OPINION:
You claimed in a recent editorial that President Obama had “reneged” on his campaign promise not to raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year (“The great divider,” Editorial, April 8), but you all ignored budget evidence to the contrary. The editorial said Mr. Obama “reneged” on his promises “to eliminate earmarks and increase defense spending.” I worked on his campaign for nearly two years, and I Googled details on his positions and promises. If you read and listen carefully, you will know that Mr. Obama never said he would end earmarks. He promised (and has already done some) reform of earmarks and the federal budgeting and spending processes.
The president has not “reneged” on promises to increase defense spending. If one reads transcripts and press releases from the Department of Defense, one can see that defense spending is increasing by billions of dollars over the amount enacted in fiscal year 2009. It appears to be an increase of at least $21 billion from the previous fiscal year. So, either you all didn’t Google, or you didn’t base your editorial on the truth.
CAMERON KUSS
Davis, Calif.
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