Dear Editor,
It would not be difficult to find $6.4 billion out of a $3 trillion budget to pay for extending unemployment benefits three more months.
President Barack Obama, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi remind me of the cartoon character Wimpy who was famous for saying, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
With a $17 trillion and growing debt, it is time to begin pay-as-you-go budgeting. This would be the start of a long journey out of our financial crisis.
Looking for $6.4 billion in offsets to finance additional unemployment benefits represents a fraction of 1.0 percent of the budget. Millions of Americans have cut far more out of their family budgets and managed to survive.
Larry Penner Great Neck, N.Y.
