THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090005
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A20 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
If the statistics quoted in ``Budget watchdogs have lawmakers for breakfast'' (local news, Oct. 29) are true, it would seem the correct candidates to have chosen in our just-concluded election would be those promising to raise taxes significantly and reduce ``entitlement'' programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
The non-partisan Concord Coalition claims that in 15 years, interest and entitlements alone will cost us all of our government revenues. I found this fact to be alarming. I questioned the veracity of this claim, so I asked some friends if they were even slightly surprised.
You see, I have lived my entire life in a bubble where people select the candidate who promises not to raise taxes or cut entitlements. I have always assumed that the politician who vowed to protect my pocketbook was an honorable man and deserved to hold office as long as he continued to do so.
The friends I asked did not seem very troubled that 62 cents of every dollar goes toward interest and entitlements. So I asked: How does one reduce the deficit? The unanimous answer was to cut programs and raise taxes to painful levels.
You published an article (Oct. 25) titled ``The budget truth no politician speaks'' that supports the Concord Coalition's findings. Apparently, the information that disturbed me has been common knowledge in our Capitol for some time.
Why have I been applauding those who have promised to do so much harm for all these years? Did it really take Budget Director Alice Rivlin's memo to President Clinton to reveal such ugly truths? Has the bubble in which I've lived my entire adult life encompassed us all?
It would seem the vast majority of us have suffered from political delusions. We elect those who promise to maintain the status quo, and then curse them for not reducing the deficit.
How long can politicians hide the obvious from the public?
Granted, a large number of us benefit from these entitlements. The Congressional Research Service claims that 52 percent of us receive government financial support in some way, shape or form.
We, as Americans, must certainly soon realize that it's time to tighten our belts and make some very unpleasant political decisions. It would seem that we should do this very soon, or do we want to wait 15 years to find out that the Concord Coalition is right?
KENNETH W. SAUCER
Virginia Beach, Oct. 31, 1994 by CNB