On troop withdrawals and budgeting
To be able to honestly judge a withdrawal, first you need one to compare it to. We only have had one other Military withdrawal, Gerald Ford's chaotic, disastrous withdrawal from Vietnam. Saigon fell in two days. Reports indicated that 20,000 to 30,000 orphans were left behind, and many had U.S. fathers. An account reported that a colonel who promised the 420 loyal Vietnamese Embassy workers would be evacuated but they were left behind.
Helicopters were pushed off landing decks to make room for those (unplanned) that were trying to land, and some splashed down in the ocean hoping for a water rescue.
There were many other incidences too numerous to mention. Many young men from my small town were just names on The Wall. Forgetting these events is trivializing those who fought, those who died, and who lived through this experience. When compared to the only other withdrawal, President Biden's seems like a miracle. Trump, not Biden, surrendered to the Taliban.
On debt: The spend-and-spend Republicans have held the record on largest debt. The ceiling was raised three times under Trump. A $27 trillion-plus debt was passed to Biden from the Trump administration. The debt ceiling needs to be raised to cover $27 trillion-plus that was already spent. It is time for the mega-rich, and corporations to pay their share as true patriots do.
The middle class is not burdened by helping the poor, but by the welfare for the multi-billionaires and the trillion-dollar corporations. Isn't it time to stop the free ride? Where in the Bible does it say to clothe and feed the megarich?
Linda L. Sickles
Warrenville