Given our national debt is nearly $14 trillion and the interest, which is at historically low rates, cost $414 billion last year, why are politicians of both parties falling all over themselves to extend tax cuts? These cuts, along with ill-advised wars, gave us deficits averaging $441 billion per year for eight years after three years of small surpluses under Clinton.

I don’t understand the new political talking point of “having adult conversations” while denying our dire financial condition. Is it “adult” to borrow from the Chinese to give tax breaks because we don’t want to pay our bills?

David Stockman, who was President Ronald Reagan’s budget director, had an actual adult conversation on “60 Minutes” recently and his discussion did not include tax cuts, except to say they are irresponsible. He talked about getting our fiscal house in order. This could include a one time 15 percent surtax on the $40 trillion in assets of our wealthiest citizens to cut the national debt nearly in half. The last Republican president to run surpluses was Dwight Eisenhower, and even Reagan raised taxes when the deficit was getting out of hand.

The president and Congress need to cut the budget and increase taxes while heeding the Deficit Commission’s recommendations; they need to develop backbones and vote for what’s in the best interest of our country instead of running for re-election every second of every day.

Richard S. Whiting, Auburn