Welcome, Mr. President
September 28, 2010 10:06 AM
Today President Obama makes his second visit to Madison since taking office after no sitting president had visited our city since Harry Truman in 1950. He'll find a city that is weathering the Great Recession better than most places, but which, like the rest of the country, still has a long recovery ahead. And like Truman, he's dealing with a country restless for a quicker recovery.
I have used this space more than once to point out the successes of one of the president's leading pieces of legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Streets are being rebuilt, new hybrid busses are carrying passengers and homes and businesses are being weatherized thanks to the stimulus bill. And in our public schools, teachers are not being laid off and class sizes aren't expanding because of follow-up legislation passed a few months ago. The president probably won't get a chance to see those things while he's here, but they're happening because of his leadership.
Economists discovered that we were in recession long after American workers knew it and they now claim we left the recession over a year ago, and that's news to most of those same workers. But, like his policies or not, there's no question that we have a president who cares about us and who's trying hard to turn things around. I may get a moment to have a brief word with him when I meet him at the airport and, on your behalf, that's what I'll say.
Welcome to Madison, Mr. President.
