Poliquin wrong on tax bill
Rep. Bruce Poliquin is showing his true colors with his vote in favor of the House tax cut for the rich. Poliquin ran as a so-called deficit hawk for two elections but that was merely cover for voting against anything while Barack Obama was the president. With Trump in office, the deficit can be increased by $1.5 trillion with tax cuts for the very rich and for corporations.
On the promise that trickle-down economics will finally work, most of the tax cuts are given to the ultra-rich and corporations. They get permanent tax cuts while the meager tax cuts for the middle class phase out. A family earning less than $75,000 per year will get a tax increase when the phase out is complete.
This deficit buster serves two purposes, tax cuts for the rich but also a future increase in the deficit for the “deficit hawks” like Poliquin to seek cuts later on against the workers in this country to balance the budget. In the view of these “deficit hawks,” deficits can only solved by cuts to be taken out of what ordinary people need from their government while taxes are cut and cut again for their big campaign donors. We need to put a stop to this scam.
Frank Bemis
Presque Isle
Reject ‘tax reform’ bills
I am very concerned about what I have read about the “tax reform” bills that have emerged from the House and are emerging from the Senate. Both evidently provide breaks for the wealthy and corporations at the cost of increasing the deficit, at the cost of increasing taxes for middle-class citizens, at the cost of cancelling any effort to ensure all Americans have access to health care, and at the cost of reducing important government services related to the environment, diplomacy and needed infrastructure investments. I am asking all our representatives to take a deep breath, and to vote against any “compromise” bill with the same characteristics that comes out of the Senate and the reconciliation committee.
I would add that the process of generating this so-called tax reform has been fraught from the beginning, done in secret, without bipartisan support, and with little regard to the notion that when costs go up, income needs to also go up. We shouldn’t be in the business of borrowing to cover expenses like the disasters in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, or the likely recurrence of such disasters. Would it be asking too much to actually raise sufficient funds from taxes to properly cover anticipated climate change costs and to properly fund American diplomatic efforts (much cheaper than war)?
I was grateful for many things this Thanksgiving, but I was not grateful for how either this administration or Congress has been functioning. The Russians certainly have been getting their money’s worth out of recent strategies — an administration intent on dividing Americans, and undermining our government’s reputation and effectiveness, so the Russians (with their pathetic economy) can “conquer.”
Jim Owen
Belfast
Former presidents bond
In this age of political acrimony, it was refreshing to see the five living former presidents come together in Texas recently to anchor a fundraiser for hurricane victims. Putting aside their political differences, Republicans George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush hosted Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama for the common good. At last count, they had raised more than $31 million.
The illustrious group epitomizes civility in politics and justice for all. They all think constructively, seeking the positive over the negative, the meaningful over the trivial, unity over division, and optimism over pessimism.
The five former leaders of the free world have become friends over the years, not more so than the father-son Bush duo and Clinton. After a painful loss to Clinton in 1992, the elder Bush reached out to his successor, offering whatever counsel Clinton sought, especially on foreign affairs, his forte. The bond grew to the point that Clinton felt like part of the Bush family. As president, the younger Bush wisely sent the two on special missions together.
Bush senior and Carter have a special bond, their advanced age and resilience in medical crises. They are beacons of hope for millions and have set a high bar for current and future chief executives.
A relative youngster, Obama relishes the growing bond between himself and his older colleagues.
An appropriate song for the five: “We are family.”
Ross Paradis
Frenchville