The award nominations are in, and Richard L. Wottrich has been nominated for two performances: Rip Van Winkle and Scrooge. In case you don’t recognize the name, Mr. Wottrich’s “Hidden entitlement is no tax cut” was the featured letter Aug. 23.
The crux of this letter was a complaint that the newly passed budget bill will cost taxpayers $24 billion over the next five years to provide health care for 2 million uninsured American children. Wow, a whole $5 billion a year. Thus, the Scrooge Award.
Now for the Rip Van Winkle Award. Apparently Mr. Wottrich didn’t see the $50 billion tax break that Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott slipped in for those other needy Americans, the tobacco industry. He also didn’t see the tax breaks of $84 million for Harold Simmons, and the $250 million break for Amway-Asia, or the 75 other “special favors” for big political contributors. Each year Congress gives away several hundred billion in tax breaks, grants and subsidies to corporations and the connected. He apparently never sees these either. Maybe it’s because Mr. Wottrich is in the investment banking industry, which is almost smothered by special favors from fawning politicians, to whom it gives millions in contributions.
Mr. Wottrich, your taxes and mine are not too high because we care for needy children. They are too high because politicians give lip service to average citizens and slave service to their big contributors. By the way, if giving $5 billion a year to children makes one a liberal, what do you call a group (Congess) that gives away hundreds of billions per year? And why aren’t you complaining about those giveaways and demanding that Congress compile and publish an itemized list of these tax breaks, subsidies and grants, so you and I can see where, and to whom, our tax dollar goes? Or is it just easier to pick on children in need?
Or maybe they just don’t get the “big picture” in Sleepy Hollow.
