To the editor:

The only way I’d believe Hugh Wentz’ claim (Public Forum, Oct. 24) that having to pay higher taxes on income over $250,000 would keep him from growing his business is if he stood in front of me and swore that he’d also turn down a raise from his boss if it put him into a higher tax bracket.

“Gee, honey, my boss offered me a $10,000 raise, but I’d only see $5,000 of it after taxes, so I turned it down.”

Yeah, right. Sure. Like that’s gonna happen.

Wentz, the “former entrepreneur,” obviously doesn’t have the entrepreneurial spirit if being bumped into a higher tax bracket is sufficient to keep him from going after higher income.

“Joe The Plumber” exaggerated his claims of buying a business that makes more than $250,000 annually and that Obama’s tax plan would hurt him. Not only was he not buying the two-man business, it doesn’t make anywhere near $250,000 a year. As Joe later admitted, he didn’t understand Obama’s plan, which would actually give him a substantial tax cut.

Hugh the Middle-Class Guy also obviously doesn’t understand Obama’s tax plan – or that “sharing the wealth” is something we’ve been doing for generations through income taxes, social programs and the like. Worse, he also doesn’t grasp that the middle class exists precisely because wealth is shared, not just reserved for the rich.

Currently the rich are getting richer and Hugh’s middle class is rapidly losing ground. Who’s getting ripped off here, Hugh?

Kendall Simmons,
Lawrence