LETTERS: A TRUE BIPARTISAN EFFORT

To the editor:

These are Bill Clinton's own words from a speech Oct. 5, 1993, to a gathering of American Association of Retired Persons members: "Medicare and Medicaid spending is currently going up three times the rate of inflation. Only in Washington do people believe that no one can get by on twice the rate of inflation. So, when you hear all this business about cuts, let me caution you that that is not what is going on."

About a month before that, Hillary Clinton said in a speech at George Washington University on Sept. 10, 1993: "We are talking about reducing the rate of growth to half, from 11 percent to 5.5 percent."

After these Clinton speeches, not one outcry did we hear from AARP. Not one outcry from ads funded by the AFL-CIO. Not one outcry from David Bonior, Dick Gephardt, Ted Kennedy, Charles Rangel, Tom Daschel or any other caring Democrat from Washington, D.C.

So what happened between October 1993 and November 1995? Nothing, except Democrat control of Congress was replaced by a Republican majority.

Then the yellow attack dogs were given the scent of Republican cloth and ordered to kill.

The AFL-CIO, as you have heard reported, spent $35 million on just that one cut-and-gut ad theme. The word "cut" was used repeatedly by TV reporters night after night after night, as well as all the major news print sources, giving the big lie prominence.

Did any of the national mainstream news sources, so full of themselves when proclaiming their solemn duty to inform us, ever show us a side-by-side comparison of Medicare spending proposed by Bill and Hillary vs. the Republican proposal?

Even though the Republican plan increased spending much more than what Hillary Clinton wanted to limit the increase to, and even though the Republican plan increased spending to only two-tenths of one percent less than Bill Clinton's proposal, every Democrat politician spent an entire year telling us how mean-spirited, cruel and evil the Republicans' Medicare spending increase proposal was. This was a desperate effort to scare us into turning control of Congress back over to them. It was a year of non-stop "Tales From the Crypt."

Even Bill Clinton may soon confess this, if he is going to be true to his word after the election to reach out to Republicans. Clinton now is saying that the election is over, so we need to forget all that and do what needs to be done to save Medicare. Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle might say.

I am thankful this Thanksgiving for many things, and one significant thing is this: In spite of all the false characterizations and character assassinations by the Democrats and Big Labor's $35 million from members' dues, wasted without members' consent, in spite of smearing Republicans, in spite of the special-privilege groups, the mainstream media and all that corruption in the White House -- even with all that against us, we, the people, still won.

The Democrats' machine, lies and all, achieved only a fraction of the damage they planned. Republicans widened their majority in the Senate, and Republicans lost only a few seats in the House amidst a cloud of alleged voter fraud in some states in some Democrats' races in addition to all that money confiscated to pay for false political ads.

A hearty "Well done" is due Jo Ann Emerson for her triumph over an opponent whose campaign followed the Big Lie tactics described above.

If Democrats are ready to turn away from their deceit and stop playing us for fools on a daily basis and are ready to develop some honesty and integrity, then I think Clinton can truly garner bipartisan support, and progress could be made for the good of all. What do you think our chances are that this will happen?

JOHN McMILLEN

Sikeston