Editor:
      The following statement is one that some will certainly disagree with; however, I am at the point that this statement can be adequately backed up with the facts at hand. President Obama is the worst president in the modern era. This is more obvious now than at any time since his inauguration. Why do I feel this way?
      We have a president who has no leadership qualities, has never had a job that required meeting a payroll, never had a job that required him to handle even small and local crisis issues, and, most telling, cannot make the big decisions in a timely manner.
      It is necessary to give a few examples. About five days after the oil rig explosion - Deepwater Horizon, owned by BP - President Obama should have done two things that still haven't been done in full. First, the Jones Act - an act that states in part that only United States registered vessels are allowed to operate in territorial waters - should have been lifted through a presidential waiver. At that point, foreign vessels from countries that have specialized ships to skim oil from the water could have been on site in a few weeks. The various countries have offered the ships. Why aren't they there? Simple - our president hasn't allowed them.
      Second, immediately after the spill, President Obama should have given special powers to the governors of the Gulf Coast states to do what they thought necessary to protect their own beaches and wetlands. Because of the massive federal regulation, simply pumping sand to build protective barriers is illegal without going through a huge pile of red tape. In "normal" times, this is for the protection of the environment, but this is certainly not a normal situation. Let the governors have the power to protect their own states - and President Obama could do that with the signing of his name.
      President Obama's administration is a major disaster and must be reigned in. He is using the oil spill to push the "clean energy policy" and "cap and trade" that is Obama speak for more socialist agenda which is his major policy agenda. What can we do? First, elect men and women this November who are willing to vote against his dangerous and socialist agenda. We must shrink the federal government - by 25% or more. Our current administration is unwilling to do this and instead, is growing the government at a very rapid - and unsustainable - rate.
      Another, more immediate thing, is to visit the Gulf States that are affected. Take your vacation in one of the distressed areas and spend money, see the sights, be a part of the cleanup and make a vacation that is both fun and will help those who are most in need. As a long time environmentalist, I can tell you now that this is a catastrophe of both size and duration that is unlike any the world has ever seen in modern times. This will affect the coast for over 20 years. The longer Obama sits on his hands and dawdles, the worse it will be.
      There are three groups of people who voted for President Obama. First are those who are also Socialists and believe that Socialism is the best for our country. The second group believe that Obama can still bring the "change" that will bring the United States into the future as a better and more "utopian" nation. The third group are those who now see that Mr. Obama is a liar and all the promises that he made to get elected are simply hot air. To this group - the other two are hopelessly locked into "Obama-anity" - I ask that you seriously look to November and take back Washington and get America back on track. If America continues down the path She is now on, our country will become a third world "utopia" very soon.
      Together, let us seek change in our state and in our nation through the ballot box, work to bring America back to "We the People", and most of all - pray. Thank all of you for reading this and may God Bless America!
Tom Grovenstein

Brooklet