Letters to the editor July 31

Obama's stimulus program is no New Deal

President Obama stated we were in the worst recession since the Great Depression. He also stated we needed a stimulus similar to President Roosevelt's New Deal. President Obama received $787 billion, and we have yet to see unemployment go down. Just the opposite has happened, unemployment has gone up.

What can we see of value for this $787 billion? Nothing. President Roosevelt spent $11 billion which today would be equivalent to $130 billion. President Roosevelt's New Deal put 8.5 million people to work. They built over 650,000 miles of roads, repaired and improved 125,000 bridges, repaired 125,000 public buildings, built 8,000 parks, built 850 landing fields, served 900 million hot lunches to students, operated 1,500 nursery schools, presented 225,000 concerts, produced 475,000 works of art and built the Golden Gate Bridge. President Obama, show me what we got for $787 billion.

As an aside, let me state that President Obama should have looked back in history and seen that all the good things that resulted from the New Deal still did not get us out of the Depression. Why? The reason is simple, all of the jobs the New Deal created were just temporary.

Government cannot get us out of the recession, they can only help by getting out of the way and letting free enterprise loose. We got out of the Depression because of WWII.

Patrick McIntyre

Stagecoach

Furlong has wisdom, experience needed for job

Sheriff Furlong, thank you for your intellect and foresight in not becoming a victim of predatory lending practices. It is comforting to know that our public safety officials can see a scam when it's right in front of them.

This translates into the wisdom and experience of dealing with a large public agency with its inherent financial, personnel and administrative issues.

Elizabeth Kappler

Carson City