To the editor:

Your taxes, mill levy or fees go up because someone wants something they can’t afford. Those who depend on tax increases have questionable spending habits. The Journal-World reported the school board spend $300,000 on bleachers and rest rooms. Building repair and school equipment should come first. Westar wants a rate increase in part to cover retirement fund losses in the stock market. Don’t a lot of hard-working people have losses due to the downturn in the markets?

There are some people wanting to raise taxes on the rich. This is stupid. The rich employ people and have the ability to spend freely. They will not change their lifestyle. They will cut benefits, employee hours or simply lay people off, adding to unemployment.

Some people want to raise corporate taxes. Big companies do not pay taxes; they collect them. If corporate taxes are raised, the price of whatever product is raised to cover increased taxes. You, as the consumer, will pay for that tax increase.

Our own city government wants the city to pay taxes to the city. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? The city spent too much, and now the “per capita ratio” is out of balance. Lawrence is a progressive city. Let’s start a new program of fiscal responsibility. Don’t buy it or build it unless the money is in the bank to pay for it.

The government — city, county, state and federal — needs to lower taxes and put the money in the hands of the people who will spend it. Buying products made in the United States will put people back to work.