The government has plans to close the Census Bureau’s Seattle Regional Office along with five others at the end of 2012. The expected cost savings is $15 million to $18 million.

The Los Angeles Times reported not too long ago that the billions of dollars going to Iraq by the boatload has now been determined to have been stolen. Recovering the stolen $6.1 billion would keep the six regional offices scheduled to be closed operating for hundreds of years.

The Census Bureau provides invaluable data that is used by businesses, academia, and governments at all levels as well as many private citizens to help them make decisions affecting every citizen of this country.

Several papers reported that the real cost of the wars in which this country is involved in is now approaching $4.7 trillion. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that had this $4.7 trillion been spent not on wars but on improving conditions in this country such as providing every child with a good education, providing health care and providing services to poor neighborhoods we wouldn’t have the problem with the deficit. On the contrary this country would be booming just as many developing countries are today.

George Whitaker, Bellevue