To the editor:

Ten years ago, Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, in commenting on the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which deregulated the banking industry, said that in 10 years, we would regret the passage of this bill, having neglected the lessons of history after the crash of 1929.

He was one of only eight Democratic senators that opposed this Republican bill which led to the meltdown of our financial institutions. The eight included Barbara Boxer, Paul Wellstone and Barbara Milkulski. This was at the end of the Clinton Administration,

Nov. 4, 1999 to be exact. Every other Democratic senator, including Patty Murray, Joe Biden, Edward Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, John Kerry and the rest of the “liberals” voted yes. And Bill Clinton signed it into law. Hard to tell the right from the left here.

Sen. Dorgan is now talking about what it will take to dig out of the deficit hole which will eventually cripple us. Those things include having the wealthiest people in this country pay more taxes (most pay taxes at a 15 percent rate due to tax cuts by Bush), have corporations pay their fair share as opposed to stashing their money offshore away from the IRS, stop the waste of $200 million on border crossing centers, reform healthcare, stop borrowing even more money to fund endless wars, and the list goes on.

Others are articulating the ending scenario if hard choices are not made now. Those include the dollar going south, a balance of trade deficit that is crippling and even higher unemployment. You can bet that those who benefit from the status quo will scream loud and long. For example, where is the current re-regulation of the banking industry?

A definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. A definition of fascism is the control of the government by corporations.

This is not an economic recovery, it is a pause in the hemorrhaging. If major reforms are not instituted, now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Let’s talk instead of shoot, let’s save instead of spend, let’s speak truth instead of lie to protect our own special interests (and source of income). Let’s listen to Sen. Dorgan.

Mary Ann Mansfield

Langley