Demand, not supply
"What about a $17 trillion national debt don't you understand? Our great-grandchildren will never be able to pay that off! We must cut spending," said the Tea Party man.
In 1945, our federal debt was $240 billion, 20 percent more than our gross domestic product. We never paid off that debt. We grew our economy instead, reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio to about 30 percent before Ronald Reagan took office. Reagan cut taxes to jump-start our economy. Today, our debt-to-GDP ratio is about 100 percent.
Supply-side economics asserts that cutting taxes and spending will cause businesses to hire more people and produce more goods and services. This is only true if people who want those goods and services have the money to buy them. Demand for goods and services drives our economy, not supply. When most of us don't have the money to create demand, our economy slows. The rich invest their money abroad, creating jobs in low-wage countries. Prices in this country are kept low, along with wages, and our children cannot afford a middle-class life.
Our economy grew over 12 times from 1945 to 1980, but only six times from 1980 to present. To restore our economy, I believe we must return to demand-side economics: 1. a tax structure that encourages investment here at home rather than abroad, 2. government investment in new infrastructure, 3. college educations for all our children and 4. livable wages. I believe the graduated income tax of the 1940s and '50s is the solution.
RUUD DuVALL
Fayetteville
Family is the reason
I must beg to differ with part of Stewart Dippel's letter regarding the lost meaning of Thanksgiving.
I am 70 years old and my entire adult life has seen me celebrating Thanksgiving with my extended family which now numbers around 40 people. Through those years I have never experienced anything negative happen on that holiday.
We are a loud, boisterous, tell-it-like-it-is family, but at the same time we respect the opinions of others. When the day is over and I head home, it is with the warm feeling that I spent another day with family, and for that I am thankful. To me that's the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Sharing and caring with family, the true backbone of this great country.
PAULETTE H. LINDSEY
Conway
Much respect given
Recently our dad was in the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital for an extended stay. Dad was in several areas of the hospital.
My family was very impressed by the way we saw veterans treated in every area of the hospital. Everyone that helped Dad told him, Thank you for your service" and, "Thank you for letting us serve you."
My family wants to publicly thank the administration, doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital for the way they treat veterans with respect. We also want to say that our dad could not have received any better treatment. Thank you from the Bittle family.
RICKY BITTLE
Mabelvale
Deserving of praise
The 1 percent deserves some praise and lovin'.
Sure, I have heard it all about what's said concerning the entitled, in defense of the of the 1 percent. I'd like to offer a bit of enlightenment to those who have a different opinion.
I followed my father on the path he chose, in which I gained much knowledge of the breadth of mankind. Knowledge of the rewards of being smart in my studies at the learning institutions he could afford me. Knowledge about the rewards that would be bestowed on me in return for using my abilities to give back to humankind. To love and nurture my family and friends to strive and to do their very best as to each one's abilities.
My 1 percent father who joined the United States Marines led me down the path that I chose, and I too belong to the 1 percent as a veteran.
JOSEPH BEIL
Fayetteville
Without filter of race
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of having lunch at school with my 8-year-old granddaughter.
Sitting in the cafeteria talking to her, I casually looked around the room at the other second-grade students. There were kids of all ethnic backgrounds, and all races. They were laughing and talking and, strangely enough, they were not segregated into groups defined by skin color. In fact, my granddaughter's best friend is from Argentina.
How will these same children react to one another in 10 years? And what will cause them to suddenly develop a feeling of superiority or inferiority simply because their skin color is different from those around them? How do we as parents and grandparents influence the opinions of our young ones?
Do the mothers and fathers, more by action than words, warn the children to avoid certain groups of people? When a young black person sees me on the street, do they, because of how they were taught at home, find themselves fearful or angry because of atrocities committed by white people years ago? When the young white person sees a person of color, do they assume that person is a drug dealer, prostitute or thief because of what they were taught by their parents?
At what point do we, as a so-called civilized society, stop perpetuating the evils of the past and learn to live and work with one another without the filter of race?
DANNY DRAPER
Little Rock
To secure the border
Recently some U.S. senators said that an immigration bill would follow after the border was secure.
The common border between the U.S. and Mexico is 1,969 miles. So far, only 651 miles of fence have been built. The estimated cost of fencing the entire border is $22.4 billion.
How secure are our borders? The Government Accountability Office said 44 percent of the border was under "operational control"; the balance is monitored. In 2010, 4,037 breaches existed in the fence. Critics say security is poor. What is the answer?
Smuggling illegal aliens across the border is a $6.6 billion industry for Mexican gangs; 90 percent of the aliens smuggled into the U.S. are by "coyotes." Others attempting to enter are often beaten or killed. Rates are from $3,000 to $30,000 per person.
What has our government done to force the Mexican government to improve living conditions in Mexico so their citizens will want to remain in Mexico? Can money be spent more efficiently toward solving this serious problem?
Most of the illegal Mexicans in the U.S. have suffered many hardships in coming to the U.S. Most of them came here to work and improve their standard of living for their families. Many of them take jobs that most people born here in the U.S. do not desire to do. If they are good workers, they deserve proper compensation. Aliens are human and deserve to be treated with respect.
What is your opinion and solution for this problem?
LAYTON JACKSON
Fort Smith
Editorial on 12/05/2014