To the Editor:

We are in desperate need of state and national leaders who are concerned about balancing our government’s budget. Not those who continue to spend us into a debtor state and nation, like many of our failed neighbor nations south of the USA. Our national debt is now over $17.5 trillion, including $7 trillion more, since the end of 2008!

Although there are many unfavorable things we can say about the current New Hampshire state of affairs. Here are just three to consider:

? In 2010, our state faced a $800,000+ deficit, which was corrected by the Republican House and Senate in 2011/12. Now our state is again projecting a deficit of $100 million to $400 million for the current two years, even though we ended up with a surplus from the 2011/12 budget. About $40 million is due to HHS Affordable Care Act overspending.

? On top of this, our governor has again submitted a deficit budget, this time a two-year budget with a $2 billion deficit.

? And within two years, New Hampshire has slipped from 19th to 30th as a state in which to do business. Plus, our economy has only grown 0.9 percent last year, last place in New England.

We believe Walt Havenstein should be everyones choice for our next governor. Why? Here are a couple reasons, but there are many more:

? As CEO of both BAE and SAIC, he managed budgets larger than New Hampshire’s without deficits, while growing sales at BAE and he managed to save SAIC through this terrible economic recession.

? By cutting out unnecessary regulations and business taxes, connecting schools and business, and continuing to promote STEM, he has a plan to increase jobs in New Hampshire by 25,000 within two years.

Anyone who has already performed such outstanding accomplishments and has the loyalty of people who have worked for and with him, will bring New Hampshire out of its slump. Give him a try and join my wife and I voting for Walt on Nov. 4. We can only go up.

Tom McKinney

Mont Vernon