I have been upset by the unkind letters concerning our president. We Americans have such short memories. George Bush came to office inheriting a large surplus, which he squandered by an unprovoked attack on Iraq, claiming that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, despite evidence that he had not. Hussein was a tyrant, but so were many others. Thousands of American lives were lost, and are still being lost. Was it all about oil? Many think so. Bush left a tremendous debt, failed banks and high unemployment. That was what President Obama inherited. Financial experts claim that his stimulus package helped avoid a serious recession. Then he finally passed a health care bill that would have improved the lives of lower and middle class families. Widely contested, it was only what European countries had enjoyed for decades.

Now many Republicans seem to want the government to default because “it is their only chance to regain power” (Michael Tomasky).

David Brooks, a highly respected conservative writer for the New York Times, said, “The Democrats have offered them the deal of the century, … but the extremists who’ve hijacked the GOP would prefer to let the nation default rather than give an inch on their ‘fixation’ on taxes. The GOP must decide what it wants to be — a responsible conservative party or an odd protest of unyielding fanatics that is unfit to govern.”

As for raising taxes on the rich, the billionaire Warren Buffett long ago urged Congress to do just that.

Nona Young

New Portland


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