Feldsteins on Supporting Bush

There is no disputing economic reality. During the past several years America has prospered, enjoying a revitalized economy, a reduction in both inflation and unemployment, and sustained growth.

The Reagan Administration claims its policies have fueled America’s economic engine to new heights. The question then remains why a whole segment of the American population, especially women, have not responded favorably to the Reagan economic miracle, and Bush in particular.

Perhaps the answer to this question is that most female Americans don’t see the Reagan-Bush economic miracle as a miracle at all, they see it as an economic sham. Women watch the future through the eyes of their children, and that future looks bleak. Reagan’s zeal for military preeminence has forced the U.S. to take on massive debt while systematically dismembering social programs.

That Reagan-Bush have created jobs is not in doubt; it is rather the character and ultimate worth of these jobs that is in doubt. One must question the worth of any economic policy whose cornerstone is a military buildup at the expense of the poor and the young.

Yes, our economic engine is bigger, but what we need is a leader who can drive us away from useless military expansion, a leader who has the strength and compassion to steer America into a peaceful productive future.

RANDY LIPSCHER

Pasadena