THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996              TAG: 9610180015
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   25 lines

THAT IOU CALLED THE NATIONAL DEBT

Regarding Anthony Lewis' Oct. 8 op-ed column, ``Dole must have Pollyanna working on budget planning'':

Lewis makes the statement (not for the first time) that ``reducing rates would increase tax revenue'' is economic nonsense. This is absolutely false.

It is well-documented that during the Reagan years, tax revenues went up after tax reductions faster than inflation. The sad thing is that the Democratic Congress during the Reagan years increased spending much faster than the increased revenues could accommodate, and the bill for the ``Great Society'' pushed through by President Johnson came due with no easy way to pay it. The result was the much lamented increase in the national debt.

On another matter, why have you not pointed out that under Bill Clinton the national debt has increased to the largest amount in the history of the Republic? The media repeatedly pointed this out during the last two years of the Bush administration.

FORREST P. CLAY JR.

Norfolk, Oct. 8, 1996 by CNB