To the editor:

It’s not often that I read the musings of syndicated columnists without a wary eye as to their respective biases. But this weekend’s column by Cal Thomas struck a chord with me. Those elected and appointed officials in charge of spending public money would do well to heed these points when considering expenditures of public money:

1. Does this project or program fit the core responsibilities of the federal government, state, city, county, school district or other governmentally funded organization?
2. Do we really need this item?
3. Can we afford it today, tomorrow and next year?
4. Can we afford the upkeep and maintenance on it?

If the answer to any one of these question is no, or not sure, then the project, program, expenditure should be dropped. This is the minimum responsibility we, the taxpayers, expect of you and we will hold you accountable for it. If you can’t do that, you have no business in public office or running for it.