Editor,

After reading John C. Stone’s Oct. 4 letter to the editor of the Whidbey News-Times, I realized there are many who refuse to see the facts.

When I entered the public school system, we students elected a class president who was our leader for the year. Most companies and civic organizations elect a president to lead them in their actions.

For 220 years, up to 2009, the United States had a president who provided leadership.

Washington, Lincoln, TR, FDR, Harry, JFK, Reagan. Leadership.

Most of the world looked up to the United States for leadership.

Remember how, in 1990, President G.H.W. Bush was able to put together a coalition of many nations to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait? I do not think we can get another coalition like that together to fight the ISIS.

Taxpayers purchased two super deluxe 747s to provide the president with transportation, command and control for his function as commander in chief. When the president is in flight, his plane is known as Air Force One, but both planes are making the same trip — very costly for the two crews of 26 each, all those Secret Service guards, fuel, etc.

Now those planes are turned into shuttle buses to the many golf courses or collection vehicles for all those fundraising events President Barack Obama attends. These costs are paid for by taxes from Republicans, the Tea Party, Independents and, yes, Democrats. However, funds collected on these many trips go into the Democratic Party bank account.

When tax money is not used for golf trips and money collection, the White House Travel Agency provides trips to Africa, China and pick-up service for the First Lady, who stayed a few extra days in Hawaii following Christmas vacation.

Some people may think this spending of public tax funds is proper and correct.

I do not. I would like for 100 percent of my tax money to go to the operation of the federal government, not in support of the Oval Office ego.

Remember Benghazi? Remember Secretary Hillary Clinton flapping her arms around during a hearing/interview and asking what was the big deal?

We have a president who is not a leader, a president who knows nothing about fiscal management, a president who knows nothing about foreign policy, a commander in chief who has no idea how to run the military, reduces the size of services and overcommits the remaining forces.

If you like the abuse of power and wasting of tax money, then do as Mr. Stone suggests and vote Democratic.

Robert D. Brown

Oak Harbor