November 15, 2002

The Journal News 

 The Free Ride President

Now that the election is over and the voice of the people having been heard, what have we been left with? We are left with a President who wants to make his tax-give-away to billionaires permanent. We are left with the shambles of Enron, and his buddies and supporters from the company facing civil and criminal litigation. We are left with Al Qaeda and the illusive Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants blowing up Bali. We are left with a drifting listless economy, federal deficits climbing and states and cities reeling under massive budgetary shortfalls and debt. We are left with 53 millions of our population without health insurance. We are left with the highest unemployment since the first President Bush. We are left with the nation’s equity markets suffering its greatest losses in decades and the President’s former SEC chief dumped amidst election night clamor. Meanwhile on the eve of our new adventure in Iraq, where is the national debate on the “end game” consequences of our expected next “bloodless victory?” When are these problems going to be addressed by our “toothless” over-paid “talking heads” of our media? The press has given our teflon leader a free ride he doesn’t deserve and I think the public deserves better.

Richard J. Garfunkel