Dear editor:
I am writing this primarily for all my Republican friends. I have heard many of you say and, in fact, I have seen your comments in this paper declaring how Mr. Obama has been a great failure during his yet unfinished presidency.
I agree in large part that this man has been more detrimental to our country than any president in recent history or, for that matter, any man who has ever served as president. However, in retrospect, to deem him a failure requires one to forget what his stated goals were when he was a candidate. Remember, he told us: I am paraphrasing, but the gist is correct. That he thought America held too much power around the world and we should be more like other countries. He told us point blank that he intended to put carbon fuel producers out of business by making it too expensive for them to operate. He told us that he absolutely believed in wealth redistribution. He also told us the defense budget was too great and he promptly begin reducing our military to the lowest effective rate since the end of World War II, while continuing to increase our debt by astronomical figures. He told us he would end the war in Iraq and that he would close Guantánamo prison.
Many of his stated goals have been accomplished. Those that have not I am confident he will devote the remainder of his term to attaining their fruition. Based on what he set out to do and how far along he has moved toward their completion, he is a bounding success. One need only to read a newspaper or watch a news broadcast to realize that he is, in fact, not a failure, but he is working almost daily toward realizing his ambitions and ideas for America.
It is apparent to most that will take the time to examine where our country stands now in terms of strength, national growth, respect and trust from others around the world, our position has been greatly diminished by Mr. Obama's mainly unilateral decisions. History will have little difficulty in identifying the man that orchestrated America's greatest step to the rear. Like locating a slug, it is merely a matter of following the trail of slime.
I will concede that the economical situation of our country was not good when he took office. Still it cannot be denied that his lackadaisical approach of leading from the rear, his continued wasteful and exorbitant spending and borrowing has led our country into a downward spiral from which recovery will be a long and arduous task, no matter who replaces him.
Cal Wilcox
Hot Springs
Editorial on 10/04/2015