Economy suffering because of policies from Bush presidency

To the Editor,Today, as I drove home from a weekend trip to my parents, I did a lot of thinking. I thought about four years ago when this country was on the verge of economic collapse. When President Obama was sworn in, I vividly remember turning to my husband and saying — just wait, they’ll blame this on him.He reassured me that there was no way the previous administration would escape blame. I wish he were right. Though it probably shouldn’t surprise me, it still does: we are a nation that refuses to learn from our mistakes.The Bush administration nearly drove us into a depression with their lack of oversight and trickle down theories, but still many propose we go right back to those failed policies. Still many ask why our country isn’t flourishing as if they don’t understand how close we came to total collapse. And what of the complete unwillingness of Republicans to work with Democrats to pass legislation that could quicken the recovery? In an effort to sabotage the President, they sacrificed the well being of Americans. But does the average American see it? I wish. Instead, they often buy the easy sell — Obama was president, he should have done more. But still, even with all of the obstacles he had to face, President Obama managed to do so much. He helped save the auto industry, and with it the economy. He helped college students continue to pay for college and pay off their loans. He helped people who couldn’t otherwise get and keep their insurance do just that. What an incredible country we could be living in right now had President Obama been handed a stable economy. What an incredible country we could be living in had the Republicans in office played fair instead of filibustering away our future. What an incredible country this can still be if we send a message that we want to continue to move in a new and positive direction — this time with the support of both parties. There are many reasons why I will vote for President Obama again this November, but perhaps the biggest reason is that I know whose philosophies got us into this mess and whose philosophies are getting us out.Karin BarbeeTecumseh