It’s apparent to me that Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is a Tea Party Republican. Her spokesman Casey Bowman says she only takes orders from the people of her district. That’s obviously not true concerning higher taxes on the rich. Numerous polls have shown Americans support a balanced approach to addressing the deficit, including higher taxes on those with incomes over $250,000 a year. Herrera may be bound by her signing Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to raise taxes at all. Her defense is the rich are the job creators. That claim is debunked by the fact that job growth was better with higher taxes under Bill Clinton and lower with lower taxes under George W. Bush.
The supercommittee was deadlocked over one issue: increased taxes on the rich. Americans would be willing to trim spending if the rich sacrifice as well. Where is Herrera Beutler’s allegiance? With Norquist and millionaires or the American middle class?
David Miller
Brush Prairie
