21 Aug 2026 12:44 pm
WRONG!Blackvegetable » 21 Aug 2026, 11:55 am » wrote: ↑ Obama pledged to cut the deficit by 50% in 4 years.
And did
It took Obama 4 years and 9 months to cut that deficit in half and he did it by adding $8.5 TRILLION to the debt, raising taxes, and cutting the military budget, which all Democrats hate!
Only ignorant liberals like you believe those "remedies" were worth it, seeing how the military cuts and running away from Iraq led to the growth of ISIS!
President Barack Obama will step down after 8 years as commander in chief with one of the most influential tenures leading the US military, but not necessarily the political support of service members.
The Obama era is over. Here's how the military rates his legacy
Military Times By George R. Altman and Leo Shane III
His moves to slim down the armed forces, move away from traditional military might and overhaul social policies prohibiting the service of minority groups have proven divisive in the ranks. His critics have accused him of trading a strong security posture for political points, and for allowing the rise of terrorists like the Islamic State group whom the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were supposed to silence.
In his second term, President Obama slashed defense spending by 25 percent, cutting over 35,000 active duty troops and gutting our military
Fact Check: Has President Obama 'Depleted' The Military?
NPR April 29, 2016 By Philip Ewing
President Obama has slashed defense spending and will leave his successor with a weaker military force. "Our military is depleted," Trump said in his foreign-policy address on Wednesday, "and we're asking our generals and military leaders to worry about global warming."In the past, Trump has claimed the US military under Obama has become "a disaster," and other Republicans have described it as "gutted" since Obama took office.
- AI Overview
- Specific Tax Increases and Expirations
- Payroll Tax Expiration: The temporary 2% payroll tax cut expired at the end of 2012, returning the employee payroll tax rate from 4.2% back to 6.2% in 2013. This reduced take-home pay for standard wage earners.
- Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): The Joint Economic Committee and Americans for Tax Reform highlighted that the ACA introduced penalties/taxes affecting some middle-class individuals, including the individual mandate penalty for remaining uninsured and excise taxes on certain high-cost employer-sponsored health plans ("Cadillac tax").
- Excise Taxes: The administration signed an increase in the federal tobacco excise tax early in 2009
- Top Income Tax Rate: The top marginal income tax rate rose from 35% to 39.6% in 2013 when Obama allowed portions of the Bush-era tax cuts to expire for individuals earning over $400,000 ($450,000 for couples).
- Capital Gains and Dividends: The top rate for long-term capital gains and qualified dividends increased from 15% to 20% for high earners
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) Surcharges: Starting in 2013, the ACA added a 3.8% net investment income tax and a 0.9% Medicare payroll tax surcharge on individuals earning above $200,000 ($250,000 for couples)
- Tobacco Tax: Increased federal excise taxes on tobacco products by 156% (61 cents per pack) early in 2009.
- ACA Penalties: Imposed the individual mandate penalty tax for individuals who chose not to buy qualifying health insurance.