Undertaxing the Wealthy

I believe Kuttner is looking at the wrong end of the stick. Instead of increasing taxes, we should be looking at spending less. He talks of restoring spending for education and research. I believe the proper function of a government is protection of its citizenry’s life and property, period. Any other function should be handled by the private sector. I have yet to see any function performed by the government done in as efficient a manner as by the private sector, and that even allows for a profit to the owners. If we start trimming the waste in government, we might even be able to cut taxes again.

Kuttner forgets that “the rich” are those who provide jobs, thereby generating payroll and income taxes; provide products, thereby generating sales taxes; develop property, thereby generating higher property taxes, and out of their profits, endow universities, museums, hospitals, etc. Most rich only become rich by risking their money and by hard work.

I believe one of the main reasons the Japanese economy is stronger than ours is that they don’t spend much money making weapons and maintaining armies. We’re spending our tax money to protect them militarily and at the same time, we put ourselves in an economic disadvantage in dealing with the Japanese. Maybe we should charge them a fee for protecting them from the Chinese and the Russians and thereby balance our budget.

RUDOLPH F. SILVA

Montebello