Deficits, Unemployment & An Economy in Decline--Achievements & Milestones?

This week the president will take the stage and make his case for a second term.  Without making it seem like he is begging for a second chance, he is going to have to highlight some of his successes.

(Wait, what were those again?)

Image from NBCnews.com

In all fairness, there were a few significant milestones which were reached under his leadership, but I'll bet that we won't hear mention of even one.  Why?  Because these milestones are nothing to brag about.

Like it or not, these "milestones" all happened under his watch:

1) Thresholds Crossed in Deficit
In the next few days, the U.S. deficits will reach the $16 trillion mark.  The debt obligation for each tax payer has now reached $140,000.  (Translated, each tax payer would have to pay $140,000 to the government in order to pay off these debts.  Last time I checked, most Americans are having a hard enough time paying their own bills let alone the excessive and immoral spending habits of our politicians).

More money has been spent and borrowed in one term than the total of every previous administration combined.  Hmm.  There was a time in 2008 when Candidate Obama rebuked President Bush for the $4 trillion he added to the deficit in his 8 years in office.  He even branded such deficits as "unpatriotic."

If that was the standard, Mr. President what does $5 trillion in 3 1/2 years say about you?

2) Unprecedented Stimulus Bill was Passed
An unprecedented $800 billion was spent in an effort to artificially stimulate our economy--it didn't work.  Our president promised that this money would bring unemployment below 8%.  It hasn't been below 8% in 42 months.

23 Million Americans are still out of work.

3) Milestones in Poverty Rates
1 in 6 Americans are now living at or below the poverty level.  As the New York Times reported, this is the highest number in 52 years.

4) Record Levels of Americans on Food Stamps
1 in 7 Americans are now dependent on food stamps.  This is the highest number in our country's history.

5) First Ever Downgrade in U.S. Credit Rating
One year ago, Standard & Poor downgraded the country's AAA credit rating.  This is the first time in history.

6) Health Care Reform
President Obama was the first president to achieve health care reform in America.  Will he boast about such an achievement?

Don't count on it.  He doesn't want to remind us that only 35% of Americans supported it at the time it passed.

Image from Zimbio.com

He doesn't want to remind Americans that this bill passed with rumors of back room deals and bribes in order to get the votes needed from members of his own party. And that it passed without one Republican vote--a party which represents the ideology of nearly 50% of Americans.

Health Care Reform--the president isn't talking about this achievement because he knows that we didn't want it then and we still don't want it now.

He doesn't want to remind anyone for two critical years he focused on health care reform while millions of Americans were losing their jobs, their homes and their livelihood.

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Deficits, unemployment, and an economy in decline -- achievements and milestones?

The president may have promised "Hope and Change," but like it or not, these achievements are what his policies produced.

The president has 64 days to make the case that it was all worth it.  Mitt Romney has 64 days to make the case that it wasn't.

Image from politico.com

This week, the Democrats will make their case.  Without mention of milestones, what are we going to hear about at the Democratic National Convention?  Most likely incessant blaming of a predecessor -- that women deserve free birth control -- and that the wealthy need to pay their "fair share."

Are those really the solutions to these uncertain times?

Can we really afford to find out if the president will get it right the second time around?  Because right now, the president is essentially asking us to put his job security ahead of our financial stability.

President Obama may want a second term, but has he earned it?

I would argue, absolutely not.

For this reason, I will continue to support the one candidate in this race whose resume actually reflects someone who turned deficits into surpluses, bankruptcy into profitability, saw decreases in unemployment rates, and a leader who accomplished it all with bipartisan support, without raising taxes, and without borrowing a single dollar.

Image from Wall Street Journal

Milestones--we just need the right leader to help us achieve the milestones that matter.

Go Mitt.