Letter: Budget seriousness dubious

The government recently stood on the brink of shutdown. Let’s analyze a few facts related to this situation.

The Republicans swept into a House majority on the promise of job creation and deficit reduction. The first order of business was adding $800 billion to the deficit through extending the Bush tax cuts. Since then, they have tried to make the case with a straight face that it is time to shore up spending by targeting the most successful government programs and old enemies like NPR.

Meanwhile, unions are getting busted in the heartland and the corporate tax rate is a pittance for those corporations who pay tax at all. The average American is being ground underfoot.

Will these public servants, including our own, who are so happy to stand behind the troops, now deny them pay? Are the political contributions from big business truly worth gutting Head Start? Do the working men and women of this nation once again have to bear the brunt of trickle-down theory that has failed time and again? Is it worth gutting Social Security and Medicaid to prevent taking in as much as we spend?

Tim Hamm

Spokane