LETTERS TO THE
E DITOR Legalized tax fraud
To the editor: Income taxes have been a point of controversy since the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1913, giving Congress the authority to tax personal income. The number of tax brackets has declined from seven to four, while the number of forms has increased from one to over 800, with most of them permitting a credit or deduction allowing corporations, or people with large incomes, to pay less tax.
The New York Times’ recent disclosure of President Trump’s taxes for the past 15 years illustrates the problem of too many legal tax dodges and the opportunity for illegal misrepresentation of income and expenses.
The majority of Americans working for a weekly paycheck would never consider misrepresenting their income and expenses. Employing a stable of corporate lawyers to game the tax system is also not practical for the average worker. Corporate America has refined the practice of deducting “business expenses” to a fine art, allowing them and their owners to pay little, and often no taxes on incomes measured in millions of dollars. Many would consider parts of the current tax code to be legalized fraud.
Even while we hope for the president’s speedy recovery, we are forced to question his honesty. We know he has often lied to Americans about COVID-19, putting the well-being of many at great risk, but now his self-acclaimed assessment as a business guru and financial wizard is also discredited.
The questions are many, not the least of which is how a financial wizard could lose a billion dollars on a single business venture. The nuances of how a self-professed billionaire, who refused to divest his business dealings while serving as the president of the United States, can reasonably and/or responsibly defend paying only $750 in taxes are highly questionable.
It is time for the American people to demand wealthy Americans pay their fair share and their president to disclose his financial dealings.
Maxine Luchterhand
Unity
A clear choice on Nov. 3
To the editor: This election cycle is the clearest choice in my lifetime.
We can remain a constitutional republic or become a socialist country.
The debate this week, and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, has exposed just how far the Democrats will go to gain power.
Joe Biden, when asked if he would pack the courts, end filibusters, denounce BLM (a Marxist organization) and ANTIFA, he would not answer in fear of alienating his socialist base. He already stated he would defund the police and take our 2nd Amendment rights from us.
We can see how that is working in Democrat cities like Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Kenosha and New York. Rioters and looters are destroying those cities and have caused to date in excess of $2 billion in damage and loss of lives. Police are being gunned down for just sitting in their police vehicles. Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, said the riots must continue and will continue even after the election.
Chuck Schumer stated nothing is off the table if the Democrats regain the presidency and take the house and senate. They would push to add Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico as the 51st and 52nd states, adding four more senators assuring liberal rule for generations. They would do away with the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court with six more liberal justices, assuring them of not having to do the will of the people, but let liberal justices legislate for them.
We have seen a small taste of how the government will act with the COVID pandemic. Small businesses shut down, causing hard working people to lose what their blood, sweat and tears have built. People not allowed to worship, children forced to stay home and not socialize. Sports cancelled or severely restricted. Weddings limited. Funerals shut down, not allowing loved ones to mourn their loss. Alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, murder and domestic abuse skyrocketing.
A free society lets its citizens have the right to make their own decisions. We need to put our big boy pants on and take responsibility for our actions, or we will wake up to the nightmare too soon of the government telling us what we can and cannot do.
Dan McNeely Loyal
