THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 24, 1995 TAG: 9507220003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Every so often, some Democrats, not all, will surface to condemn the $4 trillion national debt, which they attribute to the 12 years of Republican leadership under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
In a letter June 19, Lamar Jackson of Norfolk cites the $1 trillion debt that President Carter left against the appalling $4 trillion debt that the Republicans addressed.
President Carter left the White House with our military in shambles. A typical example was to authorize an attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, which is now shameful history. Inadequate planning and defective helicopters were due to lack of appropriations for the military.
President Reagan, with resolute courage and strong convictions, restored our military to a might so formidable that the Soviet Union crumbled in an effort to counteract our threat. This was an integral part of our $4 trillion debt that the 12 Republican years left today equates to approximately $15,000 per capita.
Is an American's life worth only $15,000?
Today, the Cold War has been curtailed and millions of Americans, including President Clinton and his constituents, and millions of Russians are alive and living in peaceful harmony as opposed to a scenario of death and destruction had these two great military powers engaged in nuclear warfare.
Americans must be aware that maintaining a strong defense is expensive, but the alternative, considering the fanaticism of Iraq, Iran and Libya, could be the death of our nation.
T. G. CHRISTOPOULOS
Virginia Beach, July 12, 1995 by CNB