Lee Hemen outdid himself in his Feb. 4 letter, “Democrats’ solution: more taxes.” Let’s review the math. The top 1 percent pay 30 percent of the taxes, but they own or control the majority of the nation’s wealth. Corporations pay 35 percent income tax rate. Really? How many Fortune 500 corporations pay 35 percent? I would wager none.
After the numbers fiasco, Hemen went on a familiar Tea Party tear by blaming renewable energy, the increase in gas prices (even though it hit $4 on George W. Bush’s watch in 2006) and the foreclosure mess that started under Bush’s second term.
It may be true that the rich can’t pay off our debt, but they can finally start paying their fair share. I don’t want to lose the tax deduction on my home so that a big corporation can buy another corporate jet on the backs of the taxpayers and then claim “job creation” by hiring an on-call, no-benefit part-time pilot to fly the plane.
Mitt Romney pays a 14 percent tax rate — what is wrong with this picture?
William K. Reese
Vancouver
