LETTERS: Deficit is Bush's legacy to Obama

Newsday was editorially correct in placing Christian Browne's piece in the Opinion section because it is certainly devoid of facts.

Browne states that President Barack Obama "claims that the country would have to borrow $700 billion" to pay for the temporary Bush adminstration tax cuts, yet he does nothing to refute this fact. Browne then blames our national debt quandary solely on the first two years of the current administration. What nonsense.

Browne conveniently ignores the years of deficit spending by the Bush administration, as well as his doubling of the national debt during his two terms. Bush's budget left the new president with a $1.3-trillion deficit from day one. Fact.

President George W. Bush also left office without paying for his two wars, his trillion-dollar underestimate for the cost of Medicare Part D, or his "temporary" tax cuts. All of these fiscal issues were left for Obama to fix because Republicans simply pretend they don't exist unless a Democrat lives in the White House.

Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent were clearly not the answer 10 years ago, and it is an even worse idea today.

James A. Coelus

Copiague

I'm so tired of the double-speak of the Republican Party leaders. The latest thing is to constantly speak out against the proposed "Democratic tax increases." What they really mean is the ending of the Republican tax cuts for the wealthy that were put in during the Bush administration.

These cuts, which made millionaires into billionaires, and did nothing for over 95 percent of the American people, were opposed by many of both parties in the Congress. Even Republican John McCain (R-Ariz.), who voted against it at the time, said, "I can't in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax reform."

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the cut would increase the deficit by more than $4 trillion if it was put in long term. To get the approval of the CBO, it was written as a temporary cut and required to expire in 10 years - which is now.

Our deficit has grown tremendously, due to the tax cuts, the cost of the wars and the bad economy. Why should we now let Republicans, once again, push for their agenda of helping the rich and hurting the middle class? It's time for us to pull back the curtain and reveal the truth to everyone.

J.M. Fanelli

Hauppauge

The final paragraph of "Extend tax cuts for middle class" [Editorial, Nov. 16] reads, "Congress needs to heed the growing chorus of voters insisting that government live within its means. And for the taxpaying public, that means we're going to have to get used to paying for what we get."

You unfortunately have it backward. We pay more for what we get, as shown in recent issues of your paper: excessive taxes, excessive remuneration and perks for government employees. What is required is that we get more for what we pay, not that we pay for what we get.

Bernard Kram

Plainview