To the Editor:
Let us remember that, under the leadership of our last U.S. President, Barack Obama, our country did the following:
- Strongly supported alliances with our allies that helped to spread democracy and to raise the standard of living throughout the world.
- Climbed out of a global financial crisis where protections were put in place to prohibit financial institutions from making high risk investments and incurring undue debt.
- Witnessed the second longest bull market in history with the Dow Jones average increasing by 150% and corporate profits reaching the highest levels the U.S. had ever seen.
- Experienced a decrease in the unemployment rate from 7.8% to 4.7% with the rate for African Americans decreasing by 50% of what it had been.
- Afforded health insurance to an additional 19.2 million people and protected 52 million American with pre-existing health conditions.
- Spearheaded a verifiable pact to avoid nuclear disaster.
- Supported sensible gun control legislation to make our schools and public places safe.
- Provided a safe haven for those fleeing persecution and violence.
- Never pardoned a criminal or flattered an enemy.
- Increased median household income and lowered the federal budget deficit, raising consumer confidence from 37.4 to 113.
- Maintained a free and open Internet.
- Respected science, knowledge, civility, tolerance and the free press.