Promise Broken rulings on the Obameter
No. 24: End income tax for seniors making less than $50,000
"Will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This will
eliminate taxes for 7 million seniors -- saving them an average of $1,400 a year-- and will also mean that 27 million seniors
will not need to file an income tax return at all."
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No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills
To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity
to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review
and comment on the White House website for five days."
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No. 240: Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials
"No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations
or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be
able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
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No. 505: Create a $3,000 tax credit for companies that add jobs
"During 2009 and 2010, existing businesses will receive a $3,000 refundable tax credit for each
additional full-time employee hired."
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No. 508: Allow penalty-free hardship withdrawals from retirement accounts in
2008 and 2009
"Obama and Biden are calling for legislation that
would allow withdrawals of 15% up to $10,000 from retirement accounts without penalty (although subject to the normal taxes).
This would apply to withdrawals in 2008 (including retroactively) and 2009."
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No. 511: Recognize the Armenian genocide
"Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John
Evans, after he properly used the term 'genocide' to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915.
... as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide."
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No. 517: Negotiate health care reform in public sessions televised on C-SPAN
To achieve health care reform, "I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll
have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies -- they'll get a seat at the table,
they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that
people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug
companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in
this process."
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ALBANY -- Rick Lazio, a former
congressman, has the backing of just about every county Republican leader in his run to be New York's next governor. He's
got the essential Conservative Party endorsement and already fended off two better-financed challengers at the Republican
convention, one of whom was backed by the state chairman.
