To the editor:

I get the impression Bush operates a lot like the wizard in the Wizard of Oz. The president delivers these confident messages about cleaning up the environment, putting Americans back to work and winning the war on terror while his staff is behind the curtain fulfilling their promises to their very rich constituencies. The policies and actions are almost the exact opposite of the message.

What Americans should consider is the terrific return on investment the Bush supporters have gotten for their campaign contributions. Energy-producing corporations will save hundreds of millions of dollars for their generous support of the president. These millions would have been spent on upgrading their pollution-control measures. Executives of large corporations will be saving tens of thousands of dollars on their tax liability for this and coming years.

However, the real losers of the president’s “Oz” double-talk are our education system, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. The ballooning deficits will create another opportunity for the Republican-led House and Senate to tremendously scale back these and other programs that help the ordinary Americans who could not afford to contribute to the Bush campaign.

Those who did attend the $2,000-a-plate fund-raising dinners don’t care about education because their kids go to private schools and won’t worry about their retirement because they can afford to save a great deal given their tax reductions of $10,000 or more. Quite a return on investment.

Don Bretthauer,

Lawrence