I heard about Paul Ryan's 10-year budget. This country does not need a 10-year budget. It needs an annual budget from fiscal year to fiscal year.

It appears that the Tea Party is nothing more than a bunch of smoking mirrors and innuendoes. The members have no solution to anything except making the rich richer and paying no taxes except for the little guys paying more. Ten-year budgets that do not pay the bills will put this country further into debt and closer to a full-blown depression. As Congress is responsible for the budget crisis, it is time that lawmakers take a 20 percent cut in pay and more than 8.2 percent cut in staff to, let's say, 20 percent cut in staff both in Washington and in their home districts.

James J. Harrigan

Cahokia