Letter to the editor

It is, indeed, sad that Dean Heller continues to blindly support the most corrupt and morally bankrupt administration in the history of our country.

Mr. Heller is simply using "talking points" supplied by the Bush administration ("Getting the Economy back on track," March 2) to explain away the crisis facing our nation.

For example, the tax cuts given to our richest citizens in 2001 and 2003 have contributed to the economic decline of today. We should not make those tax cuts permanent. We should give those tax breaks to the middle class and have the wealthiest pay their fair share.

The size of government has grown primarily because of the enormous expansion of the military. And the military has grown because of an immoral, illegal, unjust, preemptive war in Iraq. This is a war, by the way, that had nothing to do with 9-11. That war has caused the deficit to grow to almost a trillion dollars! It is the largest debt we have accrued in the history of our country. Dean Heller continues to support this outrageous intervention, regardless of the costs.

Mr. Heller talks about alternative energy, which is yet another talking point. Alternative energy sounds good, but the fact is that the Bush administration had given enormous tax incentives to the oil industry, which they promptly turned into billions of dollars of corporate profit.

The crisis in the housing industry tracks back to the Bush administration refusing to take action to reign in corporate greed. For years the administration ignored regulatory authority in the banks and mortgage companies regarding subprime loans. We are paying the price for that oversight. Mr. Heller wants to blame it on the Congress, forgetting that the Republicans controlled Congress until 2006 and even now prevent any substantive action to change the regulations.

When you consider Mr. Heller's irresponsible actions in voting against children's health insurance and his blind support and advocacy for almost all of the Bush policies, using the mindless "talking points" to justify his actions, I believe we should consider not electing Mr. Heller to a second term in Congress. Neither Nevada nor the country can afford it.

EUGENE T. PASLOV

Carson City