Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993                   TAG: 9305030276
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: F-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

IT'S THE DEFICIT, STUPID!

During President Johnson's five years in the White House, he adopted and promoted the dangerous idea that deficit spending by the federal government is OK, even when the nation is not at war. He created social entitlement programs that left the government politically unable to control. Entitlement programs consume 65 percent of all government spending on everything except interest on the national debt. During President Kennedy's term, only 30 percent of the budget went to entitlement programs.

Politicians can always buy votes for themselves by generously adding new groups to existing entitlement programs.

Now look at Clinton's proposed $16.3 billion spending program to create jobs. Government spending puts money into an economy without adding any additional goods to spend the money on, and what do you have? Inflation.

The federal debt is the biggest threat facing our country, and we are headed for bankruptcy if our elected officials do not act to lower the deficit instead of adding to it. This is a crisis. We must make our elected officials accountable for their actions. FRANCES E. HALSEY GALAX