After reading R.C. Longworth’s article “A tax break is no fix” (Perspective, Feb. 11), I had to write.
Although I agree that interest rates are a big part of an economic recovery, Longworth fails to recognize that it is the consumer who is the last stop for the purchasing of products and services.
Interest-rate cuts primarily work for business borrowing and home mortgages. Yes, lower interest rates also give us lower-priced products as businesses compete for the consumer dollar.
That is the key, the consumer dollar. If that dollar is tied up in Washington, most of it goes to pay for a bureaucracy that will administer programs. Those programs, however, do not buy cars, clothes, books, tuitions, etc. A tax cut does help in that it allows each working individual to keep more of what he or she earned. This is not a selfish or greedy principle.
This tax cut should not be positioned as an “us-versus-them.” It is money that belongs to those who earn it–rich or poor. Bill Gates has donated quite a bit of his wealth to improve the lives of others. He is only one example of how the “ugly rich” try to do good. This demonization of success by Longworth and his ilk needs to end. I’m one of those in the middle class who welcomes the tax cut that can help my family.
