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Independence, MO —
With the campaign season heating up and the Republican National Convention in session in Tampa, perhaps this would be a good time to address some accomplishments of the Obama administration. Now keep in mind, the Republicans, and especially Mitt Romney, have criticized the Obama administration on nearly everything under the sun, from the lack of a growing economy to repealing the Affordable Care Act (known unapologetically by the right as Obamacare).
Let’s take a good look at what actually has taken place over the last three and a half years and gain a real perspective on what the Obama administration has accomplished. Now keep in mind that this country went through the worst recession (the Great Recession) since the Great Depression, and recovery from such an event will never be rapid and will nearly always be slower, but nonetheless progressive and positive.
A good example of this can be illustrated by the recovery from the Great Depression. Long story short, it took roughly 25 years for the stock market to get back to where it was when it crashed in 1929 (1929-1954). Unemployment didn’t recover fully until after the start of World War II (1929-1943).
We’ll start with January of 2009 and the passing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that ensures women will get equal pay for the same work that men perform. Continuing, this country has had 29 straight months of job growth with the unemployment rate decreasing from a high of 10.2 percent to the current 8.3 percent, with the creation of more than 4 million jobs.
The Obama administration has ended the war in Iraq after eight years in which more than $800 billion was lost along with 4,500 American lives. The war in Afghanistan is drawing to a close (in October it will have been 12 years, the longest war in U.S. history), with 2,000 American lives lost along with more billions lost.
This country is now exporting more oil than we have in several years, the auto industry was saved and along with it more than 1 million jobs. Because of this one act alone, General Motors has once again gained back its place as the world’s largest producer of automobiles. Due to the stimulus bill, more than 9,000 bridges, roads and highways have been fixed, with that work continuing, American manufacturing and exports are growing again, the Obama administration has saved the jobs of, or hired, 650,000 firefighters, teachers and police officers. Small businesses have had their taxes cut 18 times with 12 quarters of economic growth and tax cuts for all working Americans have resulted.
With the campaign season heating up and the Republican National Convention in session in Tampa, perhaps this would be a good time to address some accomplishments of the Obama administration. Now keep in mind, the Republicans, and especially Mitt Romney, have criticized the Obama administration on nearly everything under the sun, from the lack of a growing economy to repealing the Affordable Care Act (known unapologetically by the right as Obamacare).
Let’s take a good look at what actually has taken place over the last three and a half years and gain a real perspective on what the Obama administration has accomplished. Now keep in mind that this country went through the worst recession (the Great Recession) since the Great Depression, and recovery from such an event will never be rapid and will nearly always be slower, but nonetheless progressive and positive.
A good example of this can be illustrated by the recovery from the Great Depression. Long story short, it took roughly 25 years for the stock market to get back to where it was when it crashed in 1929 (1929-1954). Unemployment didn’t recover fully until after the start of World War II (1929-1943).
We’ll start with January of 2009 and the passing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that ensures women will get equal pay for the same work that men perform. Continuing, this country has had 29 straight months of job growth with the unemployment rate decreasing from a high of 10.2 percent to the current 8.3 percent, with the creation of more than 4 million jobs.
The Obama administration has ended the war in Iraq after eight years in which more than $800 billion was lost along with 4,500 American lives. The war in Afghanistan is drawing to a close (in October it will have been 12 years, the longest war in U.S. history), with 2,000 American lives lost along with more billions lost.
This country is now exporting more oil than we have in several years, the auto industry was saved and along with it more than 1 million jobs. Because of this one act alone, General Motors has once again gained back its place as the world’s largest producer of automobiles. Due to the stimulus bill, more than 9,000 bridges, roads and highways have been fixed, with that work continuing, American manufacturing and exports are growing again, the Obama administration has saved the jobs of, or hired, 650,000 firefighters, teachers and police officers. Small businesses have had their taxes cut 18 times with 12 quarters of economic growth and tax cuts for all working Americans have resulted.
And the most prominent bill to get passed that will have an everlasting effect on our heath care is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This act will extend health care to more than 32 million Americans who would not otherwise be able to afford insurance and provide insurance for 95 percent of those under age 65.
So with this said, we can logically conclude that President Barack Obama and his administration have brought this country back from near economic collapse and into a climate of sustained recovery and will continue to build on this progress and remind the world why we are still the greatest nation on earth.
