Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

Re “Some Fiscal Reality” (editorial, Nov. 11):

The current federal budget deficit was caused mainly by unnecessary wars and related military spending, the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, and large tax cuts and bailouts for the rich, all stemming from the Bush administration.

Now a bipartisan commission proposes that we solve the long-term deficit “problem” by cutting back Social Security, Medicare and other social welfare programs. Thus the poor, the sick and the elderly would pay for the tax breaks and bailouts for the already wealthy.

The Republicans have made it clear that they have only one economic goal: making the rich richer. Are there no Democrats left with any backbone?

Robert Ortner
Short Hills, N.J., Nov. 12, 2010

The writer was chief economist and under secretary of commerce during the Reagan administration and is the author of “Voodoo Deficits.”

Note from KBJ: This man loses his credibility when he says that Republicans have a goal of making the rich richer. That's like saying that Democrats have a goal of making the poor poorer.