Dear Readers,

I would like to list a few accomplishments by President Obama. The President has worked tirelessly to end the war in Iraq, expand health care to all Americans and implemented an economic recovery program that has created nearly three million jobs. He has accomplished so much and still has a great deal left to do. Everything he fought for is now at stake.

The question is simple. Will we go forward and build on these accomplishments or will we go back? The answer is now in our hands.

President Obama’s commitment to American women and their families is important. President Obama, the father of two daughters, believes that women’s issues are very important issues. So do I.

He believes in equal pay for equal work. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law. It insures that women will receive the same wages, for the same work as men. Do you like that? I do.

We now see improved health care for women. Starting in 2012, new health insurance plans are required to cover preventive services like mammograms, contraception and domestic violence screenings without charge. Do you like that? I do.

President Obama is protecting a woman’s right to choose. He reversed the global gag rule which banned the government from providing aid to international family planning groups. He stood up to Republicans in Congress trying to roll back a woman’s right to choose what she should do with her own body. He also defended Planned Parenthood, which provides free, or reduced price health care for women. Mitt Romney has stated he would unfund Planned Parenthood. Many women would no longer be able to have mammogram screenings for free.

President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act to restore health care as a basic cornerstone of middle-class security in America. It prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions or from cancelling coverage when someone gets sick. There are no longer lifetime caps on dollar amounts. Do you like that? I do, and I am on Medicare.

Access to health care has been expanded. Now, 32 million more Americans are able to afford health insurance for the first time. Nearly all Americans, 95 of those under the age of 65, will have affordable health insurance. Do you like that? I do.

The President has closed the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan “donut hole.” Over 2.6 million seniors have saved an average of $550 on prescription drugs. By 2020 the Medicare “donut hole” will be closed entirely. Do you like that? I do.

Please remember senior voters (those over 65), you should remember that the Republican party never wanted” Medicare to begin with. Do you think you can find an insurance policy with complete coverage for $6,400 per year at age 65? That is the amount your insurance voucher will be if the Republicans have their way.

I know the economy is not back to where it should be. But, please remember, the Republicans in Congress stopped everything the President wanted to do by calling for a filibuster. Our roads and bridges, our infrastructure, are falling apart. Put people to work repairing and building our infrastructure.

President Obama ended the Iraq War. President Bush lied to us about Iraq. We went to war on false pretenses. A lot of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens died under those false pretenses. When he campaigned in 2008, President Obama promised to end the war in Iraq. He did. President Obama is trying to bring home our troops from Afghanistan. There is an end date on the calendar. President Obama got Osama bin Laden. President Bush stated during his presidency that he had given up looking for bin Laden. President Obama ordered Navy Seal Team 6 to go and get him and bring him to justice. They did, and I like that.

President Obama has honored the services of Veterans and their families. Thanks to new tax credits given to business for hiring currently unemployed and or disabled veterans, our troops and their families can now find employment that will insure them the chance of keeping their heads above water.

The question is simple. Will we go forward and build on these accomplishments, or will we go back, erasing all the progress that has been made in this country? The answer is now in our hands, the voters of America.

There are so many other accomplishments to address. I hope to be able to address these issues in the very near future. Thank you very much.

A very proud progressive liberal,

Bud Crothers