Government Spending
Alexander Cockburn (Column Left, Sept. 13) proposes a huge federal government spending program, which he calls the only way to avoid a perennial rerun of the California budget battle at the federal level.
Is he joking?
Big spending and big government are the reasons behind California’s fiscal mess. If the state’s lawmakers hadn’t long ago adopted a policy of generous benefits and promised a free ride for everyone, California wouldn’t be in the mess it is today.
No massive spending policy or, for that matter, any government program is going to “save” the United States. That’s the lesson Cockburn, Bill Clinton and George Bush should learn from California.
DANIEL BAREN
Los Angeles
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