Squabble Over the Nomination of Lungren for State Treasurer

The ruckus in Sacramento over the nomination of Lungren is deplorable, as your editorial correctly points out, but would it be wise for the legislative majority to go along with such an obviously partisan ploy in awarding this choice post to an ambitious young politician? Probably not.

Unfortunately, most of the questioning of Lungren in the Senate seems bound to be perceived as petty or irrelevant. It should be proper though to inquire about his fiscal philosophy and sense of responsibility.

Lungren has been an enthusiastic backer of one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on the American public, President Reagan’s promise to balance the budget. More than once I have urged Lungren to support pay-as-you-go policies and specifically suggested controlling waste in defense expenditures, limiting tax cuts in the higher brackets, and gradually hiking fuel taxes both for revenue and conservation. Each time his reply has been an obviously canned text blaming Congress for all our fiscal ills.

In short, Lungren should be asked to explain his unwavering support for every aspect of Reaganomics. How does he reconcile his vaunted conservatism with Reagan’s legacy of staggering debt for our descendants and the consequent sellout of much of our resources to foreign creditors?

Surely the governor can learn from the very different experiences of Reagan’s recent Supreme Court nominees and come up with a less contentious choice.

MARSHALL PHILLIPS

Long Beach