Letter writer Edward Leventhal might be more believable if he got his facts right. He contends "Obama tripled our national debt." ("Insisting on budget cuts before raising the debt ceiling isn't 'playing chicken,' it's being responsible," June 7)
Facts: When Bill Clinton was our president, he had us on the road to eliminating the national debt within 10 years. Then George W. Bush came along with "vote for me and I will send every American $300." He said this because we had a surplus! A surplus, never heard of, he said this had to be returned to the American people. (Mr. Clinton was going to use it and the future surpluses to pay off the national debt.) But George W. used it to buy the presidency!
Even with giving every American $300 to vote for him, he barely squeaked in!
At that time the national debt was $5.7 trillion. When Mr. Bush left office eight years later, it was $10.7 trillion! Almost double! So it was Mr. Bush who doubled the debt. The national debt now is $14 trillion — a long way from triple its previous level, as Mr. Leventhal says. In fact it's not even 50 percent more, even after spending money to try to get us back on our feet from the disastrous Bush years.
More facts: When Mr. Bush came into office the Dow was at 14,000; when he left it was at 6,000. It is now at 12,000. When Mr. Bush came into office gas was $1.28 a gallon, when he left it was $4.10 a gallon! Now it is $3.74. When he came into office taxes were just right — we had a balanced budget and even a surplus to pay down the debt. When he left our deficit was more than it had ever been with any other president. Because he cut taxes on the rich (twice), he gave free prescriptions to the elderly and he started two wars. None of these things did he pay for!
Cut taxes (on the rich), no subsequent cuts elsewhere to pay for them. Gave free meds to the elderly, but no extra taxes or cuts anywhere else to pay for them. Two wars started but no plans to pay for them! Has any country anywhere at any time started a war without raising taxes to pay for it? I don't think so. If you go to war it has to be paid for.
It is easy to be popular if you cut taxes and there is no pain anywhere, give free stuff and no one pays, start wars and don't ask anyone, except the soldiers, to make any sacrifices.
Now is the time to get into the real world and put right what someone else created.
The Republicans want to put it right by cutting taxes to the wealthy, and cutting services to the poor and middle class.
Sound familiar?
David A Liddle