PASTOR’S CORNER: Game On PT. II

By Elder Gerald DeForest Tyler

This is the second and final part of “Game On” which I began writing last week in this newspaper. It addresses the ongoing “political warfare” in the race for who will occupy the White House in Washington as the U.S. President for the next four years. I wrote to you last week, forewarning you not to believe the rhetoric and hype being put forth by so many rich Republicans and Tea Party members. They’re gearing up now in a very real way in their attempts to paint a rather bad and false image of President Obama, and his administration, with regard to the success they’ve had in trying to get America back to being more of a super nation. They’re trying quite desperately to prevent his re-election as president, but I pray that it will all end up merely as an “exercise-in-futility” this fall. The Obama Administration has done and continues to do a good job. I encourage you to get your hands on a copy of “The Obama Record” and read it for yourself, rather than listening to the lies of the enemy.

They would like for us to believe that President Obama has increased our national debt more than the previous American presidents since President Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981, but quite the contrary is actually the truth. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, President Reagan’s Administration (1981-1989) increased our national debt by 189 percent; President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) increased it by 55 percent; President William “Bill” Clinton (1993-2001) by 37 percent; President George W. Bush (2001-2009) by 115 percent; and President Barack Obama (2009-April 2011) by only 16 percent. So, once again, do not believe the Republican rhetoric and hype. Numbers don’t lie … people do!

After taking office, President Obama signed the Recovery Act to help get the American economy back on track. As a result of that, the U.S. has seen 22 consecutive months of private-sector job growth. The private sector added more than 3.1 million jobs over those 22 months. Manufacturing added 334,000 jobs in the last two years, and this was the first time since 1997 that manufacturing employment rose. President Obama passed legislation to create jobs and support working Americans, including helping to make the “big three” (i.e., GM, Ford, and Chrysler) all profitable for the first time in years. Again, I encourage you to read the facts found in “The Obama Record” and I can all but assure you that you’ll be truly enlightened and amazed at what his administration has already accomplished during his short tenure as our president.

You’ll find contained in that document some aspect of his record of success pursuant to jobs and the economy, education, environment, equal rights, health care, wall street reform, foreign affairs and national security. President Obama, sometimes in spite of undesirable and unnecessary opposition, is yet keeping promises he made to the American people to bring U.S. military personnel home from fighting wars abroad.

And unlike many wealthy Republicans who seem to be only or mostly concerned with the plight of rich folk; and Mitt Romney who could care less about the very poor among us; President Obama is concerned about all Americans. Yes, “Game On” if you will, President Obama certainly has my vote for another four-year term in the White House to continue his administrative efforts of getting America back to where she once was in international prominence!

Elder Gerald DeForest Tyler is an ordained minister with years of senior pastoral experience.