When I think of America, I remember the land of my youth - where we put a man on the moon in less than a decade, conquered diseases like polio, small pox and others, built highways and bridges to create opportunities for growth, and had an educational system that was second to none.
At the same time, the capital gains tax was 50 percent, the top income and estate tax rates were in excess of 90 percent, and the corporate tax rate over $25,000 averaged about 48 percent. Despite those high tax rates, most families lived comfortably with only one bread winner. We expected services from government, but we also expected to pay for them.
McCain's promise to lower taxes continues the failure that got us into the current mess. That failure is the notion that we can have government services, like roads, hospitals, libraries, schools, etc., and not have to pay for them.
Obama's promise to raise taxes on the few continues the moral cowardice of most Democrats, who do not want to say that government benefits equals taxes on all of us.
We need higher taxes and we need them now - higher taxes to restore decaying roads and bridges, to rebuild our entire educational system, and for projects that bind us together, like the race to the moon, with a common sense of purpose.
I am looking for candidates who say we are going to pay taxes and rebuild America. How about you?
At the same time, the capital gains tax was 50 percent, the top income and estate tax rates were in excess of 90 percent, and the corporate tax rate over $25,000 averaged about 48 percent. Despite those high tax rates, most families lived comfortably with only one bread winner. We expected services from government, but we also expected to pay for them.
McCain's promise to lower taxes continues the failure that got us into the current mess. That failure is the notion that we can have government services, like roads, hospitals, libraries, schools, etc., and not have to pay for them.
Obama's promise to raise taxes on the few continues the moral cowardice of most Democrats, who do not want to say that government benefits equals taxes on all of us.
We need higher taxes and we need them now - higher taxes to restore decaying roads and bridges, to rebuild our entire educational system, and for projects that bind us together, like the race to the moon, with a common sense of purpose.
I am looking for candidates who say we are going to pay taxes and rebuild America. How about you?
Patrick Durusau is a resident of Covington. He can be reached at patrick@durusau.net.
