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The Expansionist
Monday, September 19, 2005
 
The Gulf Is Not the Only Thing That Matters. I sent the following short emailed letter to the editor of the New York Post today in response to a suggestion by a rightwinger that ordinary people all over the country should give up improvements to their own area so that the Federal Government won't have to raise taxes on the rich. In effect, she wants ordinary people to sacrifice while the rich wallow in wealth.

ABBY Wisse Schachter thinks bicycle paths and better sidewalks are a waste of money, and that states and municipalities should return to the Federal Government money for "pork" projects so it could (but won't necessarily) be redirected to Gulf Coast reconstruction. She is wrong on both counts.
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At a time of extremely high gas prices, pollution, and congestion, and dangerous dependence on oil imports, alternatives to the automobile are very much needed, but both bicylists and pedestrians have to feel safe in order for more people to use foot power over horsepower.
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Second, New York pays into the Federal Government far more than it takes out. The "Federal" money she speaks of doesn't come from Washington. It comes from New Yorkers and other Blue Staters and always, in good times and bad, goes off to Red States enough as it is. Blue Staters are entitled to their fair share of Federal expenditures.
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The cure for the funding problem for Gulf reconstruction is obvious: raise taxes on the rich, at least in the form of a one-year surcharge for Gulf Coast reconstruction. The rich have all the money in the world. A little one-year bump in taxes won't hurt them one little bit.

This is, we forget under Republicans, the richest country in the history of the world. Under Democrats, we are rolling in dough. Under Republicans, we suddenly become 'too poor' to do anything — because Republicans cut taxes on the rich!
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But we're not 'too poor' to do anything. We can rebuild the Gulf Coast and take care of all the needs of all segments of society in all parts of the country, expand the frontiers of science, promote democracy abroad, fite just wars, and do everything else our historical mission calls for us to do without breaking a sweat. All we need to do is tax the rich. That wouldn't hurt them a bit, even if they should be "reduced" to having only 99 times as much money at the end of the year as the typical person instead of 120 times as much (or more). There's no reason whatsoever for ordinary people to sacrifice. We're already paying enuf.
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 1,900.)





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