Hillary actually has many accomplishments
In response to Marc A. Smalkin’s May 29 letter, I will not enter the debate between you and Roger Malebranche on whether or not either of you is sexist, but I will answer your original question, that is, giving you one or in my case, several accomplishments of Hillary Rodham Clinton, something your original letter requested.
Hillary Clinton, as a U.S. senator, worked with Republicans to expand health care for National Guard members and Reservists. Sen. Clinton worked with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to “provide full military health benefits to reservists and National Guard members.” Hillary wrote a law as senator providing grants to state and local governments to pay for respite care services for family caregivers, which allows expanded funding for temporary breaks for caregivers of sick or disabled people.
Hillary Clinton worked in the Senate to strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, introducing multiple bills allowing states to expand the program that she helped create as First Lady. The program, created in 1997, increased health coverage for children in low income and working families.
Hillary also co-wrote a law compelling drug companies to conduct safety tests for products prescribed for children, and wrote a component of the No Child Left Behind Act authorizing funding for recruiting and retaining better teachers. She played a leading role in the development of State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides the much-needed state support for children whose parents cannot afford nor provide them with adequate health care coverage.
She was also instrumental in the creation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act. Successfully fought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and asthma at the National Institute of Health (NIH). She spearheaded investigations into mental illness plaguing veterans of the Gulf War; we now have a term for it — Gulf War Syndrome.
At the Department of Justice, she helped create the office on Violence Against Women. She was instrumental in securing over $21 billion in funding for the World Trade Center redevelopment. Took a leading role in the investigation of health consequences of first responders and drafted the first bill to compensate and offer the health services our first responders deserve (Clinton’s successor in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, passed the bill).
She was instrumental in working out a bi-partisan compromise to address civil liberty abuses for the renewal of the U.S. Patriot Act. Proposed a revival of the New Deal-era Home Owners’ Loan Corporation to help homeowners refinance their mortgages in the wake of the 2008 financial disaster.
She as a major proponent of sensible diplomacy which brought about a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and brokered human rights with Burma.
You see, Marc, Hillary has many accomplishments, I am sorry that you and Roger both got off track in your responses to each other. However, I hope this answers your original question.
Bruce Holden
Schenectady
Categories: Letters to the Editor
