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Letter: Taxes build a strong nation

The Columbian
Published: October 19, 2011, 5:00pm

The spirit of Chicken Little lurks in the halls of Congress, as House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, repeatedly squawks “Class warfare,” and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., croaks “Job-killing tax hikes.”

Their rants are alarmist and misdirectional tactics to cover up Tea Party-inspired obstruction of attempts to save and create jobs.

If there is class warfare, the rich are drubbing the middle class. Job killing results at least partly from tax evasion. We and past generations have invested in our future through taxes. We trust government to wisely invest and advance security, infrastructure, education, research and development, and much more to promote freedom and opportunity.

The biggest beneficiaries of government investment owe more, but many dodge obligations with offshore accounts, multinational holdings, deceptive bookkeeping and sweetheart deals from our elected officials. To balance the budget and reduce our national debt we must have both spending cuts and revenue increases.

Republicans with de facto control of Congress (House majority and Senate filibuster) and a Supreme Court majority continue to thwart governance, but one hopes they will shake off the Tea Party’s anti-tax stupor and again build our nation keeping America viable and relevant.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes opined, “Taxes are the price of civilization.”

Jon Clyde

Vancouver

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