TO THE EDITOR:

Under the Clinton administration we had a balanced budget, terrorism was not a major threat, and the gap between the rich and the rest of us was beginning to shrink. Under the Bush administration, we have record deficits, terrorism is a threat everywhere, and the gap between the rich and the rest of us is growing? Ask yourself why Thomson Corporation needs a $10 million tax break to do what he was planning to do anyway in Minnesota? Ask yourself why Andersen Windows and Polaris needed a Jobz tax break? Isn't this corporate welfare at our expense?

Ask yourself why we are in Iraq and who is benefiting? Billions of dollars go unaccounted for or are outright fraud? Among them a company that Vice President Cheney was CEO. Eisenhower was right to warn us of the military-industry complex and he was right to get us out of Korea. Doesn't Bush get it, his war in Iraq is creating terrorism and fostering anti-American attitudes throughout the world. Lets tell Senator Coleman to not only say no to escalating the war, but to find an exit strategy that will work. Let's tell Bachman that it is inappropriate to "hang on" the President, but immoral to hang on to the failed anti-terrorism and war strategies of Bush.

Robert G. Walz
North Branch