Sunday, January 15, 2017

This Meme


A Facebook friend recently posted this meme in an effort to highlight the failures of President Obama.  This is unfortunate because this graphic is full of misinformation.  Let’s check it out:

Eight years of war – False.  Obama ended the wars by 2014.  American involvement in the Middle East is now limited to advisory positions and training.  In total, fewer than 100 American troops have died in the Middle East over the last 2 years.  In all, Obama oversaw 6 years of war and was criticized by most conservatives for ending the wars too early.

Lowest economic growth in American history – Misleading.  The lowest economic trend in American history was the Great Depression which lasted a decade. It is true Obama oversaw the flattest and longest recovery in post-war history, but most economists do not see this as a bad thing.  High economic growth exceeding 3% is considered too fast.  In this case, the Federal Reserve will typically enact policies to slow the pace and reduce the threat of a crash.  The Federal Reserve recently warned that if Donald Trump were to apply aggressive growth efforts the Fed may act against him to keep growth from reaching a dangerous pace.  Obama’s flat recovery averaging 1.5% over his term has resulted in the longest period of constant expansion and increased employment.  The Federal Reserve recently suggested computer technology and other global factors are contributing to a flatter new economy.

Record number of mass shootings – True for every President.  This number has been growing every decade throughout American history.  There is no linkage between a growing number of mass shootings through every decade of history, and who is President.

Record number of terrorist attacks in America – True for every President.  This is closely related to the mass shootings claim above, and includes many of the same data points.  Again, there is no linkage between this growing concern and who is President.  In fact, during most of Obama’s term the U.S. government was using enhanced anti-terrorist tactics enacted by the Patriot Act in 2001.  This statistic proves the Patriot Act did not work although it is still in effect.

Record number of people on food stamps – True, but only due to the recession.  Keep in mind, population is constantly growing, so any claim of “record number of people” is a function of larger population.  The true cost of welfare must be compared to GDP.  Welfare expenses have now leveled off to a 50-year average.

Record high health insurance costs – True for every President since 1970.  The rate of increase actually leveled off since Obamacare was passed.  The 50 year average increase in medical spending has was about 8% per year, but after Obamacare the rate of increase dropped down to around 4%.

Record high national debt – True for every President since 1950.  Inflation will always produce record highs.  When measured in relation to GDP, the highest debt actually occurred at the end of WWII and has not returned to that level.

Worst rioting since 1967 – False.  The list of civil unrest incidents from 1968 to 1975 exceeds the number during Obama's term.  Many riots during Obama’s term were racially motivated due to the perception of unfair treatment of African Americans by the police.  When the first black president was elected, many hoped race was no longer a factor.  This hope caused a great deal of disappointment as minorities reckoned with the idea that racism still exists.  Rioting occurred due to unmet expectations.

Highest poverty level in American history – False.  Even during the Great Recession poverty levels never reached numbers prior to 1960.

And this is what liberals call success – False.  Since the prior statements are either false (3 times), misleading (1), or true for every other modern President (4 times), these statements have little to do with the President’s performance, and nothing to do with anyone’s opinion of success.  What should Americans call success?  I will give you a few ideas:

Highest level of renewable energy production in history
Highest level of energy independence since 1970
Highest number of immigrant deportations in U.S. history
Highest number of new jobs in U.S. history
Highest percentage of health insured citizens in U.S. history
Equal marriage rights for LGBT’s
Stock market performance better than any Republican president in U.S. history (but approximately equal to Ronald Reagan)
Killing of Osama Bin Laden, and covert drone killings of 2,500 additional terrorists

This is success.  Any questions?

Tony F.
2017

1 comment:

  1. It has become painfully clear that logic, reason, and truthful information have become irrelevant to many people. Thank you for finding actual information to share.

    ReplyDelete