A recent letter on jobs -- which our economy desperately needs -- stopped too quickly. With just a little bit of bipartisanship from Congress, jobs would have been created by the private sector by adopting President Barack Obama's jobs bill last fall. But Congress was in a "beat Obama" mode.

With jobs, revenues would have increased and helped to bring down the deficit.

As President Bill Clinton reminded us recently -- and this has been fact-checked -- of the last 52 years, 28 years have been under Republican presidents and 24 under Democratic presidents. Over those years, American business has created 66 million jobs -- 22 million under Republicans and 44 million under Democrats. Almost half the job gains under Democrats came during Clinton's two terms.

As we face the "fiscal cliff," we must agree that we are on a very slippery slope. Today's deficits are helping to sustain our economy. Tomorrow we must cut spending as well as raise revenues. We cannot get there by returning to lower taxes and less regulation.

Obama has a plan as in the "New Deal," "Fair Deal" and "New Frontier." His is "Shared Sacrifice" and "Give Everyone a Fair Shot." In a few weeks, we will know just how America votes.

Dick Briggs

Fripp Island