Letters on state tax laws, Masterson, school cuts, government service, Trump, economic malaise

Here is the impact of state income tax laws

What is the effect of the changes in state income tax laws that the Legislature has enacted? In order that more than 300,000 of my closest high-income friends could continue to enjoy an income-tax holiday, I have experienced the following:

▪  Property tax paid, $2,253.

▪  Property tax deduction allowed, $1,127.

▪  Health-related costs incurred, $12,676.

▪  Health-related deduction allowed, $0.

I guess I should be glad that I am doing my part to provide some tax funds to help meet the state’s serious revenue shortfall for the past few years. My “pleasure” is diminished, however, upon realizing the gross unfairness that the current tax policy imposes.

That sense of unfairness is heightened with the repeated denial of the governor and many legislators that their actions have caused permanent fiscal damage, penalizing the moderate income earners and letting the well-to-do go scot-free.

Thanks, Masterson

I recently got a flier encouraging me to thank Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, for his tax policies, so here goes:

Thanks for a gross domestic product that lags most states in the Midwest. Thanks for some of the highest taxes on food in the United States. Thanks for tax policies that have caused Kansas to drastically miss projected tax revenues every year since they were put in place in 2012. This loss of revenue has led to deep and devastating cuts to education. Thanks for encouraging Gov. Sam Brownback to be less than forthcoming about our bond rating (March 15 Eagle). Thanks for treating the state highway and pension funds like your personal piggy bank.

I could go on, but space is limited.

Thanks, Brownback

The Wichita school district may need to cut $30 million from its budget (March 22 Eagle). Think about it: $30 million may be taken away from our children’s education.

Instead of taking away $30 million, we should be adding $30 million just to make sure that our children’s education will stay even with the rest of the world.

How did we get to this point anyway? Have you asked yourself that question? OK, all together now: “Thank you, Gov. Sam Brownback.”

Contrasting phone calls

I had issues with my iPad and iPhone recently. Two phone calls to Apple resolved both quickly – total hold time was four minutes. The Apple technicians were knowledgeable and courteous. They followed up some time afterward to ensure customer satisfaction.

I recently I had issues with my personal Social Security and filing my deceased father-in-law’s 2015 taxes. I called five government agencies – total hold time exceeded two hours.

Most of the agents were polite, one was surly, but few were helpful. I was eventually informed the only resolution to the second issue was to travel to and stand in line at the local Social Security office – two hours more.

I am not blaming any of these government staffers – customer service loses all meaning when the customer has no alternatives. The stark contrast of these phone calls captures the competing visions for America today: cutting-edge innovation focused on customer satisfaction or bureaucratic central planning by some intellectual elites in a distant capital.

If I don’t like my Apple phone, I can switch to Samsung or Motorola. I wish I had similar alternatives to Social Security and Medicare. What I cannot comprehend at age 66 is why roughly half of this nation prefers and votes for long hold times.

Tired of status quo

There have been so many negative things written about the campaigning of the Republican Party presidential hopefuls. This would be a good time for all of the elected officials in Washington, D.C., to take a step back and look at the situation.

We the people are tired of “business as usual” in D.C. Our lawmakers give the appearance of being either crooked or totally incompetent, self-serving idiots.

Look at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. He stated in public that GOP lawmakers would not pass any legislation from President Obama, even if it is good for everyone. How does that help us as a nation? This man needs to be gone. He is the best example for having term limits in Congress.

Recently, he has refused to look at filling the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama has done his job as outlined by the Constitution and nominated a judge to fill the position. McConnell has not done his job by refusing to even consider the nominee. If he doesn’t want the judge, all senators have to do is vote him down, and the process continues. But McConnell seems to want to rewrite the Constitution according to his values.

After things like this, is it any wonder that people are looking for someone different for the White House, not the same old status quo?

Support Trump

Columnist Davis Merritt said Donald Trump is dishonest and mentioned that a fact-check of 4.6 hours of Trump speeches found “more than 60 flat-out untruths” (March 22 Opinion). This is a pointless argument, because it is certain that whoever is president after Jan. 20, 2017, will be a liar.

Trump will deliver the most outstanding option we have in this election year. He is against the ones who wield power in Washington, D.C., and that is why they have turned on him and persuaded the media to do the same. Anyone who has watched him in a calm, one-on-one interview must note that he acts presidential and gives good solutions to the economic situation, foreign policy, immigration and trade. The man has prepared his whole life for the presidency, and this is greatly evidenced by the fact that he almost never uses a teleprompter or any notes.

Trump’s own party and those who should be for him had better begin supporting him now or, heaven forbid, someone else may become president. We need to give him a chance to do what he says he is going to do. He is a breath of fresh air in the campaign.

Economic malaise

There is much chatter that small businesses create the most jobs and those jobs will create more tax revenues.

Though the role of startups once was strong, they have been declining the past 30 years, from 14 percent of total companies in a given year to about 8 percent. High-growth young firms have been declining since 2000, according to a recent article in Fortune magazine.

So established corporations are more likely to be the job creators.

Kansas’ tax policies seem like old school ideas without recognition of this business environment change.

Locally, there are efforts focused on supporting startups with more efforts than only venture capital. This would enable a stronger foundation for survival. Innovative ideas have to drive the business model – not just another restaurant or another drugstore competing for the marketplace.

In my opinion (without a research basis), the major cause for economic malaise has been the driving force by large financial institutions and the stock-market speculators for continual growth in profits and market share. The results are the stagnation of wage growth, layoffs, more middle-class incomes falling into poverty, and poor productivity improvement.

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on state tax laws, Masterson, school cuts, government service, Trump, economic malaise."