Obama’s economic rescue vs. the Bush catastrophe

The latest April job numbers came in last week and added a respectable 223,000 new jobs driving the unemployment rate, which is down to 5.4 percent, the lowest since March 2008. That current rate is down by half from the peak of 9.9 percent. Under the leadership of President Obama, April was the 62nd consecutive month of job increases, the longest uninterrupted job growth in recent history. In light of all of Obama’s economic success, you might expect Republicans to acknowledge his leadership. Instead, Republicans are whining that Obama took too long in restoring the economy from the mess they left him. Contrast that to President George W. Bush, who ended his term with a catastrophic economic collapse resulting in monumental job losses and near economic ruin that he dumped on Obama. In six years, Obama has produced five times more jobs than George W. Bush did in his full eight years. President Obama received an American economy in free-fall, rescued it from depression and has gradually returned it to record prosperity. Imagine if Jeb Bush is the Republican nominee claiming we need to go back to the Bush days that ended in economic collapse and depression.

Rick Smith
-Urbandale

A terrorist connection at last

After 14 years of a grim payback war for the 9/11 hit, Iowa at last has a terrorist connection. This week four, pro Hezbollah scum from Cedar Rapids were thrown into the can for “allegedly” smuggling heavy machine guns to Lebanon for a planned “Bullets over Beirut” production. This hot cha cha news has moved hog prices and toxic hens off the front page and into the Food Section. Linn County has given every Iowa Film producer— without a jail record — a boffo Midwest Film Noir plot. Picture this: A pack of grinning gunsels in a seedy Iowa motel room off the interstate are sitting on a bed planning world destruction while torching off their smokes with lit pieces of the American flag. On the phone is the gun mol wife of one of the terror grifters ordering mucho armament from Glenn’s Guns and Grenades, A Family Friendly Weapons Emporium. “I want to order bullets. How many? About a ton, and don’t tell anyone.” The Feds break in, bash the bad guys and brace the babe. They get the skinny on the deadly cargo heading for Hotel Hezbollah. NBC news squid Brian Williams lands in an Army chopper for an on the fly interview with the four as they are perp-walked into Farmer John’s barn for a quick trial. Williams, suffused with dreams of his professional redemption, dashes for the camera. He assures America that he’s got the goods, the inside story and the name of the Mr. Big who set up the gun smuggling deal. He leans into the lens for a toothy close up. Here’s his scoop: “George Bush did it!” he beams. A great ending: Iowa has given up her baddies, and, of course, America is safe. Fade out to peppy music from the Bill Riley Stage. C’mon America, the movie will be a smash. Everyone loves boffo revenge movies, even Hezbollah. It’s a cinch.

Gary Wilson
-Des Moines

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