I certainly hope that when Mr. Carlson cites the Wall Street Journal that he is not referring to the article that was subsequently debunked because it’s statistics came from a non-existent CBO report. And what exactly does Mr. Carlson have against spending money with NASA? Does Mr. Carlson believe that there are no jobs at NASA? M

aybe jobs for scientists, engineers, and software developers are not the type of jobs Mr. Carlson would like to see created. For that matter, does Mr. Carlson realize that entire industries that fuel our economic engine were started within government programs? The internet and GPS, both DARPA projects, come to mind.

Money for the National Park Service is sorely needed – the maintenance backlog in our National Parks is well over the $2 billion mark in the Recovery Plan. Another $19 billion for colleges and universities? Remember when our country could boast of the best, most technologically advanced higher education in the world, attracting the best and the brightest? Universities in Europe and Asia are now on the cutting edge in many fields and, while we still attract people from around the world, they are coming to buy up our foreclosed properties, not to attend our schools.

I agree with Mr. Carlson that the tax cuts in the bill are off the mark. Tax cuts haven’t worked for the last eight years – they won’t work now. Public spending provides more bang for the buck than tax cuts and costs less per job created. Mr. Carlson is also correct in stating that change has not come to Washington, D.C. – not to the obstructionist dead-enders whose loyalty to their minority party appears to be stronger than their duty to the people they were elected to serve.

Ellen Lewis, Redmond