In a letter to the editor submitted Wednesday, Susan Stephenson of Slippery Rock asks a compelling question of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler.

“As President Obama begins his eighth year in office, and you begin your sixth, please publicly answer this question for your constituents,” Stephenson writes. “What has President Obama done over your six years in office, and/or legislation he has sent to the Hill with which you agree?

“I would like a straightforward answer,” her letter concludes.

We wanted to hear a straightforward answer too, so we forwarded her letter to Kelly spokesman Thomas Qualtere. Here’s his response:

“While Rep. Kelly and President Obama may disagree on fundamental principles, they do share common goals in several specific areas of concern. These include combating human trafficking, preventing veteran suicides, and expanding international market opportunities for American-made products.

“On each of these topics, Rep. Kelly gave his enthusiastic support to bipartisan legislation which President Obama ultimately signed into law last year (the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, and the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act).

“Just before Christmas, the president also signed legislation which included nine separate tax relief bills previously introduced by Rep. Kelly. Additionally, the congressman is one of three Republican House members who currently sit on the President’s Export Council.”

It’s enlightening that the question was asked mere hours before Obama’s final State of the Union address, delivered Wednesday night.

His speech was described this way by Associated Press writer Erica Werner:

“Addressing a hostile Republican-led Congress and a country plunged in a tumultuous, at times angry presidential campaign, Obama used his final State of the Union address to summon an affirmative vision of his administration and for the future. He rebutted critics, naysayers and the GOP White House hopefuls, but also acknowledged his own failure to transform the country’s bitter politics and unite the nation. With a year left in office, he presented that task as more urgent than ever and pleaded with voters to turn away from harsh voices and come together.”

In a statement released after Obama’s address, Kelly said the president ignored some glaring facts.

“He portrayed our economy as acceptably strong when growth is in fact nowhere near as robust as it could and should be. He spoke of national security, but completely ignored the international instability that his policies are leaving behind and has made us less safe. He proposed an expensive and utterly unrealistic list of new programs for taxpayers to fund but did not mention our near-$19 trillion national debt even once,” Kelly said.

And while he’s quick to admit the worsening division among Americans and their government, “he failed to take any responsibility for deliberately pitting different groups of citizens against each other and pushing the boundaries of his power beyond the Constitution’s limits.”

No doubt, Kelly and the president disagree on fundamental principles.

Kelly pleaded for Americans to replace Obama with a Republican. “The nation needs a new president to restore unity, prosperity, strength and confidence to our republic more than ever,”

Obama’s plea for a Democratic successor was a little less explicit, but just as urgent.

“Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested,” Obama said. “Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention.”

Ironically, Obama and Kelly are seeking the same outcome: a more civil government.