To the editor:
In this politically charged, critical election year, President Obama's final State of Union address was largely nonpartisan; most poignantly, it addressed the broken political system in America. ("Looking to the future in his last State of the Union, Obama rekindles a familiar refrain: Hope," Jan. 12)
Even the staunchest critics of Obama would have to acknowledge that the national unemployment rate is much lower than what the president inherited in 2009 and that the United States is an island of stability given the grim global economic situation.
Above all, the peace-loving world looks toward this country for leadership on important issues.
The biggest takeaway from Obama's speech is that regardless of which party wins the White House in 2016, unless we fix our country's divisive political climate, shared progress in America is only a dream.
Atul M. Karnik, Woodside, N.Y.
Note from KBJ: I don't understand the oft-repeated claim that our political system is "broken." It's working exactly as intended and exactly as it should. Most of those who register this complaint are progressives, and what they seem to be saying is that they're frustrated by Barack Obama's inability to get everything he wants. By the way, the "unemployment rate" is a dishonest number, for it fails to count as unemployed people who have given up on searching for a job. It also fails to count the underemployed. How much do you want to bet that when we get a Republican president, Atul M. Karnik will be saying this very thing? As for this country's political climate being "divisive," that's a good thing, not a bad thing. There are different visions of the good and the right. These visions get reflected in the political realm. It is a sign of health, not something to be regretted.
