In these troubled times, it's good to have President Bush

In these troubled times, it's good to have President Bush
EDITOR:
The presidential race is on with Democrats vying for the Blame Bush award about the economy. Who is really to blame?
For starters, we can look at the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. According to several former CIA agents, Osama bin Laden was ours for the taking on Bubba's watch. I would challenge the country's best number crunchers to tell us what that would have saved the taxpayers considering that 9/11 was OBL's courtesy call on Dubya's watch ($74.7 billion budget for homeland security but actual cost is incalculable).
In between the watches was the Y2K fiasco that purposely sent millions scrambling for new computer chips and bottled water. So now Bush is being blamed for the worst economy in the history of this country.
Aside from terrorism also being the worst in history, we might take a look at some other reasons: Technology (computers and robots replacing real people), tax fraud (631 indictments already this year totaling in the millions), auto insurance fraud (incalculable); credit-card hawkers offering low introductory rates (dress rehearsals for bankruptcy court), Medicare/Medicaid fraud ($70 million annually with 18 doctors already convicted in 2003). Inside trading (a big one of late), employee theft, computer hackers (the most recent "worm" virus costing $5-$10 million), greedy CEOs (Enron, Worldcom et al -- another incalculable), illegal drug trafficking (incalculable), fraudulent lawsuits, bad lawyers and crooked politicians. Illegal aliens overtaxing our infrastructure, receiving medical care that our veterans are being denied to the tune of $190 million in 2000, credit-card identity theft, Internet-mail-sweepstake fraud, Social Security number theft, pornography addiction, alcoholism (9 million people have drinking problems with alcohol-related accidents/injuries costing $136 billion annually), car theft, 2.1 million prison population -- guests of the U.S. taxpayer at $40 billion annually, 18 percent alien and second only to Rwanda), off-shore tax sheltering (incalculable),extortion (brings to mind the Rev. Jesse Jackson) and shoplifting (incalculable).
Something as simple as honesty could, for the most part, exact a balanced national budget. Now, about those Ten Commandments!
Watching the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon tells me there is still an abundance of honesty and love in this country, and I'm happy to be an American with George W. Bush as my president. He's as honest as one can be and still be president.
DOROTHY YONKER
Boardman
Michael Swiger doesn'tdeserve a second chance
EDITOR:
I, too, was born, raised and reside in Ohio. I would like to voice my thoughts on the Sept. 1 letter advocating the release of Michael Swiger from prison. This may sound cruel to you, but Swiger did not make a mistake, he committed a crime. As you say, a competent judge set sentence at 21 to 53 years. And, sorry, Swiger's writing books will not bring Pratt back.
Who knows what good Pratt may have done if his life had not been shortened. No one can commute Pratt's sentence. It was final and for all time. Justice is not only about restitution, but sending a message to others to make them think twice about breaking the law. It is so easy to defend another's actions when you are not personally touched by the consequences of the crime.
I do not think that Swiger was incarcerated for being unproductive. His being in jail has nothing to do with vengeance, and everything to do with his own actions. Actions that he chose. Choices have consequences, that he will have to live with. Pratt died, not by choice. He doesn't get a second chance, does he?
LILLIAN BREEDLOVE
Girard