OBAMA: He took away our treats

The personal losses during Obama’s first term were many: My sister who lived five houses down the street from us (along with my adorable 4-year-old nephew and 13-year-old niece) had to sell their home to move to Williston, N.D., where her husband now works after losing his construction job here in Coeur d’Alene; a beloved sister-in-law had to relocate to California after losing her job locally; my husband and I lost a big chunk of our retirement fund; and for our financially struggling church, the property we bought six years ago is worth about half of what we paid for it.

With the outcome of this election, we now face the dismantling of the greatest health-care system in the world. I was so hoping for a business genius like Mitt Romney to give us some tax and regulation relief, and let free market capitalism and the great American entrepreneur spirit loose, bringing once again the opportunity for growth and prosperity. Alas, it was not to be.

Yes, I admit it: I am a little depressed at the prospect of another four years of an Obama presidency. But the most ominous sign? No, not the certainty of higher taxes and that the stock market (and our remaining retirement fund) lost 5 percent of its value in the first week after the election. The biggest loss of all: no more Twinkies. How much more can we take? America as we know it is truly gone forever!

DENISE GRAVES

Hayden Lake