Jun 27, 2015 2 min read

I’ve been fortunate to be able to call Bracken Burns a friend and follow parishioner for decades. However, his diatribe in the June 22 Observer-Reporter was deeply troubling. First of all, I’m saddened that my friend adheres to “speech codes.” This is akin to trying to prove the bogeyman lives under your bed by looking for his footprints in the snow during July. Hatred is blatant and unsubtle. It’s in your face.

Nobody in their right mind would condone the recent shooting rampage in Charleston, S.C. But to accuse people of wanting to take their country back as “code” for racism is absolutely repugnant. What this phrase means is that America is no longer a nation “of, by, and for We, The People” and we want our country back. America is run by a cadre of progressive, self-appointed elites in both political parties bent on ruining the greatest country on earth. Somehow, disagreeing with the current president isn’t legitimate debate, either.

Because of Obama’s policies since he became president, 11,472,000 Americans have left the work force, the number of Americans on welfare has hit record highs, a record 20 percent of Americans were on food stamps in 2013, and the almost 11 million Americans getting disability payments is now approaching the population of Cuba.

Also, through 2013, the Obama administration had imposed new regulations on businesses that cost $46 billion a year, taxpayers lost $25 billion on Obama’s bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, and, when he was running for the White House, Obama called Bush “unpatriotic” for adding so much to the debt and promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. Yet, the national debt is up $7 trillion since Obama became president. That’s more debt than all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Bill Clinton combined.

None of these things have anything to do with the color of the president’s skin. Burns should know better.

John A. Quayle

North Franklin