LETTERS: DEMOCRATS SPEND BIG

To the editor:

What's one of the biggest universal complaints about government? Taxes. Try to find someone who thinks they should pay more taxes. You'll have to look long and hard. With all the animosity toward overgrown, bloated government, you might think voters would cast their precious votes against tax-and-spenders.

So who are the Big Government big spenders? The National Taxpayers Union just released its yearly report on Congress. The NTU is a nonpartisan organization whose sole goal is to fight for taxpayer-friendly legislation. Every year the NTU releases its summary of every vote that affect taxes, spending and the national debt in the previous session of Congress. Scores can range between 0 and 100. A score of 85 or above is considered a taxpayer's friend. For perspective, in the House the lowest score was 9, and the highest was 93.

So who are the Big Government big spenders? Clearly, undeniably, 100 percent without a doubt: the Democrats. The average score for the Democrats in the House was 28 and in the Senate 23. This is a grade of F or big-spender category, as ranked by the NTU. The average score for the Republicans in the House was 83 and in the Senate 86. This is a grade of B for good and A for taxpayer's friend, respectively.

But what about all the talk from President Clinton and the Democrats about tax cuts and a smaller, leaner government? President Clinton campaigned on a middle-class tax cut, then the Democrat-controlled Congress and Clinton passed the largest tax increase in history. This included higher taxes on Social Security and raising the national tax on gasoline, among others.

The Democrats' record on taxes are documented facts. You must have the courage to accept the fact that Democrats are Big Government-big spender liberals. They will tell you what you want to hear in an election and do the opposite when elected. If you think taxes are too high, why would you vote for a big spender?

RODNEY VIESSMAN

Jefferson City