Federal budget should fund only the necessities

After reading the May 24 editorial, I am compelled to respond. The liberal press describes budget cuts as children will starve, people will die, the air will be unhealthy and the water will become polluted.

Our country has a $20 trillion debt – yes a $20 trillion debt, with huge federal spending deficits projected for the next 10 years. That is over $58,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. and getting larger every day.

As a country, we need to decide if we will continue to fund programs that create a greater government dependency for millions of people that may have no desire to provide better lives for themselves and their families. More than 27 percent of Fresno students dropped out of high school.

More than 1.5 million babies are born every year to unmarried women, and most of those dropouts and single-parent children are supported by the taxpayers.

We now have a president that wants to focus spending on areas that provide better protection for all U.S. citizens and legal guests in our country. Hopefully we are reaching a turning point where we choose to fund the necessities.

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Federal budget should fund only the necessities."