To the editor:
Ms Drass's letter to the editor, Aug. 7, "Democrats values touch everyone's lives," could today more accurately be titled, "Democrat dictates devastate the economy and lives."
Many of the programs mentioned in Ms. Drass's letter were conceived as helpful and needed reforms but have grown into inefficient, ineffective, budget killing government bureaucracies. All of the programs were approved with bipartisan support, even if the support was misguided,.
For two of the past three and a half years, Democrats controlled both branches of Congress and the White House. The Democrats passed two major pieces of legislation: the Economic Stimulus Bill and Obamacare. These bills were forced through the legislative process by the Democrats without any Republican support and by using unprecedented tactics. This process resembled that of a monarchy or a dictatorship.
According to the Democrats, these bills were supposed to cure our economic ills and economically resolve our health care deficiencies. We all see and painfully feel the results of the present day Democrat party's governing approach. The following are some results of their approach:
Gas prices were $1.78 when President Obama took office, today they are approximately twice that amount.
According to U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities permanently shut down in the U.S. every single day during 2010.
Today the poverty rate for children in the U.S. is 22 percent.
In 2007, about 10 percent of unemployed Americans had been out of work 52 weeks or longer; today that number is above 30 percent.
Today, 42 percent of all American workers are living paycheck to paycheck.
Today 48 percent of all Americans are either considered "low income" or living in poverty.
Last year 53 percent of all U.S. college graduates under age 25 were either unemployed or underemployed.
Today the U.S. debt is greater than $50,000 for each man, woman and child in the country.
The unemployment rate when President Obama was elected was 6.7 percent. His understanding of economics led him to predict that without the stimulus bill the unemployment rate could reach 8 percent. For 41 months under the president's leadership, the unemployment rate has not been under 8 percent. With the same workforce as 2008, the present unemployment rate would be over 11 percent.
There are many more examples of negative economic effects. In addition to Obamacare, thousands of economically devastating regulations have come out over the past three and a half years. These are wreaking havoc with future economic growth.
In 2010, the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. Since then, dozens of economic bills and budget proposals have been passed by the House and sent to the Senate. Democrat Harry Reid has not allowed debate, compromise or consideration of any of the bills. The country has been without a budget for over three years as a result of the Democrat controlled Senate's inaction. Our Democrat president has not provided leadership to move the Senate to action. Perhaps this is best for the country when we consider the results of Democrat legislation during the first two years of his term when he had control of both houses of Congress.
It is easy to see that the Democrat Party of today is not the party of our grandparents' day. Today's Democrat Party leadership is not functioning democratically. A continuation of the present day Democrat Party approach will cause a total economic collapse and bring more misery to many more millions of Americans. A different approach, not likely under the present Democrat leadership, is the only hope to get our ship of state back on a Constitutional course.
Don & Nancy Wert