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Lowering taxes will not result in higher federal revenues

Re: Given the nation's needs, this is no time to increase taxes and A major opportunity, letters, Sept. 21.

The two letter writers are arguing a false premise. The argument that when Ronald Reagan lowered marginal tax rates, federal revenues rose dramatically is a fallacy. Federal revenues rose, not due to tax cuts, but due to the increase in the payroll tax.

As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has documented, citing figures from OMB, "Income tax receipts grew noticeably more slowly than usual in the 1980s, after the large cuts in individual and corporate income tax rates in 1981." By contrast, "income tax collections grew much more rapidly in the 1990s," when "marginal income tax rates at the top of the income spectrum were raised," CBPP noted.

Regarding President John F. Kennedy lowering taxes, in 1960 when JFK was elected, taxes were much higher than they are now. The top federal rate was 90 percent. The Kennedy administration took the top rate down to 70 percent, and gave substantial tax cuts across the board, greatly helping both workers and business leaders.

In 1964, the JFK-LBJ administration did actually increase revenues and gave a substantial boost to the economy. That, coupled with substantial regulatory and public service/welfare spending, increased demand and cut unemployment and poverty. Programs that get money to the poor are the fastest way to increase demand and boost the economy. The lowest rungs of the socioeconomic scale generally spend 100 percent of their income. When presented with a windfall, millionaires don't generally change the percentage of the income they spend immediately, the way the poor do. Supply-side has no basis in reality, as it is demand that drives hiring and the economy in general, not supply. Giving a tax cut to a person who already has millions isn't going to change his spending habits a whole lot, especially when he has loopholes and tax shelters to keep him from paying what he actually owes in the first place.

Economic progress is questionable

Re: Given the nation's needs, this is no time to increase taxes, letter.

If spent with prudence, $200-billion dollars could be just what the people of New Orleans need to get them back on their feet. My question is this: Where is that extra money coming from? Tax cuts? God forbid we chip in a little more taxes - or even our usual amount - to support the needs of our fellow Americans in distress.

"Anyone who doubts the importance of tax cuts need look no further than the economy's performance since the cuts took effect," says the letter writer. We have 37-million people living in the wealthiest nation on the planet in poverty. Some 46-million Americans have no health insurance. The median pay of full-time workers fell last year, and household incomes have failed to rise for five years straight. Our national debt is nearing $8-trillion dollars. Is this economic progress?

Legacies and bill paying

Re: The math of Hurricane Katrina, Sept. 22.

Congress is struggling with ways to pay for the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Currently, that cost is estimated at $200-billion and will probably rise. Listed in Thursday's paper were some ways to pay that bill. It seems that the only one that would have any serious affect on this problem would be the one that saves $225-billion, eliminating the Bush tax cuts of 2001-2003.

President Bush, however, wants these cuts to be part of his legacy, so they probably will not get the ax. President Bush also wants in his legacy some $104-billion to send humans back to the moon in 2018. Why is it that this expenditure was not taken into consideration by our leaders in Congress? Also not taken into consideration was the future unknown cost for the war in Iraq. I wonder what Bush's legacy will be, but whatever it will be I'm sure it will not be known in the lifetime of many Americans.

Make life better on Earth

Re: The moon is the mission, Sept. 20.

Now that NASA's most expensive toy, the space shuttle program, is old and broken, the officials there are yearning for something new and shiny. What better than another manned mission to the moon? Never mind that NASA is still not through playing with the lunar sandbox it brought back from the moon 33 years ago, and never mind that this new toy will cost U.S. taxpayers $104-billion!

NASA will argue that the science learned via this new project will spin off exciting new consumer products and later help us get to Mars to look for signs of life. Let me suggest instead that NASA turn its best minds, and our money searching for life and life-saving products right here at home, on Earth.

NASA could take half of that $104-billion and develop things like a refrigerator that can keep food cold for a month without being plugged in; a source of lighting for homes without electricity; a water purifier that will convert gallons of fresh water from even the most polluted puddle; a transport system and shelters to safely relocate people with no other means to move themselves out of harm's way; a toilet that functions without water or power; food that will not spoil; a radio or television that would provide weather and emergency information, and a myriad of other things that we would need in an emergency when power, water, sanitation and transportation fail. NASA could then take the other half of that $100-billion and preposition these things where they might be needed.

If NASA wants spin-off science, it should figure out how to also manufacture all of these new products cheap enough and easy enough to use by anyone in a Third World country. While we in this country will want these things to survive an emergency, millions of our fellow humans in Third World countries need these things now.

Take a more practical approach

I don't think President Bush understands the American people anymore. I think the tide has shifted to a more practical approach to the situation the United States now faces.

We should cancel (or at least lessen) the tax breaks given to the ultra wealthy.

Yes, we should cut down on pork barrel projects.

Stop making political appointments and look at qualifications.

Stop giving out "no bid" contracts.

Stop fiddling with Social Security.

Appoint a bipartisan commission to recommend effective means to handle catastrophic events.

The Draconian measures President Bush has proposed will make paupers of the poor and make poor the middle class. Children and seniors will bear the brunt of his proposals.

Take care of home first

Re: How to pay for Katrina relief.

Stop all foreign aid and reverse the tax cuts for the wealthy. That will pay for Katrina and a big chunk of the deficit. This is only common sense. You take care of your home first - then start handing out the extra, not the reverse, which is what this administration has done.

Coordinate public transportation

In the event that Pinellas County ever experiences a hurricane the magnitude that New Orleans recently did, I hope that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), Sunstar, and the Pinellas County Schools will be able to coordinate use of their vehicles with state and local governing agencies for emergency use. Had New Orleans used its public transportation options before the hurricane made landfall, there may not have been as many injuries and deaths being reported in the wake of Katrina.

Words to consider

Re: President Bush's "can't-do" spirit, by Maureen Dowd, Sept. 22.

In his talks to the American public, President Bush would be wise to remember the words of Abraham Lincoln:

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all of the people all the time."

Battered by Maureen

Re: Maureen Dowd.

After a constant barrage of Dowd columns, I'm begining to feel that our great country is in a cataclysmic situation under the Bush administration. I wish Ms. Dowd would consider entering the senatorial race in her district. She would be the perfect fit to join "The Fab Five," Schumer, Biden, Reid, Kennedy and Feinstein.

P.S.: Instead of using her graduation picture, please request that she use a current photo!

Dowd is on the job

Re: Dowd seems to be slipping, letter, Sept. 22.

In response to the gentleman who accused Maureen Dowd of failing to blame President Bush for the latest hurricane, all I can say is, it's refreshing to have her back on the Opinion pages. I guess creative expression of a seasoned reporter's analysis is more than some readers can appreciate.

Let them not forget that Ms. Dowd was as critical of the Clinton administration during its tenure. Let's not let any government administration feel it is beyond reproach. That is the beauty of our democratic system. And after all, we are paying their salaries.

A space saving idea

Re: Maureen Dowd columns.

The St. Petersburg Times could save me and other readers important time by removing the block of space normally reserved for Maureen Dowd columns and simply inserting her picture, name, and the line: "President Bush still does nothing right, and I still loathe him." Rather than putting more words into fewer ideas, that succinct line captures the essence of Maureen Dowd.

For Dowd, Bush can do no right

How much longer must we put up with those hate-filled rants against President Bush by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd? If Bush walked on water, she would probably claim that he only did that because he can't swim.

Keep responding to messages of hate

Re: Simon Wiesenthal: He would never let us forget, Sept. 21.

The passing of the avenging angel of the Holocaust, Simon Wiesenthal, should motivate us to continue his war against hate. We pledge to continue his efforts in our community.

As the president of a not-for-profit media watch group that seeks to respond to hate, I am well aware that racial and anti-Semitic hate is very much alive in our Tampa Bay area. The National Alliance has replaced the KKK, and there are a number of demented haters who make hate their life's focus.

We urge people of goodwill to follow the credo: Silence is not golden! We must respond to hate whenever it is sounded.

The dangers of drilling

Re: Offshore drilling - Is it worth it?

Why are some Florida Republicans in Congress now saying they are for drilling off the coast of Florida? Haven't they seen the environmental impact of that destruction from Katrina? If not, I suggest they pay attention to the destruction and environmental impact off the coast of Texas as Rita destroys more rigs and makes an even bigger environmental mess!

Where were these politicians when Florida got hit by four hurricanes last year? Where will they be when they have approved drilling off the coast of Florida and Florida gets hit with a Category 4 or 5 hurricane? Not only will we have death and destruction to deal with, we will also have an environmental nightmare on our beaches and our national treasures forever destroyed!

We'll need the energy

Re: Closer and closer, editorial, Sept. 20.

You are obviously against Rep. Mike Bilirakis' proposal for "possible" oil drilling 100 miles off shore, but you don't say why other than to say it's bad. You do say that Hurricane Katrina destroyed 50 of 4,000 oil rigs, which is 1.25 percent. Wow. You also say that the pipes on the gulf bottom were so badly damaged a full assessment has yet to be done. Well if the damage has not been assessed how do we know they are so badly damaged?

I do know that Florida is an energy-deficit state: We use more energy than we create. Drilling is in our future unless we find other ways to create it. Just saying no doesn't solve anything.

Remembering oil in the sand

Re: Drilling for gulf oil gains support, Sept. 16.

I was horrified to read of plans to loosen "restrictions on offshore oil and gas exploration... " in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

I lived in Houston 40 years ago for seven years, and we took the family to the beach off Galveston on weekends. At that time there were no oil rigs in sight of the coast and no major oil spills. However, there were globs of black oil in the sand so the soles of our feet had to be cleaned with solvent, and our oldest bathing suits and towels were used because of the staining.

Do you know anyone who vacations on the Gulf Coast of Texas because of the beaches?

Keeping a community voiceless

Re: Uhurus' election-year suit, editorial, Sept. 19.

In this editorial, the Times says, "The election system [the Uhurus] attack has produced African-American council members for a quarter-century."

It's called neo-colonialism! White power in a black face. Just because an African is elected doesn't mean that he or she represents the interests of the masses of the African community!

I'm appalled that the Times thinks so low of its readers' knowledge of history as to claim that just because black people have held elected positions that the electoral system is fair and equal.

The representation for each and every district in St. Petersburg is ultimately chosen by a majority white population. The majority of white people in St. Petersburg face a different reality than the majority of the African community which is living at or below the poverty level. Those are crisis level conditions for any community. And to say that it is wrong to struggle for the right for that community to determine its own solutions to those problems is Jim Crow law all over again. It's keeping that community voiceless, powerless and covering up the problem.

Preserve community policing

Re: Community policing scaled back, Sept. 13.

I read with dismay confirmation that the St. Petersburg Police Department brass has been hobbling the community policing system, especially because that system worked extraordinarily well in this city and it is the envy of other places where there is no community policing. I talk via e-mail every day with people suffering crime problems from Maine to California, Michigan to Texas, and one thing we have discovered is that there is no substitute for an officer who has his own patch to protect, 24/7.

I rode along recently with an officer in an inner city area of St. Petersburg with a very bad drug problem and I know for a fact that that problem would be infinitely worse without this officer's microscopic knowledge of every house and virtually every individual in his area. You cannot take an officer off the street or plunk down one in a cruiser and expect to get that kind of enforcement. Our community policing system needs to be fostered, nurtured and supported by the city, not hampered or dismantled.

It's no way to fight crime

Re: Cell phone trails snare criminals, call or no, Sept. 17.

It's difficult to understand the motives and reasoning behind printing this report. On the front page, no less! Surely it has nothing to do with reducing crime in our neighborhoods. Certainly any literate person who reads newspapers will leave a cell phone behind (or turned off) should thieving or murder be his/her intent.

[Last modified September 24, 2005, 01:00:22]