New Times / Letter To The Editor

We need to avoid economic disaster

Ken Goodman

Michael Sullivan’s letter (“No thanks, Romney,” Sept. 27) mischaracterizes Otis Page’s statement about “Obama's speech at the DNC” (“No thanks, Obama,” Sept. 13). Sullivan says, “Page claims that President Obama accomplished nothing in his first term.” Page never said that! Obama is responsible for the "stimulus" in 2009 that increased spending by $830 billion and for the tax penalizing Obamacare legislation.

Sullivan contradicts his main point that both Obama and Romney gave “general statements” at their party conventions. He proceeds to specifically attack what he holds to be Romney’s version to improve the economy.

In attacking Romney, Sullivan ignores the pre-eminent political question facing the nation: Whether to reform the government to make it affordable going forward, or to keep growing the government and raise taxes to finance it. Obama favors the second option. He plans to tax the rich to do it.

Here are the ugly facts Obama dismissed in his first four years, facts that either he or Romney must face in the next four years:

Obama has presided over four years of deficits in excess of $1 trillion, and the spending going forward into his second term is nearly $1.1 trillion.

These deficits are not sustainable. The nation’s economy and the ugly specter of massive unemployment ride on the solution of the problem. Both Obama and Romney must provide their plans to do this in the coming election. This is where the rubber meets the road if we to avoid economic disaster.