Balancing Government Regulation

Regarding the Opinion page column "Mr. President: Some Friendly Advice," Oct. 16: It would be wonderful if the world were as simple as the author would have us believe in his column defending the economic policies of President Bush.

The author repeats the age-old conservative theory that taxes, government spending, and regulation are bad; the reverse is good. We must assume there is no in-between, no variables, no adjustments necessary for changing conditions. We are told that economic problems in America are "wildly exaggerated." Significantly, there is no mention of education, health-care costs, the environment, cities, and the loss of manufacturing jobs. One survey pointed out that during the Reagan-Bush era, the top 1 percent of

the population gained considerably in income; the top 20 percent also showed a gain; the second 20 percent stayed about even; the bottom 60 percent declined in real income. For conservatives, this is truly the American way. Joseph Tiede, Raleigh, N.C.

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