[Boston-editorial] Tax Day column from Responsible Wealth member

[Matthew Williams]

I featured this, adjusting the little about-the-author thing at the end 
to note that Responsible Wealth is a Boston-based group. -- Matt

On Apr 14, 2005, at 10:44 AM, Betsy Leondar-Wright wrote:

> Tax Me More
> By Heleny Cook
>
> This Tax Day, I'm telling Congress to stop giving me tax breaks. I'm
> wealthy. I don't need them, and they're bad for our country.
>
> As a teacher, I can't look my students in the eye and tell them 
> millionaires
> should get tax cuts while schools and libraries are hit with budget 
> cuts.
>
> As a citizen, I can't face a military family and tell them they should
> sacrifice while millionaires get tax breaks.
>
> The budgets passed by the House and Senate deserve an F for economics 
> and
> ethics.
>
> It's irresponsible to dig our nation deeper into debt to give tax 
> breaks to
> millionaires.
>
> It's immoral to cut health care and child care to give tax cuts to
> millionaires.
>
> Our government is not fulfilling the promise of equal opportunity for
> children, it is undoing it.
>
> Households with incomes above $1 million got tax cuts averaging 
> $123,600
> last year. That tax break could cover the pay of three teachers.
>
> Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent will cost more than $1 trillion 
> over
> the next ten years if they are made permanent.
>
> That translates into $300 million a day less for education and public 
> health
> and safety. It means $300 million a day less for clean water, clean 
> air and
> renewable energy, $300 million a day less to invest in research, job
> training and small business development.
>
> Federal tax revenues have fallen to their lowest level as a share of 
> the
> economy since the 1950s. Medicare and Medicaid didn't even exist in the
> 1950s.
>
> We can't build 21st century education and healthcare on a 1950s tax 
> base.
>
> We're becoming a society increasingly divided between haves and 
> have-nots.
> The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the 
> middle
> class is one layoff or illness away from bankruptcy.
>
> The tax system is being reshaped so that a growing share of tax revenue
> comes from workers' paychecks and a shrinking share comes from wealthy
> investors. Already I pay a larger share of my teaching income in taxes 
> than
> I pay from the income I earn on my inherited investments. That's wrong.
>
> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like me, we should invest 
> in
> the education and research that are essential to our nation's progress.
>
> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like me, we should fully 
> fund
> Head Start and assure that no one is closed out of college because they
> can't afford to go.
>
> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like me, we should invest 
> in
> affordable housing and health care.
>
> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like me, we should 
> strengthen
> Social Security.
>
> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like me, we should invest 
> in
> renewable energy sources so we can reduce our dependence on oil and 
> other
> fossil fuels that damage the environment and spark international 
> conflicts.
>
> Public opinion polls show that most Americans believe it is more 
> important
> to have a strong safety net and fund education, environmental 
> protection,
> health care, Social Security and other vital services than cut taxes. A
> majority says it's more important to reduce the deficit than to reduce
> taxes. Most Americans believe that upper-income people pay too little 
> in
> federal taxes, not too much.
>
> It's time for Congress to act on these priorities. It's time for 
> Congress to
> stop robbing the poor and middle class to give to the rich. It's time 
> for
> Congress to support the goal of equal opportunity instead of 
> undermining it.
>
> When I paid my taxes this year, I also took action to change 
> irresponsible
> tax policies. I'm supporting the Responsible Tax Pledge sponsored by
> Responsible Wealth, a national network of businesspeople, investors and
> other affluent Americans concerned about growing inequality and 
> working for
> more widely shared prosperity.
>
> I'm donating my 2004 tax cut to organizations fighting for fair, 
> adequate
> and responsible taxes. My students deserve no less.
>
>
> Heleny Cook is a member of Responsible Wealth 
> (www.responsiblewealth.org)
> and a high school English teacher in Washington, DC. She can be 
> reached at
> helenyc at comcast.net.
>
>
> 628 words
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Betsy Leondar-Wright
> Communications Director, United for a Fair Economy
> (617) 423-2148 x113
> 29 Winter Street
> Boston, MA 02108
> http://www.FairEconomy.Org
>
>
> United for a Fair Economy is an independent national organization
> that raises awareness of the damaging consequences of concentrated
> wealth and power.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
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