They didn't support Clinton

It is shocking to me the great lengths Republicans or Bush-lovers take to protect the president. Nancy Bell's letter, "Bush is working to help the American people," is the typical rhetoric used to shield President Bush from criticism.

The right wing would have all of America believe that the morality and integrity of Bush are qualities alone that deserve his re-election. A closer look would reveal a much different picture than Republicans are trying to paint.

Four and half years ago, when Bush was running against Sen. John McCain in the primary, Bush sustained some early setbacks to the Arizona senator andstarted degrading ads to help turn the tide. Which brings a question to mind: Does his careless assault on highly decorated Vietnam War heroes ever end?

Mrs. Bell goes on to declare that the war against Iraq was justified because we removed a brutal dictator from power. I wonder if she remembers that the reason for going to war was because Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and was linked to terrorist groups. I can't remember one person dying from President Clinton's lie. I do remember waging a war against and the removal of Slobadan Milosevic, another ruthless dictator, during Clinton's administration.

In her reference to the jobless rate, Mrs. Bell states that we currently have an unemployment rate below the average during the Clinton years. I noticed she used the term average. That is significant because we had a high unemployment rate when Clinton took office. It took some time to undo the mess left after 12 years of Republican rule. The jobless rate fluctuates constantly and at one point was below 5 percent under Clinton, a figure not seen since.

According to Mrs. Bell the government should be flat broke because a budget surplus means the government collected too much. Does this mean it should collect more when we run a deficit? We pay taxes so the government can institute programs that benefit us all, and a budget surplus is the result of financial responsibility. Nest eggs are used when we fall on hard times. This is the same reason a family sets money aside.

Conservatives like to argue that we are safer with Bush as president. This is a man who not only has polarized this country but alienated us from foreign countries. The only thing we are safe from is a bright future. I would feel safer if Bush lived in Texas and we had a man in the Oval Office who knows what it's like to serve his country in actual combat.

Being a fair-minded man, I'm willing to make a deal with right wingers. I'll give Bush as much support as they gave Clinton.

Gary R. Minch, Jr.
West Alexander

Send letters to the editor to lflorian@observer-reporter.com