State of the Union Address

* Once again the President states that the tax increase was only on the top 1% of the wealthy and in his words “that is the truth.” Apparently the President’s advisers did not pass Arithmetic I; or they think that Social Security recipients are too old to know the difference; or someone is flat lying.

My wife and I are Social Security recipients whose taxes will go up 16%--a much higher increase than on the wealthy. Why? Because the amount of Social Security income subject to tax has been increased. Somehow this part of the deficit reduction program gets little attention. As one of the millions of Americans who worked all his life and was counting on Social Security as part of my nest egg, much of President Clinton’s “message” is clear--the middle class, both young and old, will take it in the shorts again.

H. F. HENSON

Westlake Village

* I believe we finally have a President that is intensely interested in our welfare. Every time he has suggested a way to change a poor system he has met strong opposition. The opposition is petty, spiteful and mean-spirited.

My husband is a very small business owner. He has four employees and pays 100% on insurance premiums for them and their families. Not only are the monthly premiums terribly expensive, but the stress of paying them is a monthly occurrence. We believe, however, that it is a responsibility that must be met. The biggest problem is the high deductible for each individual on the plan. In my opinion the insurance companies have it made.

It is time to realize that the only people who don’t believe there is a health care crisis are the insurance companies; the doctors, who never stop telling us how bad it will be if the health care bill passes; and members of Congress, who have very good coverage for themselves and their families. They are also the ones who will vote on it. Don’t we deserve at least what we are paying to cover our civil servants?

Maybe President and Mrs. Clinton’s plan needs work--so quit fighting and work on it. Don’t kill it or delay it. How come we are now hearing about all these other plans they have, and a chart to boot? Where were all these ideas when their Presidents were in office?

MARY E. BANGERT

Santa Ana

* Let me see if I understand this. In 1937 the Social Security tax was 2% of payroll with a maximum of $60 per year. In 1994 the rate is 15.30% and the maximum tax (for all practical purposes) is $9,271. Now the same government that did such a good job of managing and controlling Social Security costs is going to manage and control health insurance costs. Get serious, Mr. Clinton.

ROD WALSH

Woodland Hills

* In his State of the Union address, President Clinton remarked that the people are way ahead of the politicians. That is certainly the case with Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), whose weak rebuttal included the tired argument that American health care is the best in the world. What we really have is the world’s most advanced medical technology, whose high-priced delivery is available only for those who can afford to pay for it. As for the medical care available for most Americans, we are dismally behind much of the world. Dole certainly knows this, but in trumpeting his contrived deception he reveals himself to be a cheap politician.

ALBERT L. ROCKLIN

Laguna Hills

* Dole says there is no health care crisis, right? Let’s wait until there is a crisis and pass some inadequate laws in a panic. Isn’t that how Congress normally does things?

MILTON FINKEL

North Hollywood

* First the fires, then the earthquakes, now the spectacle of the President’s State of the Union message.

Taken together, what a wake-up call to personal, local action!

PHIL MARSH

Pacific Palisades

* Why is it that three years ago when former Vice President Dan Quayle spoke about this country needing strong family values and that the importance of two-parent families should not be mocked, he was mercilessly ridiculed and shunned; but when President Clinton states fundamentally the same thing in 1994, he is praised and respected?

Is it the obvious media double standard, or was Dan Quayle way ahead of his time, or has the Democratic Party finally realized that many problematic issues in this country can be solved with old-fashioned common sense and a logical approach?

THOMAS KERR

Manhattan Beach