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Are you better off today, asks the writer, do you feel safer?

To the editor:
Are you better off today than two years ago? Lets look at the facts. The unemployment rate has doubled, from around 2 percent to over 4 percent. Most of us have a job, but we also have probably lost more money in our pension funds than what we gained by the federal and state tax cuts of the last two years. Some of you may directly have invested in the stock market and lost even more money. Hopefully, you did not own stocks in Enron or Worldcom. Both had close ties to the Bush administration and now have junk bond status, as there executives walked away with millions. And don t forget that both Bush and Cheney also cashed in their stock holdings before they too lost value. And what about the tax cuts that came from the peopleís surplus. Who got most of it? Not you or me. Where did the surplus go? Some of us questioned the size and how it was distributed? Not only did we not benefit from them, we now must bear the costs of cuts in essential government services, reductions of park hours, school closings and cuts, and cuts in social services. And worse, the government is back in the red, leaving less money to stimulate the economy.
You could also ask, do you feel the world is safer? Again, the answer is no. As a result, the military budget is growing unchecked and crime rates are rising even though our military budget is now more than five times the combined military budgets of the next seven largest militaries in the world. Still, we doní t feel safe! Today it is wall-cities and tomorrow it may be backyard bunkers.
Why have things gone to pot since the Supreme Court gave the Office of the President to George Bush? He campaigned on the need for a tax cut, arguing that the economy needed a stimulus, undermining the public s confidence in the economy. When the economy did go sour; a quick recovery became a pipe dream because of the size of the tax cut, the September 11th attack, the growing deficit, and the surfacing of illegal accounting practices of some of the biggest corporations in America. The deficit was fueled by a growing military budget. The latter was the result of conflicts in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq. You might ask yourself to what degree were the conflicts fueled by Bushí s saber-rattling, unilateral treaty cancellations, and his demonizing of the rest of the world. The Afghan war isnít even over and he is threatening to attack Iraq. And there is more, Bush has eliminated environmental protections, blurred the separation of church and state with his faith-based initiatives and set back race relations 20 years. I think it is a time for a change!
Vote DFL and bring back peace and prosperity. Vote for candidates that have local roots, demonstrated local commitment to our concerns, and have been endorsed by their respective party, such as Twyla Ring and Monica Abress. Together we can turn this around with leadership that puts people first and supports DFL values of small business, family farms, labor, education, tax justice, gender and racial equality, social justice, stewardship of the environment, conservation and not elitism.
Robert G. Walz
North Branch

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