THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608290003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 27 lines
I wish to correct misinformation in Harry Weimar's ``Excessive spending caused deficit'' (letter, Aug. 26).
It is an enduring myth among Republicans that the ``tax and spend'' Democrats caused the deficits, not the Reagan tax cuts. The fact is that during the Reagan/Bush era, the budgets approved by Congress were slightly smaller than the budgets proposed by the Republican presidents. Has Weimar forgotten the huge defense buildup of the Reagan era? There is no question that the deficits ballooned out of control with the Reagan supply-side tax cuts coupled with increased defense spending.
There is no magic in any proposed U.S. constitutional amendment to balance the budget. Such an amendment is simply unenforceable. The only way to attack the deficit is through fiscal prudence. Under President Clinton the budget deficit has dropped from $290 million to an estimated $116 million, largely due to a Democratic tax increase.
To reduce the deficit further, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will have to be curbed - something neither party is willing to put on the table at present.
JEFF JOHNSON
Suffolk, Aug. 26, 1996 by CNB