RE: 'The most important job in the world' [Letter, Village News, 10/30/2008]

Letter-writer Scott Urquhart continues the widely held premise that the Republicans are being blamed for all of our economic problems and the war even though the Democrats have a majority in Congress.

The Democrats have had a majority in Congress since January 2007. That is one year and 10 months ago. The problems we are currently are experiencing have taken a lot longer than that to germinate.

The Republicans had a strong majority in Congress for the preceding 12 years. They have had the White House for the last eight years and 28 of the past 40 years.

There is plenty of blame to go around: the Democrats, the Republicans, those who sponsored legislation to allow the credit default swaps to exist (Republican Sen. Phil Gramm), as well as many individuals who bought houses they could ill afford and lived too much and too often beyond their means.

This is a difficult time we live in. It is going to take an enlightened administration in Washington to help us out of the problems but, more importantly, it is going to take the American people being more realistic about their own finances.

Mike Reardon