Electing a woman as president is a good idea. However, we all should carefully consider if electing Hillary Clinton as president is a good idea.

If elected, Hillary has said she wants her husband to be her economic advisor. He was president from 1993 thru 2001. Those who do not know the history of Bill Clinton’s presidency should consider these important facts. During his term, Congress is credited with paying the national debt, not Clinton, as he implies and many mistakenly believe. Congress holds the purse strings, not the president.

More importantly, in 1996 he implemented his “National Homeownership Strategy” that ultimately resulted in 25 million risky and sub-prime mortgage loans. Sub-prime mortgage loans were made to buyers with no down payment and no certification of employment. Bill Clinton’s economic policies set the stage; George Bush didn’t end Clinton’s economic folly; and in 2007, when the resultant housing bubble burst, the housing market plunged and unemployment began rising rapidly.

As the economy began to tank, millions lost their jobs, their savings and their homes when home mortgage loans could not be paid. Homes purchased under the “National Homeownership Strategy” could not be sold for enough to cover the underwater mortgages. That resulted in a jaw-dropping 3,957,643 foreclosures filed thru 2009. Wall Street banks faced bankruptcy. And a worldwide recession began that can be directly connected to Clinton’s misguided economic policies and failure to veto eliminating Glass-Steagall banking regulations.

If elected, Hillary likely would bring back Bill’s style of economic folly. But Trump is not an alternative to Hillary. He doesn’t understand foreign policy and given his juvenile behavior he should never have access to our nuclear weapons. Voting for one to prevent the other from winning is not rational. We all should vote for “none of the above.”

Jim Chiddix

Waterville