As we approach the final leg of the 2012 presidential election campaign, it helps to examine a few statistics that tell the tale about President Barack Obama's performance in office:

Unemployment rate:

January 2008 -- less than 5%

January 2012 -- 8.5%

Workforce increases/decreases between January 2008 and January 2011:

Federal Government -- +11.79%

Private Sector -- -6.6%

Percent of people who pay no federal income taxes:

January 2008 -- 36.3%

January 2012 -- 51%

Deficit as a percent of GDP:

January 2008 -- 3.21%

January 2012 -- 6.96%

Debt as a percent of GDP:

January 2008 -- 69%

January 2012 -- more than 100%

U.S. poverty rate:

2008 -- 13.2%

2010 -- 15.1%

Percent of population on food stamps:

2008 -- 12%

2011 -- 15%

President Obama says that statistics like the ones I listed show how deep the Great Recession was and that he didn't create it.The blame, he says, belongs to President George W. Bush. 

While it's true that President Bush contributed to the problems we face today, these are undeniable facts: President Bush has been out of office for 3 years; the downward spiral in every major category has accelerated under President Obama; and on President Obama's watch, the United States is rapidly becoming an insolvent nation. These are good reasons not to support Obama in 2012.

Neil Snyder is a chaired professor emeritus at the University of Virginia.  His blog, SnyderTalk.com, is posted daily.  His latest book is titled If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You're Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You're Not an Idiot.