LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Criticism of the government off mark

Lisa Kershaw, Las Vegas

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

It is time Democrats dare to be Democrats and stand up for what they believe in instead of caving in to the Republican mantra that government is a problem. The government is not a problem; it wasn’t true when Reagan said it, and it is not true now.

Because of the government we have schools for our children; we have roads, fire departments, police, armed forces and Social Security. Would you like to live in a society without these services?

These services cost money; that is why we pay taxes. The taxes in this country are ridiculously low compared with Europe, and still we complain about them. And, of course, the Republicans always want to lower them.

It is not true that everything the government does is inefficient — that is a myth the Republicans have fed us for so long that even Democrats have started to believe it. Inefficiency occurs just as often in private companies as in government.

Rules and regulations are not something to be done away with; look where deregulation of the economy brought us! Unbridled capitalism ends in disaster; the market is not the solution to everything.

Let us proudly declare that taxes and regulation are necessary in a functioning democracy. Don’t let the Republicans bamboozle us into thinking that all taxation and all regulation is bad.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By tokaloshe

10/4/08 at 7:05 a.m.

Suggest removal

I think government has deregulated the accessibility for too many medications.
By gunowners4obama

10/4/08 at 7:15 a.m.

Suggest removal

Ditto. And government needs to stop sitting by and watching the education and health care systems collapse, and do something about that. Too bad government's full of attorneys, since a lawsuit-happy legal system is a major problem in this country, but a major $$$ benefit to attorneys.
By tokaloshe

10/4/08 at 8:33 a.m.

Suggest removal

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/ch...
By Future2012

10/4/08 at 9:03 a.m.

Suggest removal

Lis says "These services cost money; that is why we pay taxes. The taxes in this country are ridiculously low compared with Europe, and still we complain about them."

But here is the point 44% of the worker now pay no Federal Income Tax (FIT). So there is no "we" are paying.

This is more about a fewer some paying for many others.

Obama's "Tax Break" for the middle class is really about making an annual $1000 payment (voter bribe)to the lower 95% of income earners from the top 5%. Obama is not lowering the tax rate.

This is just wealth redistribution economics.

Every year there is an a smaller percentage of the Fed budget going to roads, fire departments, police, armed forces, etc.; and a increasing percentages going to transfer payments like Social Security and other welfare checks (like your $1000 vote for me bribe check from Obama).
By tokaloshe

10/4/08 at 10 a.m.

Suggest removal

Obama wants convicted felons to now have the right to vote. they currently do not have the right to vote, but if barack gets his way he believes since these convicts (4 million) are disproportionatley black they will vote for him,
check out the link;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_o...
By PatriciaLV

10/4/08 at 10:25 a.m.

Suggest removal

Yeah, Future; I heard Michael Weiner say that, too, and like you, he doesn't cite sources either.

(Oh and nice job of inserting an all-time right wing favorite meaningless talking point in there - "wealth redistribution". If this [expletive deleted] bailout isn't actual "wealth distribution", I don't know what is. But I don't see you whining & moaning about that. Yeah, this is your exalted, mighty "free market" in action.)
By Future2012

10/4/08 at 12:39 p.m.

Suggest removal

The banks sould have been left to fail. As long as the FEDs are propping up some banks and not other we will never clear out the deadwood.

Had it not been for the need to give a tax "fix" for the wooden kiddy arrows most in Congress may not have passed the bail, but they had to do for the kids.

Read Walter Williams in the R-J on November 15, 2007, Which discusses the 44 percent of the U.S. population who are outside of the system."

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics...