Federal Deficit and Revenue

The Times’ editorial about the growing federal deficit ends with a hopeful: 1992 may be different.

One has to wonder why. Back in 1988 (Sept. 25) The Times opined that when the next President took office, the deficit problem would be there clamoring for action that could no longer be postponed. I wondered then what mystic rune caused such hope. The problem had been there when Ronald Reagan ran for President in 1980; he damned it vociferously, promised to end it, and of course left office eight years later with it worsened exponentially. And during his three years, George Bush has divided his time between ignoring it and adding the Midas touch to it.

We’re a weird folk who vote into our highest office the candidate promising the most outlandish financial legerdemain. And we’re hipped on the quick “pain pill” fix for everything.

Perhaps the best solution for fixing the deficit would be to require the next President before taking office to take a swim in the River Pactolus. If it worked for the Midas touch once, just maybe . . .

WILLARD HANZLIK, Seal Beach