I would like to thank Don Tilley for his very insightful letter (“Austerity won’t work,” Oct. 24). The idea that austerity — less government, lower taxes (mostly for the very wealthy) and fewer regulations — will somehow improve a nation’s economy has been shown to be a dismal failure time and time again. For a nation and a society to remain prosperous, government agencies are needed as well as government regulations to protect the environment and the health of workers. Taxes are needed to help pay for these services. Austerity will only make our government much weaker and less efficient.
As for Richard Terrell’s comments (“FDR hardly a savior,” letter, Oct. 30) that more military spending made the nation prosper after the Depression, increased military spending in reality actually further weakens a society and nation as more and more money, valuable resources and talent are wasted on developing deadlier and deadlier weapons of mass destruction — which hopefully will never be used.
Instead, money and resources should be used to solve much more urgent social needs and global problems, and also to help promote more peaceful relations. This just makes sense.
Jim Anderson, Lincoln