Monday, February 08, 2010
Tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs for everyone
Letters to the Editor
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From the RoundTable blog
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Tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs for everyone
Re: President Obama's budget proposals:
Obama has clearly failed to see that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which are still in effect, have served to create jobs on Wall Street and with larger New York banks. Perhaps these firms have overpaid their employees somewhat, but with the tax cuts these employees have received on their bonuses, they have reinvested these cuts and created jobs for the unemployed who are not blessed with such good jobs.
Fortunately, Virginia's former Sen. George Allen and former Rep. Virgil Goode, along with current Rep. Bob Goodlatte, had the vision to see that the Bush tax cuts would serve to create jobs. Thus, they exercised the political courage to support such cuts for the good of the country, even though cutting taxes is not politically popular.
Hopefully, Goodlatte and his fellow Republicans will fight to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, as the economic evidence today remains clear and convincing that such cuts do create jobs and thus enable parents to feed their children.
Those untouched by God don't understand
Re: "Hard-heartedness no stairway to heaven," Jan. 27 letter:
Steven Kranowski, I perceive, is a very natural person who merely functions bodily without being touched by the spirit of God. As a result, he cannot understand the things of God, which are foolishness to him. To make such an outrageously uninformed statement such as "I guarantee they are in for quite a nasty little surprise when their time comes" is balderdash.
May I suggest that Kranowski read Isaiah 40: 13-14: "Who comprehends the mind of the Lord or gives him instructions as his counselor? From whom does he receive directions, who teaches him the correct way to do things?"
Does Kranowski know where he is going when his time is up?
Electricity rates aren't the only utility increase
Readers are complaining about electricity rates, and justifiably so. What about water and sewage rates? Have you noticed how much your water bill has increased? Oh, it's not astronomical, but they keep sneaking up our bills a few dollars at a time so we won't notice.
I'm sure they don't get many complaints. Well here's one citizen complaining.
We are a nation for the corporations
Re: "Public doesn't want health bills," Jan. 29 letter:
A recent letter opposing health care reform asked the question, "Are we a government of the people, by the people and for the people, or a government of the government, by the government and for the government?" The true answer is neither one.
We have been, are and increasingly will be, after the recent Supreme Court decision, a government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations. The true designation of our growing fictitious democracy will be the United Corporate States of America.
Americans need straight talk on budget
Last Monday, President Obama released his budget request to Congress for next year. At that time, he said: "We simply cannot continue to spend as if deficits don't have consequences ... as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money. It's time to hold Washington to the same standards families and businesses hold themselves. It's time to ... live within our means once again."
Those words were terrific. I believe the president thinks they were precisely what people wanted to hear. The reality of his budget, though, is quite different:
n It is 3 percent higher than this year's.
n It proposes a three-year freeze in government spending, but only for about one-eighth of total spending.
n Though it raises taxes, it spends $1.27 trillion more than the government takes in.
The president's words simply are not in agreement with his budget's numbers. Comparing the two brings to mind an old joke about politicians and their truthfulness:
Question: How can you tell when a politician is telling a lie?
Answer: When you see his lips moving.
Americans would benefit from more honesty and less political double talk from our president.
