THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610250042
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 32 lines
By focusing on the role of the supply-side tax policies in your Oct. 7 editorial, you get the reader engaged in complicated economic analysis trying to figure out the ins and outs of tax cuts, stimuli and other ``magnitudes of the effects'' of these programs. The underlying theme of the argument gets quickly lost in ``what if'' games played by pundits and arm-chair economists who deftly debate the numbers.
``Supply-side'' is code for tax cuts. Promoting supply-side policies is merely a way of selling tax cuts to the voting public.
More importantly, why not just debate the root issues? A tax cut means less government and more money in our pockets. Call it supply-side or whatever, I'm all for having more money to spend as I please, not giving it to a government that is obligated to spend it for me catering to special-interest groups.
Last year my company gave year-end bonuses to our hourly workers, those just above the minimum-wage level. Many were shocked and frustrated when they got their checks and found out, because of mandatory withholding rules, their take-home pay from the bonus had shrunk to nearly half of the gross amount. This lesson in taxes hit home with these workers.
The media do a disservice to the voting public when they obscure the issues. Tax cuts are designed to slow the grow of government and keep your money in your pocket. What a horrible, capitalistic concept. Let's argue that for once.
THOMAS B. PHILLIPS III
Virginia Beach, Oct. 10, 1996 by CNB