Tax Cut Plan

Re “House OKs $80-Billion GOP Plan to Cut Taxes,” Sept. 27:

There is a lot of talk in Congress about the budget surplus and what to do with it. In fact there is no surplus. We have a deficit, because the $100-billion-plus Social Security overpayments should go to the trust fund as was originally intended, not be counted in the budget as revenue.

The Office of Management and Budget estimates that the budget surplus in 1998 will be $39 billion, counting the Social Security overpayment. Therefore, the deficit will be at least $61 billion, which is better than President Reagan’s $200-billion-plus deficits, but it is not a surplus. The creative bookkeeping gimmick fools the American public into believing that our fiscal house is in order, though, according to U.S. government estimates, the total U.S. statutory debt will grow this year by $178 billion to $5.506 trillion.

MARCEL GAWARTIN

Ladera Heights

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What our “elected” politicians see as a $70-billion budget surplus, I see as $70 billion in excess taxes. Instead of arguing about how best to spend this “surplus,” there is a better solution. “Return to sender.”

HAROLD E. BOUCHER

West Hills