[mmpalus]

I held off responding to this thread until the weekend to give myself extra time to sort out my thoughts.

Here are 4 actions/policies that Pres. Obama has championed or pushed through that directly impacted my family, friends, and neighbors.

1. The end of the war in Iraq (which was started by another administration) is finally here. This means the risk of my husband deploying again as a Reservist has dropped considerably. The drawdown also means co-workers and people in my community can welcome home their loved ones by Christmas. It took patience and determination to lay out a plan for ending that war. I don't know what's going to happen in Iraq now that our military is gone, but maybe now the diplomats and financial advisors will help bring a solution to the Iraqi people.

2. The stimulus packages that were enacted in the past few years made money available for us to replace our electric heat pump with a geothermal system. This was a very expensive purchase but the availability of this federally funded money allowed us to get financing, provided tax credits at three different government levels, and provided jobs for two companies in my state. The tax credits have been so successful that most states have run out of funds. More heating/cooling companies here now have trained their employees to install geothermal and solar-powered systems.

3. The federal government's efforts to help homeowners keep their houses has allowed us to refinance our VA mortgage, lowering the monthly payment and the interest rate. The banks were given this money through federally-funded stimulus package, but with very strict rules that banks and home owners had to follow. That was smartly written legislation, even if Congress and the White House were at each others throats throughout.

4. My husband and I are both originally from the Detroit area, with family and friends still living there. The money loaned to GM and Chrysler meant that tens of thousands of people in Michigan kept their jobs. The loans have been repaid and both companies are in much better financial shape now.

Perhaps many of you didn't benefit from these programs and decisions, either because of your state's refusal to accept stimulus funds, or because you don't have loved ones in the military. Our economy is still in deep trouble but I'm hopeful that eventually our country will recover.

So, that's my opinion. I hope it was helpful to the person who is doing the layout on Pres. Obama.

Melissa