LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Progressive taxation fairer

When everyone pays the same percentage tax it is called “flat.” Sales taxes are flat. Federal income tax rates on wages are progressive-those with higher wages pay a higher percentage. Some people think that a flat tax is fairer than a progressive tax, but is it?

Paying taxes is a pain. Shouldn’t a fair tax inflict a similar degree of pain on all? Low wage earners are more likely to spend their last dollar of income on necessities while high wage earners are likely to spend it on luxuries. Is it fair to tax income needed for essentials at the same rate as income going toward luxuries? Clearly flatter tax rates hit the less fortunate harder.

From 1932 to 1980, federal income tax rates were highly progressive (with the top rate ranging from 58 percent to 92 percent) and peacetime budget deficits were small. Then Ronald Reagan cut taxes, made them less progressive (by 2010, the top rate was a relatively low 35 percent), and thus mainly benefited high-income individuals. Deficits grew. The second President Bush doubled down on Reaganomics with additional tax cuts. Deficits exploded. Eventually the economy tanked, homes and retirement accounts plummeted in value, unemployment spiked. The net result was trillions of dollars of wealth redistributed from the middle class to the already rich.

Had enough? Then it’s time to stop the Republican tax war on the middle class and reduce the deficit by restoring realistic and fair progressive income tax rates.

DENNIS BRADDY Little Rock

Genuine care needed

It is a disgrace that in a city that is so clearly religious, and most claiming Christianity, that few religious leaders have spoken about the way our city treats the homeless, many of them veterans and many with mental disabilities.

When Jesus and his disciples were confronted with a huge group of hungry people, the disciples wanted to send them away to take care of themselves. (“Not in my neighborhood.”) Jesus, in strong contrast, makes it clear that the disciples are the ones responsible for enacting justice-feeding, in this case, but we might include housing, medical care, etc. It is time that mainline clergy and lay people stand up and enact justice, rather than giving “spiritual advice” only, and sending away those in need of food, housing and other sorts of care.

LARRY BURTON Little Rock

Principal truly caring

Principal Mike Mumma of Mary Mae Jones Elementary should be congratulated on his retirement. I hope retirement brings him all the good he has worked for and hoped for. My family will always have fond memories of him from when he was principal at Apple Glen Elementary School. His leadership provided a wonderful learning environment for our daughter. It amazed me that when we talked just a couple of years ago that he could still recall specific incidences and experiences with her from around 1995.

He was an excellent elementary school principal. He was always very professional, yet there was a tender fatherly kind of thing going on, a genuine caring and teaching. So many children don’t have that kind of image or presence in their lives and he understood that. It was clear to me that it was not just a career but an example from somewhere deep inside. I observed him for many years, and I knew he truly cared about each student individually. We were so fortunate to be at Apple Glen. Yes, he kept a very clean school and that was a bonus.

Our daughter joins us in saying congratulations, best wishes and thank you.

JEAN HORAN Bella Vista

Intellect is not lacking

Letter writer Al Case has got to be kiddin’. I am no longer surprised at the number of individuals who believe that the creator God is not involved in the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and tornadoes. I believe that he is involved because of the world’s sinful disobedience. For this belief Case labels me as having a “primitive mentality;” I am equated with “mental serfs” and accused of having a “dull, uncultivated mind,” and being unenlightened. I will match my intellect with his any day of the week.

He asks for empirical evidence of an unseen God. His request is ludicrous. God is invisible spirit and cannot be proven empirically, but to think that God does not exist because there is no evidence would be this side of hilarious if that type of argument were not so sad.

Case states that it’s obvious that we are here by geological consent. Am I a mind-numbed robot because it’s not obvious to me? I think not. Natural disasters came into existence after the moral fall of man in the Garden of Eden. For Case to characterize God as loving and merciful while he is silent about God’s righteousness and justice is typical of the biblically ignorant. Who but the unenlightened can believe that this is not about sin and divine retribution?

Case may not believe that there is a living God, but he will when he meets him face-to-face at the great white throne of judgment. Until then, I will respect his freedom to believe what he desires. That’s what a person living on the spiritual side of Christianity will do.

JAMES A. BRETTELL Maumelle

Money not important

In reading the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette the other day, I ran across an article showing pictures of members of Congress and telling what they are worth.

My question is this: Who cares? Although, if we would get some good ole country boys in there who have had to actually make their money honestly and wisely then the world would probably be in a better situation than it is now.

I have never understood why people think you have to have money to run anything. Just my opinion.

LINDA LOUDERMILK Hazen

Bridge a work of art

Does anyone remember the Carnegie Library at 7th and Louisiana Streets? Andrew Carnegie built it for the city for free. Our city fathers showed their appreciation for it by destroying it.

Now it’s the same game for the Broadway Bridge. Not many bridges of this design are left. They want to replace it with a bridge that is put together with nuts and bolts. Somebody is going to make lots of money out of this boondoggle.

They say this bridge is too dangerous. If so, why do they have to wait two years before they close it?

This bridge is a work of art. Let these planners shut the bridge down now for two weeks and see what happens to the traffic situation.

Lots of money is going to change hands on this deal. On top of all this, we will no doubt have to have a new tax bill.

BOB MASSERY Little Rock

Assessment is flawed

I read with dismay Wally Hall’s column concerning the resignation of Jim Tressell as head football coach at Ohio State University. The characterizations that Hall associated with Tressell do not accurately reflect Tressell as a person.

Buckeye fans have beamed with admiration for the past 10 years for accomplishments occurring on and off the field. Tressell instilled a sense of Buckeye pride among his players. They were required to learn and sing Ohio State’s alma mater, “Carmen Ohio,” memorize the names and hometowns of every teammate, and read a book each summer and then write a book report during preseason camp. He reached out to U.S. military personnel by inviting them to practices and providing game tickets.

Tressell and his wife, Ellen have given generously in time and money to OSU, Youngstown State and centralOhio communities. They co-chaired the OSU library expansion efforts and personally contributed $100,000 to the cause as well as the profits from his book Winners Manual, which Hall refers to in his column.

Most importantly, Tressell embraced the value of education. The team’s academic score is now fifth best in the country among schools that play in the Football Bowl Subdivision as reflected by the NCAA data released earlier this year.

I find Hall’s comments mean and vindictive. His assessment of Tressell is inherently flawed.

MICHAEL MIROS Benton

Just have an election

Stewart Dippel’s recent letter about the economy puzzled me greatly. He writes, “Actually, I say to myself that maybe the time soon comes when the people who made this country oughtto strap on their Colts and take it back.” First, this country was founded over 200 years ago, which means that the people who made it are long dead, and “strapping on their Colts” would be pretty useless, as well as impossible since Samuel Colt hadn’t made any guns back then.

And who would they take it back from? Ourselves? I can only infer that he means the people we have elected to run it, as set up by the people who made this country.

It seems to me it would be better to have another election instead. That would have less mayhem, an orderly transition of power, and it conforms to the ideals of the Founding Fathers as set forth in the Constitution. And it gives the added benefit of insuring our leaders would have better sense than to think arming a bunch of corpses is a good solution to our problems.

LEWIS NEIDHARDT Sherwood

Feedback Answer is obvious

In a recent column, Dana Kelley wonders why the U.S. crime rate is two to four times (depending on the category of crime) what it was in 1965. I guess the obvious can be hard to see. It’s the same reason that the U.S. incarceration rate has grown to be the highest in the world. A reason that I suspect most of his readers saw instantly. The modern “war on drugs” began in the late 1960s during the Nixon administration. The Drug Enforcement Agency was founded in 1973. Obviously, the answer to Kelley’s query is drug prohibition, and the only way to get back to lower rates is to re-legalize drugs. As Portugal’s amazing success shows, drug dependency is better treated as a mental health issue, not a law enforcement issue.

BILL ORTON Fayetteville

‘Quick fix’ is funny

Mike Masterson did a poor job of categorizing the “quick fix” for the economy in his recent column. This proposal is actually more funny than on target. If you crunch the numbers, giving 40 million people over the age of 50 in the work force $1 million each severance would require $40 trillion! This is about three times the GNP or the national debt and is certainly going to need more than all Congress’ taxes. Heck, they could donate their entire salaries and it would probably be less than 1 percent of the money needed to fund this pie-in-thesky “patriotic retirement plan.”

MIKE SHOESMITH Morrilton