House should make proposal, go home
It is time for the Republicans in Congress to go home for Christmas. There is no sense in staying in Washington to be subject to Democrat whining.
The Republicans need to get some backbone. They need to come to the realization that the House of Representatives holds all of the cards. The power of the House is absolute. No appropriations of money for anything the federal government does happens without being initiated by the House of Representatives. No changes in the tax laws can happen without being initiated by the House of Representatives.
In other words, no compromise with or caving in to the Democrats is needed. The House of Representatives needs to pass the appropriations and tax bills they believe to be the right ones and send same along to the Senate. Let the Senate take the responsibility for blocking. The House needs to get on with its business on all sorts of matters without concern about what the president or the Senate thinks. Neither the president nor the Senate controls the purse. The House does.
The House needs to decide where government should be cut, then cut off the funding. The first place to start would be with all of the czars created by Obama. Maybe the next should be a cut in the amount of money available to the president for traveling like a rock star all over the place all of the time.
The president is not a king nor an emperor nor a dictator ... yet. He may want to be. It sure looks that way when he comes with a proposal that would give him unilateral power to raise the debt ceiling all by his little own self. What a completely arrogant thing to even suggest.
The “people power” resides in the House of Representatives. It is time for congressmen to act like it.
Kent Blacklidge, Ph.D., Kokomo
Going over fiscal cliff won’t cure us
In a recent Tribune column, Lane Filler, an editor at Newsday, wants to raise $4 trillion by letting us go over the “fiscal cliff.” He writes, “Letting these tax cuts go into effect would cause real pain. But don’t let the politicians sell us morphine when chemotherapy is the cure.”
Asking us to endure that pain is like cutting off the head of the goose that laid the golden egg. The real pain Lane refers to is recession, huge job losses, and possibly even economic depression. The $4 trillion in possible revenue would evaporate right along with jobs, tax revenue and people’s savings.
Since going over the fiscal cliff has no chance of solving the deficit, and leaving the Bush tax cuts in place would mean cuts in Social Security and Medicare, our politicians need to get to work on other solutions. They need to begin by raising taxes for earnings over $250,000, and creating a minimum tax for millionaires and billionaires, ensuring the ultrawealthy pay something.
While raising taxes on the upper incomes is not a total fix, there are many other big buck areas that should be considered along with the $700 billion raised taxing the wealthy. We’ve already saved $700 billion reining in Medicare abuses by health care providers, and another couple of trillion could be saved by ending two wars.
There are numerous ways to save $4 trillion with only a little pain for those in power, without again asking/telling the American people to bear it all while the wealthy skip happily on their way.
Larry Brooks, Kokomo
Letters
Letters to the editor - Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012
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May 24, 2013: Letters to the editor
Commissioner takes both sides of issue
Much like John Kerry several years ago, Paul Wyman seems to have actually voted for the $87 billion before he voted against it. This chap cannot seem to make up his mind on the issue of industrial wind complexes.
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May 23, 2013: Letters to the editor
Let people be free; legalize use of drugs
I think it is an unfortunate display of unbridled power fueled by mistaken notions about the consequences of drug usage, production and distribution that two raids were allowed to take place in Kokomo.
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May 22, 2013: Letters to the editor
Servicemen enemies of U.S. Constitution?
One of the enduring features of our constitutional republic is the right of its citizens to know what their government is doing. The current administration has decided to develop new policies on religious tolerance in the military.
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May 21, 2013: Letters to the editor
Tipton development: A study in contrasts
These are exciting times for Tipton County, with Chrysler coming to the county and bringing more than 800 legitimate jobs.
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Letter to the Editor: May 13, 2013
Good people wouldn’t do this to their neighbors. This common refrain is being heard over eastern Howard County where industrial development is planned for our farmland in the form of massive wind turbines.
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Letters to the Editor: May 12, 2013
How fortunate, that after years of trying to bring top-notch wind energy companies to Tipton County, this great choice is here for us — just at the right time. Tipton County badly needs the revenue from clean wind farm companies.
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Letter to the Editor: May 10, 2013
As a taxpayer and concerned citizen of eastern Howard County, I have read some of the latest scholarly and peer-reviewed information available on industrial wind turbines. It’s not something I ever wanted to do or expected to do, and I do not pretend to be an expert even after reading much information.
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Letters to the Editor: May 9, 2013
More than 1,500 Hoosier children just received an early death sentence from the Indiana Legislature. By slashing the state budget for tobacco prevention and cessation by 38 percent, our lawmakers told us that the health and future of our children isn’t important.
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Letters to the Editor: May 8, 2013
The citizens of Howard County have watched Tipton County’s elected officials deal with growing opposition to wind farms. They have responded to the concern of their citizens and are reviewing their ordinances related to wind development.
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May 5, 2013: Letters to the editor
All at IU Kokomo deserve recognition
This week, nearly 550 Indiana University Kokomo students will reach a milestone they will treasure for a lifetime when they become IU Kokomo's newest graduates.
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May 24, 2013: Letters to the editor
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
Obama Renews Call to Close Gitmo
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
