The letter on April 29, “GOP presidents increased federal employees,” is interesting, especially now when private-industry jobs are hard to come by.

The writer says that since Gerald Ford’s presidency, Republicans have increased the number of federal employees by 388,000 and Democrats by 261,000 — both deplorable figures.

However, he did not include President Barack Obama’s figures. Under his leadership, the number of non-military federal employees has grown by 123,000, or 6.2 percent, according to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

Obama’s 454 employees at the White House earn $37 million per year — up $4 million from George W. Bush’s office in 2008, when the unemployment rate was 3 percent lower. One in three of Obama’s employees earns more than $100,000. Seventeen have “Office of Public Engagement” in their title, that is, persuading citizens to support your policies.

According to a Truthful Politics report in October 2010: “Since 1940, the average percentage increase in government spending during Democratic presidents is 11.9 percent and the average percentage increase during Republican presidents is 2.1 percent. These aforementioned percentages include World War II. When excluding World War II (therefore, since 1946), the average increase in government spending was 3.1 percent under a Democratic president and 2.1 percent under a Republican president. The Republican president percentage remains the same as the United States had Democratic presidents during World War II.”

So, in saying that the “Republican canard” that the Democrats are the party of big government “bites the dust,” the letter writer might double-check his sources.

Neither party can truthfully claim it is holding the line on federal employees. Both ought to remember it’s not their money they are spending. It’s the taxpayers’ money.

Mark Leslie

Monmouth