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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 11, 2002
Re: Bush picks railway chief for treasury, Dec. 10.
Would you watch and do nothing while your money and savings for the future were robbed in plain view? Of course not!
Why, then, are we willing to silently watch while our country is economically and socially devastated by President Bush's policies?
These policies include granting corporate benefits, turning back environment protection, promoting corporate deregulation and tax cuts for the rich while engaged in deficit spending to finance a needless war which is most likely to increase the terrorism it is intended to eliminate. These policies come at the price of failing to control the cost of prescription drugs, of not providing universal medical and prescription drug coverage, and of deepening the recession responsible for state and local budget cuts to education and social welfare. This is robbery in plain view.
We are losing sight of the values that lifted the economic and social well-being of America to the best in the world, and in the process we are giving away not only our own but our children's future.
If you helped to elect President Bush, then help to stop him. Report the robbery of the future of America and call to arms our political resistance before it is too late.
-- Ed Renner, Largo
Re: President ousts economic team, Dec. 7.
One would think that the president might possibly conclude that he is the problem instead of his advisers. Under his watch, the stock market tanked, unemployment jumped and consumer confidence, which is probably the best indication of national optimism, has declined 40 percent (140 to 84.1). The main reasons, I believe: the financially devastating long-range tax cuts and his apparent determination to go to war with or without proof from the United Nations' inspectors.
I believe most anything can be accomplished if spirited by great confidence. When people or governments borrow money, they in effect compromise their future to the extent the borrowed money must be paid back. People who borrow to grow profits in a business demolish their loans. People who borrow to consume still have the loan to reckon with. Governments do not generate profits, they consume them in taxes.
I believe Wall Street, and the public, would favorably respond to the long-range assurance that the national and state budgets were being brought into balance and not eviscerated. The public has been given no sense of sacrifice. During World War II, gasoline was rationed at three gallons per week, meat and butter rationed, young men drafted for a cause. If the "war against terrorism" lasts 20 to 40 years (quite possibly) its impact could equal that of World War II.
It seems the president is now searching for advisers who will expedite increasing tax reduction which is possibly the worst way to favorably impress the economy and possibly the worst way to achieve political gain in the next election.
-- John Christy Clement, Tierra Verde
Re: President ousts economic team, Dec. 7.
Even though the article and graphs on the front page of Saturday's St. Petersburg Times were devoted to the economic situation under the current president, they also outline George W. Bush's "Iraq foreign policy plan" as he is headed into his re-election race.
As most of us know, nothing kick-starts an ailing economy as well as a well-timed war. And what better target than our country's favorite (that we can locate) adversary, Saddam Hussein. I hope during my lifetime this country will break the habit of trading the lives of America's youth for the greed of America's leaders.
-- Patrick D. Foster, St. Petersburg
Democrats and their sycophants in the press are trying to make some hay over the recent resignations of Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Economic Council director Lawrence Lindsey. Their replacements do not point to economic problems but rather to coming improvements in economic policy.
President Bush's $1.35-trillion tax cut has yet to make an appreciable impact on our sluggish economy mired in the lingering Clinton-era recession because Democrats had let so little of it be implemented to date.
The $300-per-taxpayer tax rebate did indeed stop the economic hemorrhaging after the Sept. 11 attacks, but acceleration of the remaining tax cuts is what will finally pull America out of these economic doldrums. Putting peoples' money back in their own hands is never an economic mistake. But Democrat tactics of taking money out of circulation by raising taxes to fuel their spending sprees can only make economic matters worse.
America cannot be taxed out of this Clinton-era recession; our economy must grow out of these hard economic times. People need to buy more goods and invest more in growth industries. Americans need to keep more of their income to accomplish this and that means lower taxes for all taxpayers, regardless of income levels.
Liberals need to quit playing their class-envy cards and get on board with President Bush to turn around America's economy.
-- Robert C. Gotshall Jr., Palm Bay
Re: Using a tax cut to spur the economy.
Choice A: Refund one millionaire $6,000 and he/she goes out and buys one shower curtain.
Choice B: Refund 1,000 middle-income taxpayers $6 each, and they go out and buy 1,000 shower curtains.
Why does this administration insist on Choice A rather than Choice B if its real intent is to help this economy?
-- Joseph Palazzo, St. Petersburg
Our economy is definitely in very bad shape, but it's comforting to know that a lot of Third World countries are flourishing because they have our jobs.
So much of our manufacturing is done outside of this country, and as long as this practice continues, there will be more people out of work. This country has become a "throw away society." No one has anything fixed anymore.
Just think: Every time people are laid off from their jobs, they are no longer part of the "buying population." The more people that lose their jobs, the more people that are not going to be able to spend money. And if no one is buying, then there are more layoffs. It's very simple. Keep our manufacturing here in this country.
-- Steve Oromaner, St. Petersburg
What is the true picture of the economy? The president fires his economic staff because of the weakness of the economy that affects us all. With Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan lowering the interest rates repeatedly, your personal life savings just sit there practically idle. Earning interest at 1 to 2 percent is not good for the person who has his or her life savings tucked away in these financial institutions. This includes a lot of people who are on retirement incomes and depend on this interest income to live on. Greenspan needs to go.
And the percentage of unemployed people in this country is based on the number of people drawing unemployment benefits and who just recently finished receiving the last of their benefits. But what about all the people before them who have been without benefits for months and years? They are not counted in the overall picture. So it is not a true picture of the percent that the economists use.
Then what about the real poor people and the hundreds of thousands of homeless right here in our own country? Why isn't our country helping out our own? But when it comes to helping out, our officials are right there outside the boundaries of this great nation giving millions of dollars to other nations before taking care of their own. Let's campaign to make the unemployed and homeless two things of the past.
We need money funneled now into helping our own. Charity begins at home.
-- Michael J. Kowalik, Spring Hill
I find it difficult to believe that the American public has not reacted to the unmitigated gall of the Bush administration. It permits corporations to leave tax jurisdictions to avoid taxes and then grants them government contracts.
President Bush grants political appointees (some are convicted felons from the Iran-Contra scandal) big bonuses but scales back pay raises for federal employees.
Congress gives itself a raise but won't increase the minimum wage. Bush is spending our children's and grandchildren's money to promote his warmongering.
We need to stop this outrage. Isn't it time to take to the streets?
-- Cynthia Folit, New Port Richey
Re: Cost of living adjustment.
I want to let someone know how grateful I am for the $4 a month increase in my Social Security check this coming year. I want to congratulate them on the figures and the method they used so that this cost-of-living adjustment will nicely cover the price changes on my groceries, gas, medicine -- you know, luxuries like that.
Maybe on some other planet -- $4 a month! If it weren't so sad it would be funny.
-- Doris Whelan, St. Petersburg
Re: Pearl Harbor Day.
On what should be a most revered day for Americans (Dec. 7) you made almost no mention on the front page of what happened at Pearl Harbor 61 years ago, save a one-sentence blurb in the margin.
Instead, you chose to run a big photograph of Winona Ryder bemoaning her fate in her shoplifting trial. As the son and nephew of World War II veterans, I say "shame on you!"
-- David C. Fratarcangelo, Treasure Island
Headline news reports that our rainy weather is "crummy." Let's think about this just a pinch deeper. Humans love to complain. And they love to complain about the weather. Humans are also very controlling. Which brings to mind something we cannot control, the weather. That really bothers us and makes us say unintelligent things.
I have an idea. Instead, let's see the beauty that nature is bestowing upon us. Take a walk in the rain. I mean, really, it's only water. Listen and feel the rain. It's really quite beautiful. Listen to the sound and you'll become mesmerized.
Rain is nature's way of nurturing our earth. Without it we would not exist. Now that might be something to complain about.
P.S. It's probably a good thing we can't control the weather because we usually try to make everything so convenient we destroy it.
-- Gloria Petrey, St. Petersburg
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