The Institute for Truth in Accounting commends columnist Steve Chapman for highlighting the fact that the presidential candidates are AWOL in relation to dealing with our country's fiscal crisis ("In the fiscal war, AWOL candidates," March 16). But he should not blame the explosion of the federal budget on the dreaded "retirement of the Baby Boomers." This is like blaming the victims of a pyramid scheme, instead of the criminals who put the fraudulent plot into motion.

Because our politicians have refused to adequately fund promised Social Security and Medicare benefits, the only way to keep these programs viable was to have our population growing at the exponential rate needed to support the deceitful systems. Federal law requires corporations to set aside money in pension plans when their workers are promised future retirement benefits. If current and past Congresses and Presidents would have lived up to this rule, they would have funded their promises to seniors when the promises were made and the federal government would be sitting on more than $54 trillion of assets. Instead these politicians used the promises to get re-elected and we are now sitting on more than $54 trillion of unfunded liabilities. We can thank them for the need for inequitable raises in future taxes and/or drastic program cuts.

Our Truth in 2008 campaign (www.truthin2008.org) is calling on candidates for federal office to tell the electorate the truth; that the federal government is more than $54 trillion in the hole. We are also asking candidates to tell the public how much their campaign promises will truly cost and how their promises will be funded.

--Sheila A. Weinberg

Glencoe

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