Really? Maybe so, but a large number of people who were paying at least a little attention knew it was a huge mistake right from the beginning. Ah, but those were heady days for Democrats – “you have to pass the bill to know what’s in it.” Still swilling the Kool-Aid they marched in lock-step behind the pied piper straight into where we are now.

He calls it a strategic mistake, one that now enables Republicans to paint the government as bloated and inept. To know Schumer is to know that, yes, it was a strategy but one that only suddenly became a mistake after the elections. Before that, it was plain congressional willingness and solid White House strategy to place their ideology and presidential legacy ahead of the obvious needs of the nation.

Call it what you will, this malfeasance has given us astronomical debt while progress in middle and lower incomes remains stagnant after six years. America’s youth has been and still is being screwed. Only in contemplation of America’s strong entrepreneurial and innovative spirit do I gain real optimism heading into 2015.

George B. Keen

Durango