Dear Editor:

How hypocritical and completely contrary to documented facts that the national Republican Party continues to attempt to deceive the American public by promoting themselves as being the fiscally responsible and conservative party when all such facts prove as they have for years been just the opposite.

Specifically, the management of the quite concerning U.S. budget deficit indicates that over the previous half century, five of the largest six budget deficits occurred under Republican administrations with Republican conservative icon President Ronald Reagan leading the way by increasing the national deficit by an incredible 142% over what he inherited from his Democrat predecessor Jimmy Carter.

He is followed by Democratic President Barack Obama which was lower at 58% and Republicans George W. Bush at 57%, Gerald Ford at 38%, George Herbert Walker Bush at 36%, and Donald Trump at 33% while leaving office with a then record deficit of $6.612 trillion.

For the sake of comparison, Democratic President Bill Clinton decreased the federal deficit while in office by 1% along with a $63 billion budget surplus.

In addition, respective to the equally concerning situation regarding our national debt over the years the debt increased by an obscene record 186% under Republican President Ronald Reagan followed by Republican George W. Bush at 105%, Democrat Barack Obama at 70%, Republicans George H. W. Bush at 54%, and Gerald Ford at 44% and Democrat Jimmy Carter at 43%.

Next is Republican President Donald Trump at 40% leaving us with a national debt of a then record $29 billion.

Therefore, five of the seven former U.S. presidents who have overseen the largest increases in our national debt have been Republicans while two were Democrats with five by far the largest such increases taking place during the presidencies of Republicans Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, respectively.

It is obvious that it is the Republican Party who are by far the most guilty of fiscal irresponsibility of which they have accused the Democrats of being for decades.

Although all documented evidence proves the contrary. Thank you.

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry