Taxes and the rich: Letters to the editor, March 26, 2021

Tax time, and the rich won’t pay

 It’s tax time and the rich are going to pay. Nope. Like a magic trick, if Republicans divert the gullible religious working class with issues like abortion and immigrants, their conservative voters won’t notice their own exploitation.

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) study showed that the states and local government redistribute taxes from the poor and the middle class to the wealthy. The Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) shows that the USA soars to first in inequality.

Unlike Europe, our high inequality comes from the low minimum wage, weak unions, and high private-sector compensation at the top. We redistribute less than other countries and have lower taxes on the highest income from investments, not from working for it.

Income inequality makes it difficult for state tax systems to pay for services. The more income that goes to the wealthy, the more streets have potholes.

We can expect our political debate cliches to be true. Stop claiming that we have a redistributive government. Stop pretending that poor people are “takers” when they kick in a lot to the common pot. Replace arguments about “big” government with debates over what governments could do to make our society more just.

Filibuster for debate, not obstruction

The Senate filibuster is widely misunderstood. Much of its public perception is based on an image projected in Hollywood, specifically in the 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” In this film, Jimmy Stewart portrays a senator who holds his ground in the Senate chamber for hours to stall a corrupt piece of legislation.

The modern form of the filibuster does not require such commitment. Senators do not even have to be in the chamber to start a filibuster. An e-mail from a senator objecting to a bill is enough to stall a piece of legislation indefinitely.

At a minimum, the filibuster should be reformed to require a genuine commitment from the lawmakers who propose it. Even Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, an opponent of eliminating the filibuster, said the process should be more “painful.”

There is no merit in allowing lawmakers to indefinitely stall legislation. This could be the reason that the filibuster was not even included in the U.S. Constitution. Senators who filibuster should be required to remain in the chamber and debate the merits of proposed legislation.

The filibuster should be reformed as a tool to encourage legislative debate rather than a means of legislative obstruction.

Getting kids back to school ASAP

I have three students: a senior at Bullard, a junior at Fresno Christian and a 6th grader at Baird. We moved our junior because she could not emotionally or academically handle distance learning. We are fortunate that we have the means to give her what she needs, but many deserving students and families do not.

I am not here for my kids. I am here for the other kids. The ones that are being left behind, abused and isolated. The ones who truly will never recover from what has been stolen from them. I am here for the parents who have to choose between work and their kids, for the kids who will never again return to school after this year, for the ones that FUSD has shamefully robbed of their one chance at escaping poverty, a quality education. I am here for the mamas of the kids who have committed suicide or are suffering from depression.

The vaccine is readily available for teachers and those who need it most. COVID is less of a risk to kids than prior flu viruses (there were no lockdowns during those outbreaks, i.e. H1N1). No more excuses Bob Nelson! All students full time now!

Nunes, Valadao and stimulus funding

 I can hardly wait to see how many of the people who keep sending Nunes and Valadao back to Congress refuse to take their stimulus money. Nunes and Valadao did such a good of representing the 60% of Republicans who were in favor of the stimulus.

This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Taxes and the rich: Letters to the editor, March 26, 2021."