Letters to the editor

‘Narrows the gap between rich, poor’

I think it’s shameful the way Democrats are attacking John Kasich’s “Jobs Budget 2.0” proposal and claiming that it raises taxes. A little research uncovers that his budget not only cuts taxes, but narrows the gap between rich and poor.

For starters, Ohio’s tax code hasn’t been fundamentally redesigned since the Great Depression. Can you believe that? Corporate lobbyists have shut that door for years, and now it seems they’ve enlisted the help of Democrats to help spread more lies and bury Gov. Kasich.

Ohio’s taxes are too high and we still have a long way to go until we can compete with Texas or Florida. We need to start somewhere and cutting taxes by 50 percent for small business owners frees up capital for them to hire people. Further tax cuts for mechanics, construction workers and tow trucks will save middle-class families more money, too.

Overall, Kasich’s proposed budget cuts taxes by $1.4 billion and has a direct impact on middle-class Ohio families. Families should decide for themselves what they think of his budget, instead of letting lobbyists or politicians tell them. NATHAN R. CRAFT, WEST ALEXANDRIA

‘We need to stop this foolish idea’

Gov. Kasich’s new budget plan is a disaster in the making. Extending the sales tax to lot of new business types would greatly increase their costs to manage the collecting, processing and filing of these taxes. How is that going to attract business? It would do exactly the opposite.

Our current state income tax is one of the nation’s lowest. Why replace this with a sales tax that targets more of our population? And the state government costs for implementing these widespread changes would be huge. We need to stop this foolish idea now. BARBARA ANDERSON, HUBER HEIGHTS

Speak Up

The March 6 two “Balanced Views” (“Sequester raised question: What would RFK do?” and “Creating public alarm all part of Obama’s strategy”) combined to succinctly explicate each party’s perspective: the Democrats see government as a force for social justice and the public good, while the Republicans see government as merely arbitrary bureaucrats.

Re “$11K Hawaii trip request stands,” March 6: To those three people who want to take an expensive trip for a “board meeting” and have the taxpayers foot the bill, why don’t you live within your means and be fair about this? I think they want to go on this trip to take a vacation. Shame on them.

The recent article on nursing homes not meeting basic standards illustrates why “big bad government” is necessary. I’m sure there’s a “Nursing Home Association” or some such, but don’t expect them (or financial institutions, hospitals or any other group) to police themselves.

Instead of giving our hard-earned tax dollars to self-appointed rulers around the world, let us use those millions and millions of dollars to help our own people eat three good meals daily. Force those foreign dictators to work for the good of all their people and not just for their secret bank accounts.

Re “Celibacy requirement has painful consequences,” March 4: Frank Bruni’s fine commentary neglected to acknowledge the main reason for the rule that priests be celibate in the first place — making sure none of the Catholic Church’s accumulation of extreme wealth through the centuries could be inherited by offspring.