These numbers show Democratic presidents outperformed Republicans on the economy

Dems, the economy

Polls show many Americans favor Trump’s handling of the economy. There is a general perception that Republican presidents have done better in this regard.

But Forbes did a study of stock market performance for each president since 1929 thru Obama’s first term. The annualized return on investment for Democratic presidents has been 10.8 % vs 1.7% for Republican presidents.

Several published studies show a similar, though not as dramatic, advantage for Democratic presidents for GDP growth. In the modern era (including Trump), the highest average annual GDP growth rates were achieved by Kennedy, Johnson, and Clinton.

Certainly these are complex parameters, influenced by more than just which party is in the president’s office. However, they should remove any fear we have of how well a Democrat will handle the economy and teach us not to automatically favor the Republican candidate with respect to the economy.

Ken Stephenson, Raleigh

Trump, the RNC

Testimonials by so many representatives of our populace on how actions taken by our president have resulted in positive results for them and our nation were more convincing than all the negative press that has been directed at President Trump. Not even Fox News could have presented a stronger rationale for voting for Donald Trump than the speakers Monday night at the RNC!

Lane Schroeder, Chocowinity

A disturbing pattern

News stories from the past week:

▪ Sen. Phil Berger got paid twice for housing expenses — once by the state, once by donors.

▪ David Lewis pleaded guilty to using campaign funds for himself.

▪ GOP donor Greg Lindberg got seven years for bribery.

▪ Former state GOP chair Robin Hayes got probation for his part in Lindberg’s scheme.

▪ Former presidential adviser Steve Bannon got arrested, accused of stealing from a fund he promised donors would go 100% to “build the wall.”

Anyone see a theme developing here? Has fiscal conservatism turned into stuff your own pockets?

Michael Schaul, Raleigh

End this lockdown

My 17-year-old nonverbal autistic son resides in an intermediate care facility. My husband and I have been unable to truly visit with him for six months. This is emotional abuse.

He has a moderate intellectual disability and does not comprehend why mom and dad suddenly stopped coming to pick him up for visits and outings. He does not understand why he stopped riding the bus to school, why he is unable to visit his home or see his siblings, or spend time with his service dog.

The only time we’ve seen our son is at the hospital for severe seizures or monthly infusions. We’ve lost precious time with our son, missing his birthday, his siblings’ birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.

We want Gov. Roy Cooper to end this lockdown of people in congregate facilities. It is cruel and abusive to continue it.

Susan Osborn, New Bern

Junk mail revenue

I do not agree with recent Forum writers that suspension of marketing mail (junk or bulk mail) will help the post office with election mail. This class of mail is an important contributor to USPS revenue.

As a 40-year veteran of the printing and mailing industry, I have seen how the post office manages the mail during election season. Completed ballots are returned as first class mail and get delivered in bulk to the local election office. They do not overload local post offices and carriers.

We should not worsen the USPS financial crisis by eliminating an important source of their revenue.

Mike Davis, Raleigh

Reopening schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent parents and educators like me into a panic as we begin to reopen schools across North Carolina. Instead of thoughtfully advising that we do so with necessary precautions and safety measures in place, the Trump administration has attempted to bully states into sending children back to school.

Make no mistake, as teachers, we are ready to be back in the classroom with our students and we recognize the burden that many parents have had to take on with their children at home. That said, as students head back to school, we cannot cut corners when it comes to keeping everyone safe.

The Trump-Pence administration has left us with little guidance and prioritized the economy over our safety.

Kristin Beller

Wake NCAE president

COVID on campus

University presidents and other administrators have PhDs and other commendable degrees. Congratulations to them for their achievements. But in terms of common sense, they appear to need remedial instruction. I’m flummoxed that administrators didn’t see this coming when students returned to campuses. PhDs are great, but how about a little horse sense?

Robert Harris, Raleigh