Recognize Obama’s accomplishments

By Richard Rychtarik, Las Vegas

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014 | 1:34 p.m.

American voters are a fickle group. The current trend is to criticize President Barack Obama, but for what, they aren’t sure. Of course there is the always-ready Republican chant, famously used by President Bill Clinton: “It’s the economy, stupid.” But is it?

Entering his first presidency, Obama took on the worst economy since the Great Depression. Now, after 55 straight monthly improvements in jobs numbers, unemployment is 5.8 percent, far below that of the Bush administration’s 7.8 percent in January 2009. Early on, debt was piling up faster than you can say “war in Iraq and Afghanistan” and “too big to fail.” As promised, Obama got us out of both wars, and by bailing out the “too big to fail, ” including GM and Chrysler, he saved millions of American jobs. The hundreds of billions invested have been paid back with interest. There are many significant achievements, but they don’t receive the media’s proper recognition. Negativity sells, and news is all about negative entertainment.

The one serious mistake Obama made was passing the Affordable Care Act early on. Rapidly rising costs were and still are being foisted upon everyone, but the ACA has slowed the rate of increase. But he should have enacted immigration reform when he had full control of the government. Health care costs roll downhill. Changes to health care would have come naturally when the electorate finally realized their real cost. In time the electorate would have been clamoring for change, not objecting to it.

Pioneers like Obama only get arrows in their backs. With early immigration reform, the prospect of new voters would have made up for the sling and arrows of outrageous fortune.