TO THE EDITOR:

I am very disappointed that none of the presidential candidates don't dare to talk about the greatest enemy that the U.S. has -- the national debt. President Bush has bragged that his tax cuts are working. Yes, and how. During his term in office the national debt has increased over 3 trillion dollars. President Bush has asked Congress to approve of 196 billion dollars to fund the Iraq war this coming year. This has got to stop. An official in Iraq has said the size of the corruption in Iraq exceeds the imagination.

The next president will have to tell the American people the danger of the increasing national debt which could result in our country going bankrupt, which would result in chaos. Our troops need to be brought home -- which would save billions. Taxes will have to be raised across the board. This is a form of homeland security. Yes, sacrifices will have to be made to save our country.

I believe Bill Richardson is the best man to lead our country in a more intelligent way than it has been led the last 7 years.

Carl Hasselquist
Lindstrom