Obama sparked economic growth

To the editor:

I am going to put on my Morton Marcus hat and offer the following perspective/commentary/opinion.

The figures I cite in this letter will be rounded up for clarity and/or simplification. I am offering this perspective from a historical viewpoint before the enclosed information is co-opted by the Ministry of Propaganda/Alternate Fact universe in which we now, ostensibly, live.

The Dow recently closed above 20,000 which was a increase of 1700 or 9.5 percent since election day., I am grateful for this. I have investments tied to the stock market.

Now before we all start jumping for joy at our good fortune, I will give my perspective.

To all the naysayers, the gloom and doomers, the agnostics, the unbelievers and the skeptics, and all of those that wished him failure, to all that said his plans would never work or who ridiculed his solutions: a frame of reference.

In January 2009, the Dow stood at 5,647, 54 percent below its then peak. The day before the 2016 election the Dow stood at 18,300. If you subtract 5,647 from 18,300, you get a net increase of 12,653. That is over the period of Obama's presidency.

Now, I realize the Dow may close at 40,000 at the end of President Trump’s first term. If it does, I will be most happy.

I am simply saying it was Obama and the actions he took that brought us to where we are.

Was it all good?

Of course not, seldom is, but he got us back on the road to recovery.

I wish the president well and hope he can continue to build on this recovery. I just want the world to remember, in my small way, it wasn't Donald who started it. It was Barack.

Now there will be some who will cite our huge deficit as failure, and they have a valid point. On the other hand, I would argue, what would we have if he had done nothing? One may choose to either be part of the solution or part of the problem.

Michael Kinser

Portland