Letter: Follow the money in GOP promises

The Republican Congress has committed deficit fraud on the American people. In 1981, when Ronald Reagan left office, the gross federal deficit had nearly tripled. When Bill Clinton left office in 2000, there was a federal surplus of $236 billion that George W. Bush turned into a $459 billion deficit.

The Republican debates have shown that if any of the candidates is elected president, there will be more of the same. Marco Rubio offers a detailed plan on taxing and spending that includes eliminating the capital gains, dividends and estate taxes. That alone would cost $4 trillion over 10 years. Rubio is also a military hawk who wants to spend $1 trillion over 10 years for more ships, planes and troops.

The other candidates are not any better. Jeb Bush will add about $3.7 trillion to the deficit, Donald Trump a budget-busting $12 trillion, and Ted Cruz wants to reduce the corporate tax rate, redo the tax code, and abolish the IRS with a flat tax.

Republicans generally have been successful at separating taxes from necessary programs such as roads, food safety, clean air and water, education, immigration reform, etc.

Democrats are accused of "tax and spend"; Republicans believe in "no taxes and spend."

Edith A. Wolfe

Bluffton

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Letter: Follow the money in GOP promises."