Robert Levy's March 27 letter was quite a disappointment. Apparently unable to counter Brian Deaton's well-reasoned and carefully researched economic data, he was reduced to another pearl-twisting, couch-fainting, knicker-bunching Republican whinge -- socialism, ACORN and Trotsky, oh my!

Trotsky? Really?

In a rant filled with half-truths and outright distortions, a couple of items stand out.

First, the war in Vietnam was not about socialism. It was sold as a war against Communism -- quite a different thing. Remember the Domino Theory? If socialism were the enemy, NATO would have just one member, and the European Union would replace Iran at the top of the Republican hate parade.

Second, there is not, nor was there ever, a train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the Obama stimulus plan. This whole issue is pure Republican fantasy.

In 2001, George W. Bush inherited a budget in surplus and promptly reduced taxes on the rich and expanded the size and reach of the federal government, generating a series of deficits that doubled the national debt. I would be interested in Levy's explanation for the past eight years of Republican governance.

We elected President Obama to tackle the difficult problems left behind by his predecessor. His motto should be "Go Big or Go Home." Our economy will not fix itself. And when Republicans issue budget proposals without numbers and suggest eliminating Medicare, they are simply dodging the issues and playing for time.

They will continue their string of defeats until they come to the table ready to work together to solve our problems.

Jim Heim

Vass