Letters: Which is the party of spendthrifts?

Re “Politicians are playing chicken with economy,” Column, July 24

David Lazarus writes: “According to FactCheck.org, the national debt rose 190% under former President Reagan. It rose 52% under President George H.W. Bush, 37% under Bill Clinton and 86% under Bush II. During his first three years in office, President Obama has presided over a 45% increase in the national debt.”

Lazarus continues: “As these numbers make clear, Republicans are just as fond of government spending as Democrats.”

My issue is with “just as fond.” These numbers show that under Republicans, government spending increases are significantly higher. Am I missing something?

Barry Greenfield

West Hollywood

In the same paper as Lazarus’ column on Congress playing political chicken was an article on whether kids prefer playing games on Nintendo devices or with iPhones. I see a corollary: Adult Americans are so distracted by their smart toys that they don’t know what is going on and are perfectly willing to vote for representatives who treat government as a big game.

Zap! Got the entire economy with one shot.

David Del Bourgo

Woodland Hills

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