What makes some Americans so eager to be deluded? What happened to critical thinking? How can John McCain claim to be a Washington outsider when his campaign is being managed by Washington lobbyists? How can he claim “America first!” when he risks putting untested Sara Pallin in the most powerful position in the world? How can he claim to be a fiscal conservative when he supports policies, which have saddled the U.S. taxpayer with the largest national debt ($9.6 trillion) in history?

How can he claim superior judgment when he supports a war that is costing $2.5 billion each week, has diverted energy from the real problem in Afghanistan and served to fuel American animosity abroad? How can he deny being part of the Bush legacy, when he urged us to reelect him? Good judgment? America first? Talk is cheap. Let’s look at the facts.

Would you rather save millions or billions? McCain talks about saving the taxpayer millions in stopping earmarks and pork barrel spending. The unnecessary Iraq war has already cost $500 billion. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it will eventually cost up to $1.3 trillion. A trillion is a million million! The Ginnie Mae/ Freddie Mac bailout, which resulted from a lack of government regulation, will cost at least billions. Dealing with the consequences of climate change will cost billions more. We already owe the Chinese $347 billion. Trickle down economics? Since the Bush administration inherited a budget surplus, we have had budget deficits every year.

My fellow Americans, how can running up the largest debt in history, support of an immoral, illegal, and costly war; championing an energy policy that relies on dirty energy; choosing a celebrity VP with radical ideas and putting her in position to potentially take over the leadership of the United States of America at this critical juncture in history, be indicative of the kind of leadership we need? No my friends don’t be mislead by empty words. We must put America first by putting John McCain last.

Gary Piazzon

Coupeville