Republicans are to blame for America's failing economy

The U.S. economy is in the toilet, and it is apparent that the Republican-controlled Congress' mismanagement of the economy is largely responsible.

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According to a July 16 article in The New York Times, the White House projected a $455 billion budget deficit in the current fiscal year, by far the government's largest deficit ever and $150 billion higher than what the administration predicted just five months ago.

Capable men and women are out of work in record numbers - more than 9 million. Families have to stand in line for food, and American children are going to bed hungry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service estimates that more than 33 million people in the nation are at risk of not having enough food. Households with children who are at risk of going hungry total 6.18 million.

The Iraqi war is costing $3.9 billion of the taxpayers' dollars a month, not including the rich defense contracts awarded to firms with very close ties to President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and key administration officials. Halliburton, Bechtel, DynCorp, Vinell, WorldCom (now MCI), Shell and others are receiving billions of Americans' tax money to "reconstruct" Iraq.

Besides a slice of the oil profits, these multinationals were given cost-plus contracts without review or competitive bidding with no apparent oversight from the administration, Congress or the American people. According to Dov Zakheim, the Defense Department's comptroller, the campaign in Iraq has cost the Pentagon about $48 billion so far, a number expected to rise by $10 billion by the end of September as reported by the Associated Press on June 15. ...

The next time any of you are at a $200- to $2000-per-plate political fund-raiser patting each other on the back for being "captains of industry and government," I want you to ask for a show of hands as to how many of the individuals present have a son, daughter, husband or wife currently serving in Iraq. Ask how many had to stand in food lines before arriving so that their children can eat tomorrow. My guess is that there will not be many, if any.

Amanda Roe Lang, Augusta

--From the Sunday, July 27, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle