Letters: Life not so great after 8 years of Obama

Mike Evatt’s view of the past 74 months is that we should be grateful for the utopian America in which we now all live (“Better off than eight years ago? Definitely,” May 19).

Unfortunately, the condition in which the vast majority of Americans find themselves is quite different. Let’s look at the facts:

After two years of Obamacare, 28.6 million Americans were still uninsured, with insurance premiums rising significantly each year. The average family income during this period has dropped by more than $4,000. The official unemployment rate is in the 5 percent range, but it does not include those who have stopped looking for work, leaving the real unemployment rate around 10 percent. We have a smaller proportion of Americans working than anytime in the past 30 years, with a workforce participation rate of 62 percent. The country is more divided and divisive than I can ever remember, and Herbert Hoover was president when I was born.

Unfortunately, America has gotten to this point because the politicians of both parties have totally failed their constituents. Now we will reap what they sowed if we don’t wake up. I’ll be glad to set the alarm clock for Mr. Evatt.