilies grow wild alongside the country roads where the rural atmosphere prevails.

You know, those narrow roads, sometimes classified rustic, where there is little or no shoulder and the tree canopy creates an umbrella across the roadways -- these are the kinds of roads I mean. I have heard that some want to trim the trees, reduce the canopy, flatten out the road edges -- but I say no, not now, not ever. This is part of the rural heritage the county has worked so hard to protect and preserve. If one looks closely, one can not the many shades of green, from the deep forest green of the evergreen trees, the spruce and the pine, to the fragile green of the younger trees and the mature green of the stately oak. Together, against a forest backdrop they create a wonderful palette of colors.

I see the yellow fields of wheat softly waving in the warm breezes, the low green leaves of soybeans and the newly planted corn growing straight and soon to be tall. Farms showcase sheep and bleating lambs, cows with nursing calves, graceful horses grazing or trotting across the grassy meadows come into my view as I drive along. Still I also see deer, fox and raccoons -- driven out of their natural forests, and now inhabiting my suburban village. I hear that the so-called protected lanes of the ICC have been breached by some unfortunately adventurous deer. We are not yet good neighbors to all of our wild, or even, domesticated creatures. (Although I do agree that we have far too many deer -- but that is a subject for another day.)

On Facebook I saw a cute video of some of Montgomery County Police attempting to catch an apparently domesticated goat which was playing in traffic near the MVA in Gaithersburg -- but it got away -- and I hope it found safer pasture somewhere! Kudos to our officers in blue for a good hearted effort!

Roses have been beautiful this year. As I walk among neighborhoods in and around my community, I see terrace and trellis trailing brightly colored roses. Daylilies with their yellow and variegated flowers compliment the roses. Butterfly bushes attract many types of multi-colored butterflies with their fragrant aromas. The gardens are at that interim and wonderful state, blooming but not yet needing weeding.

We have already seen temperatures over 100 degrees this season even before summer is officially here, but this week has been wonderful. Temperatures in the mid 70s, little or no humidity, and sunny skies welcomed us after some thunderstorms blew through over the last few days. However our longest daylight hours are around the corner of this week -- the fireflies will flicker and flitter through the evenings and the summer stars will loom larger. I am hopeful that we all can enjoy cooler, yet pleasant, evening strolls, enjoying natural vistas and fragrant scenes.

Let me hear what good news you might wish to share.

The Tradition of Memorial Day

I grew up as the daughter of a mother from the South who followed the tradition of "Decoration Day" (which she learned as a child) over the years even as she moved north to Massachusetts, where I grew up. Every year this would be the day when the graves of family members were cleaned of debris from the winter, trimmed up and flowers planted or baskets placed. Often, as relatives might have lived in several different areas, many towns were visited along a circuitous route. Along the way one might hear tales of Aunt Fanny or Uncle Johnny or other family stories. Several cemeteries had Veterans sections and this was where "Wally -- who received a Purple Heart after he was killed in World War ll, was buried. I heard the tale of how his mother was so devastated when her son was buried in a far off land (Italy), that she joined a group of Gold Star Mothers who successfully petitioned President Truman and the Military to bring the "boys" home to rest. Each service member had the same simple white tombstone provided. Over the years this veterans section of the cemetery sadly grew and grew. Some additions were from the deaths of those who had also served in the so-called "World Wars" and could call this their final resting place near comrades. Other from more wars or conflicts as Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and now Iraq and Afghanistan brought the deaths of more and more of our young and able bodied Americans. I expect that today, in Massachusetts, my sister is following this tradition.

Traditions are too frequently disappearing in this hustle-bustle world. The family is too busy to power down and remember the slower paces of yesteryear. Society is too busy to stop and hear the voices from the past which have shaped our todays and will influence our tomorrows. We now often do not know our neighbor, so there is no village to stop by when one is ill or to bring food after a family member dies. Tragedies do seem to bring communities together and shared tragedies such as hurricanes or tornadoes do tend to create networks of caring others. Americans do continue the traditions of helping out and are quick to donate blood for those whom they will never know. They collect clothes or give money for the less fortunate whose homes have been destroyed by whatever disasters occurred. We are a generous people, willing to help. There are still groups heading to the Gulf of Mexico to work on rebuilding communities destroyed by Katrina, back in 2005. Volunteers rescued animals that lost owners and homes. The Gulf oil gusher brought many to the oily shores to rescue birds and sea turtles, so we, as a country do come together to help others frequently. I do hope we never lose this "can-do" spirit, this sense of pioneer trail blazing that has shown us the way west and into space. I do hope we send this tradition into the next generation, much as my mother celebrated her sense of generations evolving.

In a more than 25 year tradition, thousands of motorcycle riding veterans and others joined together as Rolling Thunder roared into Washington this weekend to commemorate Memorial Day and honor those who served this country, both living and deceased. My late brother, a Vietnam vet, always relished their annual tribute. (Memo to Sarah Palin -- the tradition is about service and sacrifice, not about wearing black and riding a Harley, but probably she'll never figure this out.) The Washington Post had an article about Vets who regularly wash the Wall on the Vietmam Veterans' Memorial as their way of remembering the fallen. Now that is a tradition we should all support.

Do you have a tradition you wish to share? Let us know by writing us here.

Should Every Day Be Earth Day?

The first Earth Day was observed more than forty years ago now. I question whether it has become a relic up on a shelf or -- as I believe -- it needs to be reviewed, renewed and revamped to now become more relevant. Millions of words have probably been spoken about its importance and probably millions more have been written over these years. The planet has been subjected to more damage from chemicals, wars, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear disasters over this time period than probably over any comparable time period in its history. Scientists have debated, politicians have proclaimed and learned papers have been published on both sides of the so-called ‘global warming’ debate. This discussion about what is or is not happening, became caught in a semantic debate and is now notably called "climate change." Climate change has brought severities of drought and snowfall to various parts of our beleaguered world with records being broken for snow depth and drought lengths. Although there are those who point to the snow and scoff at global warming, these same areas may well see the pendulum swing to intense heat within the year. The current floods along the Mississippi and its tributaries resulted from record snowfalls in the Midwest. Forest fires in Texas are a result of months without rain. Australia has just emerged from years of severe drought, brought about in a large part by human actions.

In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond discussed the intersections of nature and man's actions which brought about disastrous changes, in some cases entire civilizations disappeared. Somehow, with tropical jungle deforestation persisting in large parts of the world such as Brazil and Indonesia, we are not learning the lessons of history.

As an example, the Washington, DC, Metro area saw both record snowfalls in 2010, as well as a record number of days above 90 degrees. This area may well be entering an era of unstable weather. Those who watched Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" might remember his graphs showing how close we are to the point of no return -- the point where we cannot turn back the march against an unstable climate. Futurists have postulated that we will fight the next world wars, not about territory but instead about the need for arable water. This local article in the Washington Post discusses rising seas and the resultant current and future damage to coastal business, homes, and the leisure and employment industries.

Others will wage battles against diseases which can spread in a world without the waves of the heat/freeze cycle which now kills many bacteria and limits territories for many crop destroying insects. The crop and flower growth cycles are disrupted with damage from late rains and early heat. A recent article by the Center for American Progress discussed much the same information:

So what does it matter if the azaleas bloom earlier or the Cherry blossoms bloom for a shorter time? Do we really care if certain insect larva releases its young a few weeks sooner than before? Yes, we should care, because of related cycles in nature. A bird hatches its young and counts on a particular insect to be available for easy feeding for the nesting family. If that insect has already moved on to its next phase, the hatchlings may go hungry, and the uneaten insects may devastate a crop just planted by farmers. Habitat is being threatened by our global travel and trade. This area has seen the overgrowth of so called "stink-bugs," an Asian import working its way down the East Coast. This bug was thought to have originally arrived in Philadelphia among shipments from its native lands in Asia. It has no natural predators in America, hibernates, and was not killed by our recent mild winter. Last summer farmers reported crop destruction as these invaders ate their way through fruit orchards and other plants. While this is not a result of climate change, it vividly demonstrates what can happen when an unfamiliar predator enters the crop cycle at a critical time. Fire ants, large bees and invasive hornets are reportedly working their way north as the temperate/tropical barriers are blurring. Resistance to pesticides is growing among some pests. Long-term use of these poisons has been seen to be destructive to the soil and to populations. Are we moving ever closer to that Silent Spring predicted by Rachel Carson?

Farmers in India were encouraged to change ancient farming methods and use pesticides widely to increase their yield. However a different result came about - NPR had a story a while back called "the cancer train" which told about increased use of pesticides -- perhaps inappropriately -- which helped spark the green revolution in the countryside of India's rural villages. Concurrently it told of an increased rural incidence of cancers – especially among the young, which had been unknown outside urban centers. Some scientists have linked these occurrences as not due to chance. Others studied brain and nerve damage as these chemicals entered the water supply and seemed to adversely affect children.

We are told today the use of genetically modified seeds is safe and the wave of the future. Other scientists are saving seeds in seed banks should we ever need to rebuild our ability to grow natural crops. The answers to these questions may yet be found in some time and some day far away.

Yes, when I walk in the morning in my suburban world, I hear the woodpeckers tapping and see the robins, cardinals and sparrows all working to catch the unwary worms, so this part of my world has not changed. But I do believe that we all must be concerned about the more subtle and unseen changes that incrementally are making the world our children will face much more challenging than ours has been. I also know that we owe it to future generations to leave the world a better place than the one we found and I worry that we cannot meet this debt. Please let me know your thoughts in this area.

The End for bin Laden

Sunday evening I was stunned, as were many in the U.S., by the news announced by President Obama, that Osama bin Laden had been found and killed. It was even more surprising to learn that he had been living in a resort city in a million dollar fortified mansion under the shadow of the Pakistani Military Academy, just down the street from the local Police Station. Brave Special Forces Members of the SEALS in a daring night-time assault on bin Laden's compound accomplished this mission in less than 40 minutes without sustaining casualties. For many years we had been told that this mastermind of terror had been living as a primitive in caves in the tribal lands in the far north of the country. The U.S. gave the Pakistani government billions of dollars over the years to support the war on terror and locate the terror networks that bin Laden had established. Now it appears that he was being protected by some portions of the Pakistani military, possibly without the knowledge of the official government.

Many young people rushed into the streets to celebrate in front of the White House, Midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis cheered and patrons at a Major League Baseball game (watching their smart phones more than the game) burst into calls of "USA-USA!," as they stood together in celebration. Most poignantly of all -- families, friends and firefighters came to Ground Zero to commemorate. Closure, at last. A commentator mentioned that these young college students with an average age of 20 had been haunted by the attacks of September 11 for half of their young lives. It is their contemporaries who are fighting today in Afghanistan or were serving in Iraq. This country has been at war in either Iraq or Afghanistan since they were ten years old. The attacks on September 11 changed our collective national psyche. As a country, we lost our innocence, our sense of safety, invincibility and complacence in those terrorist attacks and, as a result, life is forever changed for all who follow.

Where does the U.S. go from here? We have closure on the so-called head of the terror organization, but loose organizations such as his can still be lethal as lone members could set out on individual quests for revenge. Should we as a country rejoice and dance in the streets? Should we instead quietly say thanks and move forward with our lives? Does even the death of a monster cause one to pause, and wish it should not have to be? Some have noted that this death coincided with the anniversary of the suicide of another monster: Adolf Hilter. Significance and coincidence are sometimes strange partners. What routes does one go down in order to achieve peace in this world generally and in the Middle East among Islamic nations specifically? Where does our government go in order to quell the Taliban in Afghanistan. Will we be able to open a dialogue now? This organization grounded in the 14th Century, hostile to the rights of women, against schools for girls, and a bastion against any advances of modernization, does not seem likely to change, nor to be a willing partner in negotiations for a cease-fire.

President Obama was correct in his decision that little good would result from publication of gruesome death photos of Bin Laden. His somber response that "we know he is dead, we have DNA evidence, we have the photos," demonstrates clearly that he is not supporting sensationalism, case closed. Additionally, his quiet requests to use this circumstance as a basis for a shared sense of purpose and American unity sent a message to both sides of the aisle in Congress. Unfortunately this has fallen on many deaf ears as those with divisive agendas move away from unity. The President's meeting with police and firefighters in New York City today reinforced the thanks of our country toward these brave survivors of that day. His meeting with family members of those killed at the Twin Towers demonstrated his "promises kept" mantra. All knew this would not bring back their loved-ones, but it did give many a type of closure.

Ruth Marcus, writing in the Washington Post discussed countering evil with good by planting a garden this week. She describes creating a new reality, setting an example and showing us a way into the future where nations can choose to plant gardens rather than support terrorists. She acknowledged the incongruity of a world which could produce an evil such as bin Laden and at the same time allow the splendor of a beautiful garden. Perhaps the choices are within each of us to choose to grow a garden or not.

Let me know your thoughts this week; are you planting a garden?

A Shutdown Averted -- At What Cost?

Well, Federal Government workers, contractors, military families and those who depend on revenues from nearby installations can sleep restfully now. The government is again funded -- for a while, anyway. Against a backdrop during the week of Tea Party members chanting "cut it or shut it," much of this dialogue was held as if the government was not run by real people, with real bills to pay and families to care for. These protestors seemed not to care that "government workers" and "government" make this country run day after day, by such duties as keeping the planes in the air, getting supplies to our military, and providing care for our elderly and youngest residents. The EPA does its job of keeping clear air and clean water for both Democrats and Republicans alike, despite the desire of some to diminish its powers. The FDA and food safety resources continue to work for all, legal and undocumented, just to mention a few examples of necessary services provided by "our government." The people who rail against big government often fail to realize the many times each day that they are touched by the good services of hard working civil servants.

The poker game being played out on the Capitol grounds and the White House sometimes seemed more like a tennis match as numbers, proposals and counter-proposals were being batted back and forth along the air waves and with dueling press conferences. The budget promises made by the Tea Party House members indicated that $100 billion dollars would be chopped from the Federal budget with little care given to the details. Democrats came belatedly to these negotiating sessions timidly suggesting abut $30 billion in cuts from some of the issues originally favored by President Obama and their caucuses. The Speaker of the House was said to be urging about $70 billion in cuts, although he held his cards tight and would not quote a number. Unbelievably, services for women's health, which had nothing to do with the budget, were among those being threatened. Democratic women senators, led by Barbara Mikulski and Patty Murray spoke passionately against plans to throw women and their rights under the proverbial bus. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine spoke up also against this proposal, saying it had no place in the budget plans. (The issues, known as riders, were seen as purposely provocative as their Tea Party proponents targeted The Affordable Health Care Act, Planned Parenthood, EPA mandates, NPR funding, and DC initiatives, to mention a few.) Senator Harry Reid finally made a strong speech urging support by unanimous consent -- he almost got it -- Rand Paul voted no.

So back and forth it went. Democrats insisted definitive numbers were in place. This was denied by the other side as social engineering was again brought forward and turned down as irrelevant. After several in-person White House sessions ended, The Washington Post and New York Times both reported that Obama and Biden had to repeatedly remind House Speaker Boehner that a deal had been agreed to and would not be renegotiated. The Speaker was reportedly dealing with those in his own party who did not care for and did not agree with the compromises made. Final numbers indicated that cuts in the 2011 budget finally agreed to, amounted to a total of $38.5 Billion dollars once the final totals were tallied. This was in the total budget of over $3.6 trillion dollars, really just a small sliver. Finally at the midnight hour when the decision to close government was at hand, an agreement was voted on. Speeches were made and all went home, whether satisfied or not. Where was the concern for the single mother working as a clerk in a government office who lived in fear all week that her paycheck would not come next week? Where was the reassurance for the soldier on a battlefield that his loved ones would get their support on time? Could this have been accomplished with out this brinkmanship? Of course it should have been -- these games were unnecessary.

Additionally, the rights of self determination in the District again felt the meddling hand of the Republican House members as the city's right to pay for abortions was removed. Furthermore, DC was made to accept a private school voucher program which could further disrupt public education efforts. Both of these had been in place before during the last time the Republicans controlled Congress.

So at this time, it is not known just which of the small amount allocated to the "discretionary" spending -- meaning non military, non entitlement, non mandatory debt service will be selected for reductions. Could this all have been avoided had the Democrats forced a vote on the 2011 budget in October, of course. But Senate Leader Reid did not want to have to address the threat of a filibuster, so he did not force this vote, when, in fact he controlled the Senate and Democrats were in charge of the House and had passed a budget. The Lame Duck session could have voted on this but it did not. Democrats who would not stand with their party in pushing this through and who had to show their independence allowed this to happen, as did the Republicans who reneged on a previous commitment. President Obama was commended for achieving a consensus which allowed both unemployment benefits and an extension of the Bush Tax cuts, but did not address the budget.

Now, while all are congratulating themselves on this temporary solution, the battle over the raising of the debt ceiling looms. Let's hope these so-called Patriots care more about the security of our finances as a country than they do about their own over heated rhetoric. Let's urge them to act responsibly and raise the $14.3 trillion dollar ceiling without further catastrophes. There is already speculation that the debt ceiling might be filibustered by Rand Paul. Let's all hope not.

Were you worried about a shutdown? How might it have affected your life? Let me hear from you.

President Obama Announces He's In For 2012

Few Democrats were surprised when President Obama announced on Monday, April 4, that he is a candidate for the 2012 Presidential race.

He reached out to those on his massive email lists to share the news through a "real persons-type video" embedded in the email.

On a telephone call with supporters tonight (I am a supporter) he was low key, sending the message that he has a country to run and needs the grass roots supporters to be the ones who are the canvassers, neighborhood and community organizers who get the messages out.

He further pointed out that in the last two years he has accomplished more than any President in a comparable time in the last 50 years.

And his accomplishments -- many of which were monumental -- among many somewhat problematic issues, are indeed many: (my plus +/ minus - scoring noted below.)

+/ The Affordable Care Act -- tops my list, even though I wanted single payer -- I'm Okay with this major improvement toward pulling more people into the health care network and know that the American people are happier as the rhetoric dies down and the real advantages are seen. Of course today the Republicans released their plan to privatize Medicare in the future. What part of pre-existing exclusion clauses in the private health care market do they not understand?

+/ Lily Ledbetter Act -- Although this bill does not help Lily -- it lends its name toward helping those in future gender pay inequity situations. We cannot count on the Supreme Court to step into the Wal-Mart gender discrimination Class action lawsuit.

+/ Repeal of Don't Ask Don’' Tell -- Long delayed, but finally ready for implementation. Restores dignity to all who serve their country. Can the DOMA repeal be far behind?

+/ Reduction of Unemployment Rate/Increase in Numbers of Workers With Jobs -- Last week, unemployment rates dropped to 8.8%. Since President Obama was elected over one million jobs have been created.

+/ Extension of Unemployment Benefits -- Added much needed benefit weeks to those workers, who through no fault of their own, became unemployed during the tough economy. (Many are dismayed that this came at the expense of preserving the Bush Era tax cuts for the rich, and think the Democrats gave away too much to get too little. But the President went up in the polls after this bargaining process, so it appears to have worked.)

+/ Finance reforms/Auto Industry Bail Out Repayments/TARP repayments -- The government has made money on the auto bailout with its General Motors stock selling well. Most of the TARP investment has already been paid back. The financial industry has been strengthened by the steady hand which has been shown by his resolve to move at a measured pace. Wall Street has yet to get officially on board, but the stock market has gained over a third in value since he was elected, currently standing at 12,400 at the close of business today. When Obama took office on January 20th, 2009, the market Dow Jones value was 8279. It had been at 10,000 when Bush took office 8 years before. So, some confidence is returning to the world of investment. Have the banks been restrained, downsized and paid any penalties for their poor management policies which almost brought down world financial market? Nope. They have again managed to step aside and accept no responsibility.

+/- Foreclosures -- Although there have been some minor improvements in this area, delays and poor recordkeeping by banks have muddied the waters here. The value of homes is still flat as many people owe more than their home is worth. New home building is not yet back on track. So foreclosures are still happening and neighborhoods are impacted negatively. More improvements needed here.

+/- Environmental advances -- Some changes have helped advance the mission of EPA with clean air and clean water improvements. However, we also now still have to deal with regulating off-shore drilling permits after the BP oil spill, and address increases in nuclear power plants here in light of the disasters in Japan with the release of massive radioactive contamination.

+/- Wars to end all wars? Okay -- not there yet. BUT troops in Iraq are down to around 50,000 and these troops are not in combat. Afghanistan -- bumped up -- said to be winding down starting in June, let's hope it can happen and we can bring the troops home soon. Libya -- jury still out on this one. I think a humanitarian response was the correct one but do not want to see mission-creep here. He can no longer legitimately wear the mantle of the anti-war President which we all wanted him to assume, but I do not see him as a militaristic Bush inaccurately touting "Mission Accomplished".

-/ Closing Guantanamo? AG Holder announced on April 4 that terrorist trials would not be held in New York City, as he had wanted, but would be held at the Cuban base. Regardless of the facts in the case here, Congress refused to allow any funds to be used for transport, housing, mainland trials or maintenance of former inmates from the prison if they were moved to the US mainland. So progressives have taken the President to task for not keeping this promise. I wonder how he was to have accomplished this with no allocations of funds allowed. Take note, Democrats voted for this restriction also, despite the facts that several terrorist trials have successfully been held in Federal Courts.

So the election year is still taking form. It is expected that it may get ugly, just as the 2010 Congressional Campaigns did. Do we still have hope. Can we still say Yes we can? My score card here has more pluses than minuses and the pluses were accomplished with a positive messaging, so it appears that this has resonance. Democrats worry about too much compromise. Independents worry about too little. So, just like the Three Bears and the bowls of porridge, there has to be one formula that is found to be just right. There is an old political axiom that one runs from the left and governs from the center, so if the President can keep his coalitions together -- left and center left -- through the next eighteen months or so of the campaign and pick up the Independents who deserted the Democrats in 2010, he might pull this one off! Beinart of the Daily Beast believes that many of the former Clinton administration members who joined early on and are now leaving will allow President Obama to move back left again for the campaign.

What do you think?