To the Editor:

While I was a member of the group,?Consensus,?that invited Michael Parenti to speak on campus (“Controversial speaker addresses political perceptions, deceptions,” Sundial, April 28), I find, in retrospect,?that he?complicates what is actually quite simple.

?Our government spends too much money and finances the wrong priorities to the detriment of better ones. We need a comprehensive and?realistic energy strategy?and we need comprehensive health care reform. Working people should be able to afford a home and we must end the Iraqi adventure in a prompt but orderly fashion. I suspect that Dr. Parenti knows these things, but where?he and I,?and probably others, differ is exactly how all?of?this is to be accomplished. So it would have been better if Dr. Parenti had spent his time delinating specific, practical, tangible proposals for us to consider and dispensed with the rhetorical filler. Just as faith without works is said to be?dead, philosophy without action is limp.

?What is certainly not helpful?for accomplishing?practical goals is immoderate bomb-throwing. When Dr. Parenti blames the Republicans since Reagan for running up the federal debt, he conveniently forgets that Democratic-led Congresses have historically handed presidents liquored-up budgets to sign.?If those budgets don’t exist, neither do?our compounding?deficits and the Chinese and Saudis don’t own billions of dollars of our debt. Where then, is the radical critique for that extravagant practice?

? Chris Mergerson Graduating Political Science major