Letter: Why Bush’s record is deserving of scrutiny

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 | 6:53 a.m.

In Wednesday's Las Vegas Sun, Fred Herr responded to a letter by Ray Harbert, and I would like to respond to Herr's letter in the spirit of healthy debate in a country that encourages freedom of speech.

Each item on the list of Bush administration accomplishments in Herr's letter can be questioned. That is not saying there is no truth in what he says, but I believe thinking people should look at his list and determine whether they are truly accomplishments.

For instance, regarding the sustained job growth Herr refers to: Are there more people working, or are there more people working multiple jobs to make a living? And regarding the record individual home ownership: Does the record number of foreclosures taint this statistic? And has anyone compared the cost of driving a car with what it was before Bush took office?

There is another list of what has taken place since Bush became president. At the top of this list is the war in Iraq. Only a small minority of Americans still support our president on this, and the toll of dead and wounded troops is rising, as is the national debt.

Although it is true that there has been no sex scandal in the White House during Bush's watch, politicians in his party have supplied the tabloids with many pages of questionable indiscretions. I can go on record as saying I did not vote for Bill Clinton in either of his presidential elections, but I can't ignore the fact that he left office with a record budget surplus and many countries admired and supported us.

I am not submitting this letter to change anyone's mind about anything. All I am saying is an individual can make very good or very bad performances appear favorable or unfavorable. Unfortunately, we are faced with hearing a lot of criticism from all the candidates in the next 12 months. Where, oh where, are the candidates who can tell us about the changes they would like to make and how they intend to make them?

Ken Anderson, Las Vegas