PUBLIC VIEWPOINT: What Does GOP Fairness Look Like?

I would like to thank Mr. George Weeks for his accusations against me in his viewpoint of Jan. 7.

His rather strange interpretation of the facts of my letter (Public Viewpoint, Dec. 30) should suggest that he reread it.

I did not call another writer a liar. I just used an old kid’s expression to echo satirically Mr. Steve Hill’s claim that President Obama is a liar. I did not call the rich fi lthy or say only rich Republicans get to pay a 14 percent income tax rate. Rich Democrats or anyone can have that same privilege on investment incomes. I also did not mention Mitt Romney.

As to lowering one’s tax through generous giving to charity, it is not an option for poor people. The poorpay state and local taxes without any deductions for them and it takes all the money they can earn to survive.

Mr. Weeks’ claim that the Democrats covet other people’s property and hate the filthy rich seems to be a form of political and class warfare. Does the GOP think fairness for everyone is for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer?

RICHARD SNIVELY

Fayetteville

ARTICLE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

I want to thank Steve Sheely for his article “God Works Through All People” (Jan. 19) I appreciate his mentioning a “sweet little lady” who was my aunt, Madeleine Cate Thomas.

He wrote about educated mothers and the influence they have on their children. My grandmother, Eff e Brooks Cate, was one of those women.

She had attended the University of Arkansas and was determined that her four girls receive an education even during the Depression. (Living on) the Cate farm, which has been mostly under Lake Sequoyah since 1959, meant there was no high school available for her girls. As soon as her oldest daughter became high-school age, she would move them into town during the school year so they could go to University High School.

Then the older three would work and help the others continue their educationeven after my grandmother died when they ranged in age from 21-26. They then saw that their younger sister continued her education.

Educating women continued with my mother, who considered my education as important as my brother’s.

Over the years, churches have used scripture to keep others from leadership positions because of race.

I hope we have grown beyond that and will all see the potential of all, particularly if we educate and train them for those roles.

By the way, Aunt Madeleine’s children agree a better description of her would be “determined.”

NANCY COLE MAYS

Fayetteville

Opinion, Pages 10 on 01/27/2013

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