Start with spending
Re “Property tax problem must be fixed,” (May 17): I am responding to Scott Carter’s letter proposing fixes to the property tax problem.
Doubling the state sales tax is not a good idea. Sales taxes are highly regressive taxes, impacting low-income residents far more than the rich by increasing the cost of basic goods like clothing, furniture and household goods.
Doubling income taxes for the rich just gives them one more reason to move to Florida, Texas, or Tennessee – states with no income tax, strong growth rates and vibrant economies.
Demographic data clearly shows high-income tax states losing residents to low-income tax states.
Property taxes are too high, but it is an expense problem more than anything else. Roughly two-thirds of property taxes support local schools, which too often have bloated expenses and fail to properly educate children.
Unlike sales and income taxes, which are implemented by the state legislature, property taxes are subject to direct votes by residents. The elected officials we should hold responsible are the county, city and school district officials who directly collect and spend our tax dollars.
James Laird, Dublin
Trump Derangement Syndrome maybe to blame
Re “It’s awful many Americans think Trump attempted killings staged,” May 16: Ingrid Jacques’ recent column regarding the 30% of Americans who believe, without credible evidence, that assassination attempts on President Donald Trump were staged raises a compelling point. She attributes this reliance on unproven conspiracy theories to a deep-seated hatred for Trump, often referred to as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Interestingly, a similar percentage of the population continues to believe the false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen. This belief persists despite 61 court cases being rejected, the disbarment or discipline of several of his attorneys, multiple recounts showing no significant irregularities and a lack of evidence cited by Trump’s own attorney general.
It appears that “Trump Derangement Syndrome” may actually stem from two separate causes that manifest with very similar symptoms.
Joseph R. Sabino, Columbus
Warmongering must stop
President Donald Trump has begun violent hostilities and war-making, without provocation and no congressional authorization, against Iran, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nigeria and Somalia.
Now it seems that Cuba is next.
Though “bone spurs” spared him service in Vietnam, he revels as long as he’s not at risk – watching bloody UFC fights, and the daily “blow them up” reels the Pentagon gives him of people he’s killing in small boats in the Caribbean, and the devastation he’s brought upon Iran. He apparently gets joy from pain and death.
Now it’s reported that the Pentagon is laying the groundwork for invading Cuba. Why not? Little Marco thinks it’ll help his ‘28 presidential chances, and every Republican in the House and Senate except a handful have given him complete authority to ignore the Constitution and Congress.
In March, Trump said he hopes to have “the honor of taking Cuba,” and that he “can do anything I want with it.” He recently said, “We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this.”
The attacks in the Caribbean were murder; the Iran debacle is much worse. We must get Congress to say “no more wars” and follow it up by impeaching him.
Jacquelynn Savoca, Richfield
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Doubling Ohio’s income, sales taxes wrong way to drive down property taxes |Letters
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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