Budget ignores war

Re “It’s a balanced budget or tax cuts, report says,” Jan. 25

In the State of the Union presentation, President Bush stated that we would have a budget surplus by 2012. Nothing was said by anyone that the Iraqi war funds were not included in the federal budget. Yet no one, even those opposed to this war, has hardly made mention of this accounting omission. However, these funds must be paid back in addition to balancing the budget.

If the American people were made fully aware of these off-the-books accounting procedures, many more would be objecting to continuing this war. Most likely it will be they, their children and their grandchildren who will be carrying this horrendous burden well into the mid-century.

HOWARD GITTLESON

Los Angeles