Star promoting class envy
The recent editorial in The Daily Star titled "The rich don't need more tax cuts" is typical of your philosophy. Apparently the only reason for raising taxes on the rich is that they don't need the money.
As has been pointed out, the total amount of the tax increase would fund the government for only eight days. That is hardly enough to put a dent in the huge deficit we now have. So the main thrust of the proposal by the Obama Administration and endorsed by your newspaper is class envy. The rich don't need the money, so let's take it away from them.
This is a frightening aspect of the way the country has evolved. Many people, including those is high places, have suggested the way to solve the Social Security problem is twofold.
One is to eliminate the cap in Social Security taxation. Currently after a worker earns $110,100 in one year, he is free from any more contributions. It is suggested that the cap be eliminated and the worker pay the tax on all earnings.
The other plan is to means-test Social Security payments and bar payments to those above a certain income. After all, do Bill Gates and Warren Buffett really need those few thousand dollars a month extra? So the class-envy crowd would have those rich people pay far more into the Social Security system but get zero back in benefits.
When we begin to leave it up to the government to determine how much we need and allow them to take the excess away from us, we are truly on the road to serfdom.
Robert C. Beckman
Otego
Owners, clean up after dogs
OK, I have now had enough.
I used to do it once, maybe twice a month. Annoying, but tolerable.
Now I am doing it on a daily basis, which is completely unacceptable.
What, may you ask, am I doing? Picking up dog feces off my lawn. Why is this such an unacceptable task? Because I DON'T OWN A DOG!
There are laws in place requiring that you take care of your dog's waste. Please be a responsible pet owner and scoop your dog's poop!
Lorraine Brady
Oneonta
