Here's the unemployment stats for the last 65 years from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It shows our recessions between 1948-2012. http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet, type in dates 1948-2012, 10 recessions.
Under Democrats: Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton.
Even though they were unopposed in House and Senate both.
Under Republicans; Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and G. W. Bush.
Each of these presidents reduced unemployment in spite of being opposed in both House and Senate.
Unemployment was going up when G.W. Bush took office and went to about 6-plus percent. But he brought it back down to about 4 when both House and Senate went Democratic in 2007. Unemployment took the most vertical climb in history, directly to 10 percent or more, when Obama took charge in 2009, unopposed in House and Senate. And is still over 8 percent at this time.
Clearly the Democrats tried to make Bush look bad to get the White House back.
This shows clearly that when Democrats are in office or have control of the House and Senate, we are headed for trouble. In spite of who's in control, Republicans can and have lowered unemployment and bettered the economy.
STEVEN GEISER
Modesto
Why does our president feel he has to keep apologizing to the killing, raping, sodomizing Muslims?
Isn't it time for them to grow up and act like human beings?
They feel they can do anything to us and our country, but we better not complain or hurt their feelings with our free speech!
If the president is right and all this killing, raping and sodomizing is just because of a video posted last July, which nobody saw until 9/11, then isn't it time for us to quit giving them billions of dollars and tell them plainly to just "go fly a kite?"
RALPH RAMSEY
Modesto
Since the day Democrats gave this nation Social security, Medicare/Medicaid, unemployment insurance, Republicans have wanted to kill these programs!
Be careful what you wish for. Because your wish might come true!
And here's the kicker: Once Republicans have killed these programs, the programs become Humpty Dumpty!
And all the king's horses and all the king's men, will never put these programs back together again
JERRY MOSS
Turlock
Never in my worst dreams could I imagine that the day would come when an American president would stand up and urge companies to break federal law and then, amazingly, tell them under his personal authority that the taxpayers would pay their penalties.
But that's exactly what President Barack Obama has done – and worst of all, for political reasons during an election.
Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) Act, employers are required to give workers a minimum of 60 days notice before potential mass layoffs. Major layoffs, expected for defense contractors, are likely due to massive defense cuts that are slated to occur Jan. 2.
Robert Stevens, chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, one of the largest defense contractors in the key battleground state of Virginia, had told Congress that his company was looking at laying off about 10,000 workers from its workforce of 120,000 employees.
But Obama, always looking out for number one, whether it's flying to Vegas after a terrorist attack or doing fund-raising instead of meeting with Israel's prime minister, told these contractors to break the law.
We have a president who acts unilaterally like a dictator, end runs Congress, breaks our laws and then tells others to break our laws.
MARY PARK
Tracy
Editor's Note: Lockheed Martin is one of many defense contractors that says it will have to make big layoffs if Congress does not modify the Budget Control Act of 2011. Because Congress was unable to reach agree on how to reduce deficit spending and the debt, there are major trigger cuts in 2013. The company's most recent letter to its employees is available at www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/enr/1001-sequestration.html" target="_blank">http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/enr/1001-sequestration.html.
An open letter to the Congress of the Unites States of America.
History shall vilify you, if anybody is left to write it.
Failures:
To eliminate the Fed and restore the U.S. banking system rightfully back to the people.
Supporting the biggest rip-off in history: The bailouts and mortgage fraud.
Not understanding nor reinstating of FDR's Glass/Steagall to get speculation out of banking.
Not supporting new infrastructure projects such as NAWAPA or science driver programs such as NASA.
Not impeaching President Obama for blatant disregard for the Constitution with the evil murder of millions in the middle east.
All this makes you complicit as a murderers, thieves and banker's lackeys.
You are morally unfit to serve and all your bill passing are nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. You are either stupid, cowards, or outright corrupt. In all cases you need to step aside and resign as most of the rest of you clowns on the hill.
By the standards of the Nazi Nuremberg trials, many of you are fit to be hung.
STEPHEN COLEMAN
Modesto
Does Mitt Romney really believe that, as president, he is going to have second (and third) opportunities to explain what he meant? His staff must be exhausted by now.
JANIE MEILY
Modesto
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