A president can make a difference

The July 19 Market Beat column, “Why it feels worse than it looks,” hits the nail on the head when it says, “Expectations have a way of becoming fulfilled.”

If the public feels pessimistic, we’ll probably have a recession or worse. If optimistic, we’ll probably recover.

The country’s president has a lot to do with it. Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan had the charisma to generate optimism.

Anyone who wants our economy to recover instead of decline should seriously consider the fact that having a charismatic president helps a lot. It can make the difference.

Bob Gerecke

Claremont

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I agree that this recession only feels worse than it really is. This is because, as you alluded, it is affecting elements of common folks’ lives: the price of gasoline and houses.

I have been in the stock market like most folks with 401(k)s and other investments. You learn that things go down and things go up. If you look at the current economic situation in that light, we are having a confluence of lows that will not remain.

It may pay for people to turn off “American Idol” and pick up a book on world economics. It will show that things are not really that bad; they are just different.

Robert Price

Walnut