Other facts to consider on Obama’s economic legacy

In her letter of Feb. 2, the author berates the Obama record. There are a few facts the author has forgotten.

Fact: In January 2009, the economy was in free-fall, with over 800,000 jobs being lost monthly.

Fact: The US was in the middle of two wars started by the previous administration, neither of which were ever in a budget. Trillions had been spent on the nation building experiment, all borrowed money with future commitments never factored in.

Fact: The recession was worldwide, affecting our trade balance and the economies of every nation.

Fact: The nation lost billions of dollars of value as the stock market tanked at the end of the Bush administration:

Fact: The nation then saw over six years of continuous job growth, almost 15 million jobs created, over 20 million Americans with health insurance coverage, the Dow more than doubled, major combat operations ended in Iraq, allies again who respected the U.S. and the nation saw the recovery out of the worst recession since the Depression.

She complains that the debt doubled under Obama. Unfortunately for her argument, the debt does not reset when a new president takes office. The $1.4 trillion deficit left by Bush, the tens of millions out of work, and the commitment to maintain military in two wars all contributed to the increased debt. She also conveniently forgets that the GOP took control of the House (and the purse) in the 2010 election and has been the controlling factor for six years.

Her last comment reflects on the number of unemployed, those on assistance and those in poverty. She conveniently (again) forgets that the GOP has held the House since January 2011 and the Senate since January 2015. The GOP managed to pass 60-plus bills in the House to repeal the ACA and none to make the lives of Americans better. My questions for her are: Where the heck has the GOP been for the last six years? Why has the GOP continued to put party before country? BOB SMITH Lodi