LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Certainly a pattern here

I have seen absolutely no evidence that would ever cause me to believe lowering tax rates on “investors” (a code word for someone who has more money than he can spend) would create jobs.

In fact, it appears that the Bush tax cuts actually stimulated investment in only those companies eager to grossly increase their already vulgar profits by shipping manufacturing to Mexico and Asia to gain access to cheap, essentially forced labor. That cost this country the backbone of our economy, the good, high-paying manufacturing jobs that built this greatest economy on Earth.

Those having doubts about this argument need only to note the decline in middle-income wealth over the last 30 years, as opposed to the vulgar escalation of wealth among the richest (investors), beginning with a bang during the Reagan (Republican) administration, reversing during the Clinton (Democrat) years, then again growing exponentially during the (ugh) George W. Bush (Republican) regime.

Twice in the last 100 years, our great economy has collapsed.

The first time was in 1929 following a period of total control of our government (presidency, House and Senate) by Republicans. The second time was in 2008 after six continuous years of total Republican control.

How many more depressions will it take for those who keep voting for the avarice-driven Republicans to wake up and smell the coffee?

AUSTIN STEWART Judsonia

Seemed to miss state

Thanks for the article on famous Cosmopolitan editor and Arkansas native Helen Gurley Brown.

I have a weird hobby of purchasing books by Arkansas authors at estate sales, locating the authors and shipping the books off to the author with a return envelope and request for an autograph. I once located Brown after purchasing one of her books and shipped it off to her Upper East Side Manhattan address, wondering if I’d ever see it again. Not only did she promptly autograph and return the book, she also sent a long letter, then another after I responded.

For anyone who suspects that this successful woman did not have love and respect for her native Arkansas, the kind letters she wrote to me show quite the opposite.

She may have been rebellious in her youth, as many are, but by later in life she had extremely fine things to say about Arkansas. In fact, she seemed to miss it. She seemed kind of humbled that someone from her home state would wish her autograph.

It is not surprising to me that she arranged to be buried here.

JIM PFEIFER

Little Rock

Reaping what it sows

There has been a lot of news lately about the U.S. Postal Service, and I would like to comment on some things that I have seen in large and small post offices I have used all over southwest Arkansas, Little Rock, Dallas, Orlando, New York and Ohio.

I have seen clerks shut down their stations when there was a long line all the way to the door, leaving only one clerk to handle the long line.

I have also seen some workers who were on the clock, yet they were not doing anything at all.

The Postal Service used to be the only act in town, but I think they were giving away money so freely that they have almost bankrupted themselves.

MILTON MURRAY

McNeil

Our America eroded

It is not silly to realize that this great country, our United States, is withdrawing from its people.

It is being slowly eroded by choices that our hardworking forefathers would never have voted for because that was generally the reason they had left the country of their birth. I believe that in almost all cases, it has never been about race.

It is about America.

Incidentally, I would like to know how Mildred Shores will feel when the costly Affordable Care Act and the Independent Payment Advisory Board consisting of a panel of unelected and possibly unqualified members to oversee its forced administration is fully implemented and she learns of the health choices she is faced with at her age.

Hope she enjoys her good laugh if there are also limitations on her comfort care.

These same forefathers gave their government the right to tax them in exchange for providing and maintaining the means to protect them from foreign and domestic enemies.

Has that been happening now, when a border agent and a water skier are wantonly slain and ranch owners are being plundered and even murdered on our borders? When an ambassador and three loyal Americans are killed?

But at least we now know that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton can be responsible for answering that 3 a.m. call that Mrs. Clinton so loudly trumpeted in the 2008 preliminaries.

LOIS WELNETZ Bella Vista

Here’s a real Zinger

While at a local market on a recent afternoon, I came across an impressive display of devil’s food Zingers. Twinkie the Kid is dead; long live Dolly Madison!

BARRY THOMAS Fayetteville

Incentive arithmetic

I would like to address the idea that putting more money in just the hands of the wealthy is a better economic investment than spreading it around to everyone. To make the math easy, let’s imagine we have $1 million that we can either give to one wealthy individual or split up equally among 10,000 individuals for $100 per person. I find the idea that a wealthy person given a million would then go out and create a business with it ludicrous.

The wealthy have the money, so their first instinct is to preserve it. With no consumer demand, there is no point in starting a business, therefore they will just invest in bonds and the money will come back to the banks.

But if we give $100 to 10,000 people, and ideally not wealthy people, they will spend it because the average person has a different relationship with money than wealthy people. Where the wealthy use money to work for them, average people see money as something that needs to be spent. With 10,000 people spending, there will be consumer demand and some entrepreneur will see an opportunity to create a business to acquire that million dollars flowing around.

Like the trope that just giving a poor man money removes incentive for him to work, just giving lots of money to a rich man removes the incentive for him to create a business to make money.

DANIEL DANIELSON

Little Rock

Awaits enlightenment

If taxpayer money can’t be used to fund abortion because some believe it’s taking life, then why is taxpayer money used to fund the death penalty even though some believe it is taking life?

The Supreme Court has ruled that both abortion and the death penalty are protected under the Constitution, yet taxpayers in opposition are forced to fund one and not the other. Why? They are both protected under the Constitution. Please enlighten me.

ROBERT L. WILLIFORD JR. Grady

Leading by example

Re Al Case’s letter: It does seem as though the “moral majority” is guilty of distilling every political and social issue down to a Jesus versus Satan concoction. To the religious extremist, there is no wiggle room. Some issues like murder and rape should have none, but not all issues rise to such a level of importance. The fundamentalist wants, needs that Jesus/Satan conflict to make his beliefs easier to maintain. Since marijuana is the hand of the devil, how can a moral man be for it? If gays and lesbians can be made to look wrong, then it’s easy to hate them.

There is a local church that puts out hundreds of morbid little crosses to signify the plight of the unborn. Since George W. Bush’s dirty little Iraq war, I have yet to see this same church erect one cross in memory of our fallen servicemen, one sign denouncing war. Why is that? George Carlin said conservatives are “all in favor of the unborn. They’ll do anything for the unborn. But once you’re born, you’re on your own.” Carlin added that conservatives aren’t interested until military age because they “want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers.”

Concerning the consistency of the religious right, Carlin said: “Catholics and other Christians are against abortions and against homosexuals. Well, who has less abortions than homosexuals?”

When the religious right decides to honor the rights of all citizens in actions as well as words, then maybe they will be able to lead by example and the multitude will follow.

DAVID R. SCHRADER

Hot Springs

Can pay down deficit

Here’s a new idea for reducing the federal deficit. Put a check-box at the bottom of the federal incometax forms for people to voluntarily designate a small amount of their tax refund, say $10, to go directly toward paying the deficit.

The money would have to go directly toward deficit reduction, not just go into the general-revenue funds.

Most people would never miss the money, and it could add up to a substantial total amount.

I would expect the response to be moderate during the first years, but to increase during the second and subsequent years as people see their individual tax dollars making an immediate impact on the deficit.

If you like this idea, write to your congressmen about it. They are going to be working on the tax code and can include this in their deliberations.

KATHI PURNELL

Horseshoe Bend

It’s nothing but lunacy

Using the logic, or lack thereof, coming from Congress and the White House, here is how you solve the mess these clowns have gotten us into: Make the minimum wage $125 per hour.

This would make everyone rich. The White House and Congress could soak everyone without having to cut any entitlements. Our money wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on, but they are getting that done anyway.

The lunatics have taken over the insane asylum.

HAL MILLSAP

Springdale

Feedback

Holding the strings

It appears that the country, nationally, chose to continue leaning forward, while we in Arkansas and most of the South chose to turn back.

The many millions, even billions, of dollars of “dark money” larded on candidates to statehouses and the United States Congress was not free. It came with strings (control). The recipients of such largesse are tantamount to puppets under the control of their handlers. We can only hope and pray that they will sever those special-interest ties and work with our governor and president to solve the daunting problems facing our state and nation.

May the better natures of all parties prevail.

JOHN L. YOUNG

Ola

And exit, stage right

One person can make a difference. Take Grover Norquist, for instance. I didn’t see his name on my November ballot. Who is this man, and how did he gain so much control over many of our elected representatives?

Our country faces major problems that need thoughtful, careful consideration and deliberate action. It’s time for the selfappointed Norquist (and his inflexible pledge) to retire, for the good of our country.

BETTY HUNT

North Little Rock