Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

GOP spent most for past administration

Many Republicans like to blame Obama for leaving a $19 trillion debt when he left office. Mr. Jaronik neglected to say, and maybe he doesn’t know, that under our Constitution the president can’t spend any money. It has to be approved by Congress.

The Republicans controlled Congress for six of the last eight years of the Obama administration. That amounts to 75 percent of the time. Moreover, the Republicans were offered a spending cut on social programs of $4 trillion in exchange for closing some tax loopholes and slightly increasing taxes for the rich and super-rich.

Boehner, speaker of the House at that time, presented the offer to his party and it was abruptly refused by the Tea Party, which was represented by Eric Canter. So to say or imply that Obama was unconcerned about the Republicans running up the national debt is misleading at the very least.

Ron Paul, a Republican, has criticized the Republicans for wasteful spending in our military. He condemns the fact that we have so many military bases scattered all over the world, and that we meddle in the affairs of different governments.

If Republicans really wanted to cut unnecessary spending they would take a very close look at our military industrial complex. I doubt they ever will because too many Republican politicians are well greased from the kickbacks of military contracts. The military-industrial complex and health care through insurance companies, both very wasteful programs, are sacred cows for the Republicans, and they are very costly for taxpayers.

I agree with Mr. Jaronik that we should not be Uncle Sugar for so many different governments. We should insist that any government wanting our support must first do all it can to achieve peace and integrity within its own institutions before we consider giving it assistance. As far as being a ‘soothsayer”, the markets have already verified who is correct.

Jim Ferrell

A balanced budget is the answer to federal deficit

I am making comment in response to a recent letter/opinion published from Jim Ferrell regarding federal deficits.

I have no affiliation with any political party. Mr. Ferrell sounds as if he may be a Democrat by the way he writes and seemingly wishes to blame deficit woes upon Republicans.

In fact, percentage-wise, the biggest deficit in federal spending was had with Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat at a whopping 775 percent increase, followed by Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, at 186 percent increase, and Ronald Reagan, a Republican, at 142 percent.

Obama vs. Bush results in a tie at 57 percent. Dollar-wise, Obama was the biggest spender at a $6.69 TRILLION deficit and Bush at a $3.293 TRILLION deficit.

The lowest deficit spending goes to Calvin Coolidge, a Republican, at a $5 billion surplus and a 26 percent decrease in the deficit, Harry Truman, a Republican, at a 2 percent decrease and Bill Clinton (yuck), a Democrat, who had a budget surplus and a 1 percent decrease in the deficit.

In the last hundred-plus years there has been one Democratic president that had a decrease in the deficit and a surplus in the budget.

There have been two Republican presidents that have had a decrease in the deficit and a surplus in the budget.

Neither party has really done a very good job with budgets but Republican presidents win by a 2 to 1 margin.

However, what most people tend to forget is that budgets and laws are not made by the president, with possible exception by executive orders.

Both houses of Congress pass budgets and make laws, the president only signs or vetos them.

What is the only REAL solution to the “out of control” deficits?

It is called a MANDATORY balanced budget with deficit reductions, term limits for ALL politicians.

Dave Bradley