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Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Letters To the Editor
Bush Tax Cut Only Way To Dig Out of Mess
I GET TIRED of all of the people who believe that the tax bill just passed by President Obama is a tax cut and it will cut revenues for the country. This is not true.
When the original bill was passed it was a tax cut, and it did bring more jobs and an increase in revenue to the government as intended by President Bush. If it was allowed to end it would have been a tax increase for all Americans including the top earners.
What would have happened next would be more unemployment, as employers would have had to lay off people to pay the increase. Also the economy would have slowed down even more as all Americans that pay taxes (not all do) would have less to spend as they would have to send more to the government.
It was the best thing to do in order to turn around the current economy that we now have been fighting with for the past two years.
MORGAN BRADEN
Rio Rancho
Bernalillo County Lives Large on Our Tax Pain
AS A STATE employee who has not gotten a raise for three years and who has been furloughed, it angered me to read that county employees got a raise this year — off of my property taxes. ... Since the county is doing so well, I say as property owners and taxpayers we band together and deduct 2 percent from our May property taxes. The poor economy has apparently not had an affect on the county budget, so I say we make them feel what the rest of us have been feeling for the last three years.
ANGELICA MARTINEZ
Albuquerque
Base All Purchases On Need, Not on Want
THERE HAS BEEN a lot of commentary lately about how we, the consumers, are not affecting the economy by not spending as we had before. However, the real discussion should be why should we?
Consider the categories of spending: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, education, entertainment. Five are essential, one is optional. Even within each category, what we purchase can be optional. Under food for example, we can opt to cook at home or eat out. We can also opt to buy steak instead of hamburger. The point being we all will continue to spend for food, but probably with more of an eye on the cost.
As for the other categories, it appears that most of us, particularly those of us that are older, buy because we need rather than because we want (or its new). Do I need a flat screen TV or a 3-D TV for example? Not as long as the ones I have still work. The same goes for my car. A new car would be nice and maybe cheaper to drive, but the one I have runs well and gets me where I want to go. Why spend the money?
The fact that we, as a nation, are paying off credit cards, putting money in savings and living within our means should be lauded, not bemoaned. Yes, there is a short-term impact, but when spending is necessary, we will.
Another part of the equation is the expectation of all of us that federal, state and local taxes and fees are going to go up and we need to be prepared for that added expense. We know that the state has to find roughly $400 million to balance the budget, and we expect a good chunk of that will come out of our pockets one way or another.
Looking at the national debt and annual federal deficit, it would be unreasonable not to assume that some form of higher fees or taxes are in the offing — though not to the politicians; they seem to still believe in tax cuts and giveaways that add to the federal deficit. ...
Don't be in a rush to go buy the latest gadget until you determine whether the desire to buy is based on need or want. We need to watch our spending if we want to weather this economic storm.
CHRISTOPHER TIMM
Albuquerque
How Many Jobs Have The Anti-Rich Created?
I SIMPLY DON'T understand the vitriolic rhetoric about raising taxes on the rich. Generally speaking, the great majority of the rich create wealth; they create tax-paying jobs. There are some rich folks who want to do harm, but they are the exception, not the rule. Those of you who want to increase taxes on the rich, ask yourself this question: "How many tax-paying jobs have I created in the last week, the last month?" ...
For some weird reason people want to destroy their wealth? Wealthy folks should be put on pedestals. And apparently the anti-rich don't understand the concept in economics of the "invisible hand" — people that create a valuable product like Bill Gates or Henry Ford, for example, help or improve the quality of life of the general population.
GREG ANDERSON
Albuquerque
Switch to a Tax On Spending, Not Earnings
THE JOURNAL published an Op-Ed, "A Proportional Tax Would Be Fair," by Francisco Figuroa who has been a CFO with Sandia Labs, worked for Lockheed Martin and has been active in New Mexico community affairs.
I cite his credentials because they make me take his article a lot more seriously than I might otherwise have. As a CPA and former small-business tax practitioner, this man should be listened to when he says that "it's time to revamp our tax code completely."
According to Figueroa, a revamping could be easily achieved by replacing the current tax system with a national sales tax in which all consumers pay the same rate of tax on purchases. This would be a shift of emphasis from taxing what people earn to what they buy.
It would mean that all Americans would contribute to the federal coffers instead of only 50 percent. It would be easy to implement and would be a daily reminder to all of how much the government's profligate ways impact us negatively.
With all citizens paying the same fair rate, rich or poor, they can control their destiny by controlling their own personal habits. Spend more, pay more taxes. Spend less, pay less taxes. If you want to spend, spend. If you want to save, save. ...
Sens. Tom Udall, Jeff Bingaman, Reps. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich are urged to consider Figueroa's (and others) ideas. They are also urged to consider that they are all ranked as "big government spenders" by the National Taxpayers Union and they are responsible, to a man, for running up the huge national debt over their past combined 50 years in office.
The Op-Ed was useful in shifting the focus where it needs to be — revamping the current tax code to one that is efficient, brings in more revenues to the government and eliminates the influence that lobbyists and special interests have on our legislators.
SCOTT LAFON
Albuquerque
Don't Itemize? Here's Your Hidden Tax Hike
WE WERE promised by the president on many occasions that those households earning less than $250,000 annually would not see their taxes increased by one penny.
However, as reported in the Journal, homeowners who do not itemize deductions will no longer be able reduce their taxable income by a portion of the amount paid in local property taxes. This deduction could reduce taxable income by $500 for an individual or $1,000 for a couple. This was left out of the recently passed tax bill.
Oops, looks like we just got handed a tax increase!
DONNA VAN LEER
Los Lunas
Don't Like $3 a Gallon? Take Trip Across Pond
I JUST CAME back from a trip to England. Regular gas was one pound and 20 pence per liter. With 3.8 liters to a U.S. gallon and $1.56 in U.S. dollars to the pound, that makes the price of gas about $7.30 per gallon. There are lots of cars on the roads and lots of traffic jams in the cities. So, stop whining America and enjoy your low, low price of gasoline.
ALISTAIR PATON
Corrales
Easy for OptumHealth CEO To Cut Services
IN THE SUMMER of 2009, I attended two town hall meetings about the coming health care reform legislation. Also there were members of the public who yelled long and loud about government takeover of health care, clearly preferring the way things were with private health insurance companies making huge profits as they increased premiums while cutting back on services.
Now we have in real time a perfect example of what these opponents of health care reform wanted. With its CEO earning tens of millions of dollars a year, OptumHealth complains it does not have enough money to cover contracted services in new Mexico and will, therefore, cut back or deny services unless, of course, it receives more taxpayer dollars. This is the money pit that is private health insurance.
Perhaps it's finally time to admit that private health insurance companies offer nothing toward health care. They are an unnecessary third party paid exorbitant fees and salaries for shuffling around money between patients and providers. I say get rid of this costly middleman system.
Perhaps it is time for a real takeover of health care by a government agency that doesn't pay its top management outrageous and immoral salaries for figuring out ways to offer less services for more money. Perhaps it is finally time to admit that all those screaming voices at those town hall meetings were wrong and create a health care system that serves patients, not insurance company executives.
Can anyone say Medicare-For-All?
BARRY SIMON
Albuquerque
Rail Runner Taxes The Many, Benefits the Few
IT SEEMS THAT that periodically (and often) someone in or allied to the transportation bureaucracy trots out another article on the benefits of the Rail Runner — the latest in the Journal Dec. 24.
Most "benefits" are unquantifiable and very limited in relation to the paying taxpayers since a small percentage of the population actually regularly uses the system. The fundamental fact is that this is a highly tax supported transportation that has very few benefits to the New Mexico population.
LEROY K. WHEELOCK
Albuquerque
A Value-Added Tax Is The Most Regressive
I THINK Pete Domenici surrendered his credibility on deficit management when he led the drive to pass the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.
Predictably, he pushes a 6.5 percent value-added tax (VAT), the most regressive of all taxes. The burden falls disproportionately on lower-income people because they have to spend all their income just to live, so they would pay the VAT on all their income.
The wealthy would have to pay the VAT on a much smaller share of their income.
JOE BERGSTEIN
Los Alamos
Campaigns Replace Ideas With Attacks
THE POLITICAL campaigns of 2007 and 2008 were the most destructive for the psychic of the American population. Every element of our country and economy was portrayed in an evil and negative way.
Much of the 2010 political ads were the same. It is no wonder it has taken so long to come out of the recession. The coming elections of 2012 will be starting soon, and I hope the public will encourage quality resumes from the candidates.
We used to have a platform from each party that stated what that party wanted to accomplish. From there it became a popularity contest as to who could carry the platform to the public and win support.
Today we are dependent on each candidate to spell out a personal platform with his or her skills and talents to accomplish the goals they have set forth. This seems to be lost in the rhetoric of the campaign ads. We are no longer receiving a resume of talents and skills to address major problems. Instead we are getting hours of negative sound bites just to vote against whatever.
We end up electing popularity figures without the management talent to solve problems and manage the complicated organization called government. I hope all candidates will not allow negative ads to become the norm for the 2012 campaign. Our economy is too fragile to allow this to happen again.
BOB CONWAY
Albuquerque
Biopark Display Guarantees a Smile
I HAVE JUST returned from my second trip to the Albuquerque Botanical Gardens to enjoy the best holiday display that the people of Albuquerque have to offer. No, it is not the River of Lights, it is the "Snow People Village" put on by a local company called Integrated Technologies Corporation.
This is the third year that the snowman village has been at the Biopark, and it gets better each year. While I enjoy the River of Lights, the lighted shapes cannot produce in me the childlike feelings of wonderment, pretend, magic, that make up the Christmas and the holiday season like the "Snow People Village" does.
On my first trip to the Biopark, I had the accidental pleasure of being there as touch-up work was being done on this display by Patty Kinney and some of her employees. I spoke with Patty about the display, and she stopped what she was doing and gave me a personalized tour of what was going on in the snowman village.
It was beyond my wildest imagination what she sees happening in the snowman village. I was quickly moved to my childhood and could see the royal snowman with the ice castle, the snowmen throwing snowballs, playing instruments, skiing, flying kites, skating, going to church and shopping in the ice stores and too much more to mention. ...
What I saw in Patty and her employees is this village is a labor of love for everyone in Albuquerque to enjoy. I asked her why they did it and she smiled and said, "Because, if you watch everyone who walks by, young and old, they all smile, and putting a smile on everyone's face is what it's all about." ...
MARK TRAVIS
Albuquerque
There's a Way To Get Around Paid Leaves
A RECENT JOURNAL editorial suggested public servants accused of malfeasance be placed on unpaid leave. While I agree with the rationale behind this suggestion, it is not feasible, given the presumption of innocence in our judicial system.
What makes more sense, and which has a much better chance of passing, is a law which states the following: "If you are a coach, a cop, a commissioner, or any other public servant, placed on paid administrative leave and found guilty of, plead guilty to, or resign because of the charges against you, you must pay back every cent you received while on leave."
This will accomplish two things. One, it will return to the state all sums earned during the period in which you should have been fired; and two, it would act as a deterrent to anyone who tries to prolong his or her leave by appealing an adverse decision.
The major problem, of course, is that our legislators are also public servants. I doubt very strongly whether any of them has the guts to introduce a piece of legislation which might end up costing him some of his ill-gotten gains.
RICHARD P. JACOBS
Corrales
Movie Incentives Worth Keeping, Improving
THE FILM production incentives work for New Mexico. Among other positive benefits the current program provides jobs and training for residents, financial support for local businesses and investment in the state.
Without the incentive program — or even "capping" the program — all these benefits would be lost for New Mexicans. Two items to be considered:
1. The people in the film industry need to spend at least as much time studying to understand the legislative process as legislators spend to understand the film production process.
2. It would benefit the state for Lisa Strout, the current director of the New Mexico Film Office, to remain in her position. She and the current staff have worked tirelessly for years to successfully build and provide an operative base for the film industry in New Mexico.
ALTON WALPOLE
Santa Fe
Want To See Animals? Get Out of Town
THIS IS Albuquerque — not New York City or San Francisco — and $20 million for an "urban" wildlife refuge is beyond ridiculous. Albuquerque doesn't have or need an "urban" wildlife refuge, for the same reason Albuquerque doesn't have or need an underground subway system.
This is another example of misguided government. As expected, Sens. Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Martin Heinrich have lined up to push this project on unsuspecting New Mexicans and Americans in large.
This is a power grab, masquerading as a feel-good, all-American recreation and education program, coming from federal, state and local politicians that are part of or dominated by left-wing environmental activists.
The Feds own about 30 percent of the land in the U.S., and in New Mexico it's above 40 percent. I guess in the eyes of the New Mexico representatives and environmental activist, that's not enough land mass for them to control. When the government designates land as a refuge or protected area, it means that you and I no longer have free access to that land or area.
Whether you like to hike, bike, hunt, fish, camp or just get outdoors for a picnic, it will no longer be your choice or on your terms. Any business development is completely out of the question, especially exploration and use of natural resources such as oil, gas, copper, potash, uranium or even lumber and dirt. ...
The education benefits are also a myth. ... Heinrich's observation that "there are few large undeveloped areas in the Middle Rio Grande Valley" is a very disingenuous, misleading and dishonest statement. A person can drive 30 minutes in any direction from Albuquerque and experience the great outdoors.
If Heinrich feels the need to show a 7-year-old a goose or duck, he can drive a little further south than the South Valley to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which is a 57,331-acre refuge straddling the Rio Grande Valley just off Interstate 25 south of Socorro. Not up for such a long drive, try Bernardo wildlife area or its neighbor Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Belen.
The proposed "urban" wildlife refuge is government waste, fraud and abuse in its purist form.
JEFF HEISEL
Albuquerque
Definition of Illegal is Pretty Clear
COLUMNIST DIANE DIMOND admits that kids who were disappointed with the failure of passage of the "Dream Act" were brought into the country illegally.
What is it about illegal that so many people like her don't understand? My dictionary defines illegal as prohibited by law; against the law; unlawful; illicit; not authorized or sanctioned. That definition is pretty clear.
She says that the Dream Act would help the rest of us by creating brand new taxpaying and law-abiding citizens. Does that mean that illegal immigrants do not pay sales tax like the rest of us? Or if employed, they do not have withholding, Social Security and other taxes withheld? I assume that many illegal immigrants are paid cash, but not the group who would benefit from the "Dream Act." ...
She goes on to say that we cannot deport the 12 million illegal immigrants. Why? Deportation would reduce government expenditures in California alone by hundreds of millions. If illegal immigrants went back to their home countries millions of jobs would open up for the millions of currently unemployed. ...
Dimond also says that assimilating illegal immigrants into society would create thousands, then hundreds of thousands, then millions of new taxpayers. ... Dimond claims that local and state budgets would see an influx of new funds and Social Security and unemployment would get a boost of new money. She also doesn't seem to think that additional illegal immigrants in the system would also create additional recipient obligations from the Social Security and unemployment programs. ...
What is wrong with becoming a citizen through existing citizenship programs?
BOB LACZKO
Ruidoso
Wolf Killers Are Poachers, Not Heroes
SOMEWHERE OUT there is a wolf killer. He has taken it upon himself to kill Mexican wolves. Wolf bloodlines may have been lost that can never be recovered.
It's not that difficult to track these animals. Anyone with enough time, patience and outdoor skills could locate the packs. The wolf killers either live in the Gila area or are paid by someone living there. Since it is possible to track the wolves, the killers could also be tracked if you had the time and skills to camp out and observe. The killers will be near the wolf packs and, of course, armed and dangerous.
Although the killers may think of themselves as heroes, they are just poachers. Poachers will kill a deer, elk or bear out of season and without a license. To ignore the law and kill an endangered animal, possibly contributing to its extinction, is a serious crime. ... Anyone who knows who the killers are can help put a stop to it. Call the Wolf Hotline at 505-346-7828 and earn up to $60,000 or remain anonymous if you like.
We cannot bring the dead wolves or their heritage back, but we can stop behavior that so completely ignores the law. Recovering endangered species is not a matter of whether you agree. It's the law.
TIM MCKIMMIE
Las Cruces
Cut Off DWI Offenders From Supply of Cars
THE ACT OF DWI combines drinking and driving, by definition. Stopping drinking is not workable, but stopping DWI might be possible by separating the chronic drinker from his vehicle.
Pass legislation to create a list of those people convicted of three DWI offenses and do not allow these people to own or insure motor vehicles. If these people are arrested and convicted of any future DWI offenses, then the motor vehicles involved are taken from them, a clean title is issued by the state and then the vehicles are sold at auction, with the proceeds going to fund the government expenses where the arrest took place.
In this manner, auto dealers and sellers of vehicles will have an incentive to check the list before selling, or loaning vehicles in order to avoid financial loss if the vehicle is seized in a DWI arrest. ...
GEORGE RICHMOND
Albuquerque
Heinrich Gives Food Safety Vital Attention
WE, AS A NATION, have taken the first step toward saving our food. Rep. Martin Heinrich and a majority of other representatives passed the FDA food modernization act in the House. Thanks to these representatives, our food will be scrutinized more harshly before it can be sent out for consumption.
This forces major food companies to be held accountable for their product, ensuring more quality food on our kitchen tables. Further benefiting New Mexico, local farms will not be subject to as high of standards, allowing them to stay competitive in this troubled economy. Heinrich saw that food modernization is necessary for New Mexico and will aid this state flourishing into the future.
AARON WILYER
Albuquerque
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