Not middle-class cut
My wife and I are in our mid-70s, retired educators. Our combined taxable income in 2016 was $102,320. I am writing to dispute the claims made by Tim Griffin in the recent guest writer feature claiming that the House tax proposal is, in any way, a middle-class tax cut.
I put my way through college preparing tax returns in my uncle's bookkeeping and tax service and have prepared my own returns since 1960. Applying the proposed rates, standard deduction, and loss of personal exemptions to my 2016 income would result in a tax increase of about $6,740 on our return. Does this look like a middle-class tax cut?
Congress is playing a bait and switch, giving one break while removing two others. Sad!
TIMOTHY J. BOYER
Rogers
Address the problems
Many years in business and government have taught me that successful organizations, whether private or public, identify major needs and problems, prioritize them, then develop action plans to meet requirements of at least the critical ones. Wouldn't it be great if we in America (citizens, the government, and everyone) could work in unity to solve the vast number of real mind-boggling problems that portend grave implications for our grandchildren?
How would you prioritize our critical problems? Mine would start with these:
Monumental, insidious divisiveness. So rampant in politics, congressional gridlock, and human relations whether racial- or gender-related.
Need to protect citizens. At home--crime, open borders, gangs, terrorists; abroad--atomic threat in North Korea, ISIS, risks from Iran and Middle Eastern nations.
Providing quality health care for all.
Providing higher education levels equal to those in other countries.
Stopping out-of-control governmental fraud and spending, balancing the budget, and reducing the $20 trillion debt.
These are only five of the most serious problems facing the United States; however, they are enough to raise the question of worried citizen taxpayers--How do we motivate our elected officials and other leaders to unite, prioritize problems, and develop action plans that work? God bless America.
JACK MURPHY
Little Rock
Bad for senior citizens
In 2016 a low-income senior citizen had an income from a civil-service pension of $21,450, with a taxable income of $9,550 (standard deduction of $11,950 and personal exemption of $4,050). The tax on this income was $973. The new tax plan would have a standard deduction of $12,000 for a taxable income of $9,450 and a tax of $1,134 (12 percent). Thus an increase of $161.
This tax plan will be a disaster for low-income senior citizens. It will be worse for taxpayers with dependents that are not children. The concept of a personal exemption needs to be continued. A tax credit for children 17 years and younger is not sufficient.
KEN BUTTRY
Horseshoe Bend
On feel-good politics
I read little Timmy Griffin's guest column and just shake my head. It seems he is not only diminutive in stature but apparently diminutive in thinking. He is just another robo-Republican who can't have an original thought past the party line and fits in really well with other robos like Tom Cotton and John Boozman. They wrap themselves in the flag and Arkies lap the message up. Social Security going broke? No prob. Medicare going broke? No prob. Running up the national debt another $1.5 trillion? No prob. Building a $40 billion wall on the Mexican border? No prob. Solving the health-care issue that's sinking middle-class Americans? What problem?
No, we need tax cuts so that Donald Trump and the rest of the Republican jokers can give us something for nothing. Why do rich people and corporations need tax cuts? I don't know, but Timmy apparently does. They get big bucks and we get leftovers.
Timmy has one of the easiest jobs in Arkansas and collects a salary from the state of Arkansas, and apparently it isn't keeping him busy enough, so he has time to write about how bad we need a few bucks a week more so we can pay for the next increase in our health care.
Maybe he needs to take some economics courses in high school or junior college. Arkansas is an undereducated state and ripe for something-for-nothing feel-good politics. Why don't we just completely do away with all taxes if tax cuts are the answer? Tax cuts are the cocaine of politics.
BRUCE OWENS
Benton
A longtime supporter
For 40 years, I have been a financial contributor to the the U of A-Fayetteville athletic department, and for the last 50 have attended almost every in-state Razorback football game of importance. This longevity gives me a perspective that most do not have.
Quite frankly, the firing of Jeff Long made no sense, given the role of an athletic director. I've seen coaches come and go, and have usually agreed with the latter. But in the case of Bret Bielema, I knew in his first year, from the way he handled his players and the media, that he was "my guy." This year was an aberration and should have been handled as such, given injuries and schedule. My sense is that the board and chancellor are on the wrong track and, accordingly, I will be withdrawing my longtime support.
STEVE JONES
El Dorado
Pumpkin pie a keeper
Just wanted to thank John Brummett for the pumpkin pie recipe suggestion. I will have to try that.
But I'm confused about one other thing in his Thanksgiving column. As I remember last November, the "hideous creature" lost the election, thank goodness.
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, John. (How about that stock market?) And Merry Christmas to all!
BILL TUCKER
Lonsdale
Editorial on 11/28/2017