Make room in the middle

Ronald Reagan ran his campaign against the “tax-and-spend Democrats.” His administration then outspent any other administration in history while cutting revenues mainly by reducing the taxes for the rich.

George W. Bush ran his campaign against the “tax-and-spend Democrats.” His administration not only spent more than any other administration but also increased the national debt more than all the former administrations added together. He partially achieved this by reducing taxes for the rich. His administration is also more responsible than anyone else for the great recession. Sorry, I don’t believe FDR was the cause of this.

Now we have all sorts of candidates running for offices claiming they will fix the economy by doing exactly what Reagan and Bush did. What?

Our alternative is a bunch of politicians who will increase social programs requiring more taxes and more spending.

I don’t know of any incumbent that represents what is best for this country. They represent what is best for their financial backers and themselves.

What happened to the moderates? What happened to putting what is best for this country and the electorate first? No wonder this country is floundering.

Charles L. Neill

Spokane

As a mom in Eastern Washington, here’s what tops my list of disgusting political moves: politicians who claim to be one thing when their actions prove otherwise.

Case in point: 18-year incumbent Patty Murray.

Murray is seeking a fourth six-year term. That’s right, fourth. This “mom in tennis shoes” claims to have the values of Washington’s families at heart. Really?

Murray’s tennis shoes have come at our expense. Thanks to her vote on Obamacare, I can expect my heath care premiums to rise, should I even be able to keep the same quality of insurance my family currently has.

Thanks to Murray’s recent vote, Washington’s small business can count on having to collect and file hundreds of thousands of receipts to comply with new 1099 IRS reporting, just to help finance the gargantuan spending spree that is Obamacare.

And thanks to Murray’s supposed dedication to Washington workers, I can count on her to put “financial reform” ahead of saving jobs on her list of priorities. She said so herself during an interview with The News Tribune. Fabulous.

I’m a mom, too. I often wear tennis shoes. And on Nov. 4, I’ll be wearing them to go vote – for Dino Rossi.

Mary L. Harrell

Spokane

I have to admit I’m a little flummoxed by your editorial on graffiti from Sept. 28. In this piece, you seem to blame everyone but the graffiti vandals themselves for this eyesore on our community.

To write that Eric Walker has only issued two citations in two years ignores the issue that Walker is but one graffiti abatement coordinator, working on a shoestring, grant-funded budget for a city of over 200,000 inhabitants. Walker does what he can with the budget he has and is bound by the current regulations that give businesses 10 days to remove graffiti before they can be cited.

Businesses have stepped up to the plate and abated vandalism they find, with few exceptions, and, according to your own editorial, Walker has cited those who have refused to comply with the ordinance. If this area wants meaningful graffiti abatement we have to be willing to pay for it.

It’s time to recognize the work Walker has done and give him the support he needs by finding a source to fund his budget and enhance his enforcement ability by also funding a staff he can utilize. This would better befit a city the size of Spokane.

Matthew Walton

Spokane Valley