To the editor:

Referring to Obama’s campaign, Craig Campbell (Public Forum, Sept. 4) apparently believes a candidate should not raise money in order to win. “When he has needed more money, what has he done? Certainly not cut things but has raised more money.” Wow. To compare campaign spending to tax policy is beyond absurd. Campbell has been hoodwinked by conservatives into somehow believing the Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility. Talk about not paying attention.

Campbell does get one thing right. Referring to who pays for irresponsible tax policy he correctly states “That’s right sports fans, it’s you.” Yes, Craig, it IS us. Thanks to the Reagan and Bush tax cuts, working and middle class Americans are paying more taxes and the wealthy less. The gap between rich and poor is higher than since the 1920s.

Attention rocket scientists: Someone has to pay for the country’s bills (over $1 trillion for Iraq). The less the wealthy, Big Oil, and corporate America pay the more WE pay. Got it? McCain was against Bush’s tax cuts (2001) before he kowtowed to the right wing and flip-flopped in 2006. He now supports making the tax cuts for the rich permanent. Clinton turned a massive Reagan deficit into a huge surplus. Now we are again in debt up to our eyeballs. Thank you Republicans. Now what does McCain want? More tax cuts! This is not courage. This is spineless pandering to an electorate indoctrinated by conservatives to believe that paying taxes is somehow un-American.

Kelvin Schartz,
Lawrence