LETTER TO THE HOLLAND SENTINEL: Holland — Henry Idema’s June 12 column, “The unmentionable word: sacrifice,” deserves both praise and criticism.  

I applaud Idema’s call for a clear acknowledgment by our political leaders of the need for sacrifice in the face of our huge national deficit.  Assertions that the Bush era tax cuts should be extended indefinitely or that only the top 1 percent need pay more income taxes are unrealistic.  We cannot expect to correct our existing problems without substantial and widespread sacrifice.  

However, I object to Idema’s claim that all Americans should sacrifice more to reduce the deficit.  Many Americans have already had great sacrifices imposed upon them by the recession: unemployment or underemployment, underwater mortgages, tiny interest rates on savings, and so on.  Measures to reduce the deficit should take into account the burdens that citizens are already bearing.

LETTER TO THE HOLLAND SENTINEL: Holland — To Congressman Bill Huizenga: I was grateful for the opportunity to meet recently with your legislative assistant Peter Stehouwer. Peter told us that you see deficit reduction as the number one moral issue facing the United States today. It is certainly a serious problem and I agree it needs addressing. None of us want to saddle our children and grandchildren with this debt burden.