Dear editor,

There is an old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It has been my experience that holds up to be true. It has also been my experience that you can’t judge a politician by what they say. Most will say one thing and do another. You have to judge them by what they do, not say. Words are cheap and politicians will throw them around at will tickling the ears of those who choose to hear them. Actions speak louder than words and should be the yardstick for selecting those to represent the public.

A classic example of saying one thing and doing another is the President’s 2012 budget request. After appointing a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to look into ways to save the nation from default, he disregards the findings. I’m not sure how much money was spent on the project, but it was all for naught. It was established to give guidance to the budget making processes and return the federal government to fiscal sanity. What a waste of money, time, effort and energy.

You have to believe there is a grander scheme at play. The Republicans made tremendous strides in regaining the political power in the legislative branch this past election. If you are a die hard liberal, this cannot be tolerated.

So, how is this for a strategy to regain the momentum of 2008 for the Democrats and re-elect Obama in 2012? Continue to propose budgets filled with bloat, unnecessary spending and downright extravagance. Then, sit back and let the Republicans be the ones to peck away at lowering the budget to levels of necessity. This will entail making some difficult decisions as to what is cut and what stays in the massive unaffordable budget request sent in by the president. Knowing full well that whatever is cut will not sit well with those it favored. Now, the Democrats can point to the Republicans as being uncaring and out of touch. They are taking away your children’s chance for a quality education or they are mean spirited in taking away another sacred cows funds.

The truth of the matter is, the president should set the example by being a president of all the people, not just Democrats. He should be the one to live by his rhetoric and make the hard decisions he was elected to make. Passing the buck is unacceptable and un-presidential.

James G. Smith

Selma