In his Sept. 9 letter, “Supporting Obama,” Richard A. Schwartz lists a number of reasons to support President Barack Obama. Unfortunately, most do not hold up to scrutiny.
The three-year budget surplus prior to President George W. Bush was in large part due to tax revenues from the overheated dot-com stock market and started disappearing when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. Bush inherited this along with the start of a recession and the decades-long failure to address the Islamist threat, which culminated in the emotionally and economically devastating 9/11 attack. While Bush was guilty of increasing the debt by $5 trillion over eight years, Obama has increased it by $4.4 trillion in two and a half years.
In blaming the lack of economic progress on Republican obstructionism, Schwartz ignores the fact that for two years Democrats had complete control of the Senate and the House. The failure to “pull the country out of terrible economic conditions” during this time cannot be blamed on anything other than Obama’s ineffective policies.
And yes, Republicans support the “wealthy and corporations,” as should all Americans — these are the job creators. In today’s global economy it is not necessary to operate in the United States. If taxes here get too high these job creators will move their operations to nations with lower taxes; there will be even fewer jobs and more misery for the middle class and the poor.
Finally, every Democratic and Republican administration has recognized the need for a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The difference is that Obama lays this failure at the feet of Israel, while most knowledgeable people realize that the failure has always been due to the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Scarsdale, N.Y.
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