Editor:

It is an enduring mantra of the Republicans that private enterprise, left to its devices by the government, will invariably contribute to the prosperity of our great nation. "Let us keep our money, and we'll let you keep yours" has a nice ring to it.

Then comes the collapse of one of the marvels of free enterprise, and suddenly it is determined to be too big to fail, and bailouts from the federal coffers are said to be in the interests of the public. Suddenly, those who have kept theirs feel justified in taking ours. Heard that story a time or two? More times, for sure, than have been good for the fiscal welfare of the country. At what point does private enterprise become too big to fail? Is there some yardstick at the Treasury or Federal Reserve that is applied when failed private enterprise comes calling?

The American public has become conditioned by self-serving politicians and the moneyed interests to believe that this kind of preferential treatment is justified and necessary.

In fact, what is necessary is a Congress that quits pandering to its own self-interest and starts representing the public. Our current financial crisis is not an accident or an event unforeseen. The potential danger of leveraging, which is essentially taking on debts and obligations without sufficient collateral, has been obvious for years. Congress, including some of its most prominent members on both sides of the aisle, has been complicit in a meltdown that is going to cost the country any chance of meeting vital needs for at least a generation.

Unfortunately for the public, it has no practical means at its disposal to deal with a system that feeds on itself. Our young people of today are going to pay an awful price for the irresponsibility of the current generation.

Rudy Dalpra

Safford