GOP Has Wrong Answers on Taxes, Guns

* Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) has written a misleading column in your Aug. 6 edition, “Winning Oval Office, Keeping Congress Are Key.”

It was not the “fiscal conservatism” of the Republicans alone that has led to the projected budget surpluses. Most academic studies demonstrate that the tax increases of 1993, combined with economic expansion, were in large part responsible for the surpluses that we are experiencing in fiscal 2000.

I believe that Cox and his fellow Republicans voted against the 1993 tax increases. Cox would have you believe that now that we have retired some of the national debt it is “conservative” to cut taxes. There are two problems with his argument.

Fiscal 2000 is the first year that we have experienced a surplus (excluding Social Security) and projections of huge surpluses in the future are, at best, dicey.

More neutral observers have argued that the most “conservative” action would be to continue to reduce total government debt. This policy would have the additional benefit of extending the time that the Social Security trust fund would be able to pay benefits without raising the payroll tax or borrowing money.

Second, Cox’s proposed tax cuts--estate taxes, marriage deductions, capital gains--are all skewed to higher-tax-bracket individuals. These are the people that have benefited the most from the current economic expansion.

Cox would have us believe that the Republican schemes of tax breaks for the wealthy are fiscally conservative. Both Republicans and Democrats would be more fiscally responsible if they delayed targeted tax cuts designed to buy votes and focused instead on reducing debt and controlling discretionary spending.

DONALD J. MATTHEWSON

Orange

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Republican Congressman Cox’s op-ed piece of Aug. 6, which was designed to promote the GOP ticket, referred to the UCI Orange County Annual Survey. The congressman slid over the gun issue, except to say that according to the survey, crime is a top priority in the county.

What the survey actually shows is that 62% of Orange County citizens believe government does not do enough to regulate access to guns.

I’m sure the reason the congressman avoided this key point is because the GOP is slave to the NRA. In fact, an NRA vice president recently told one of their gatherings, “If we win, we’ll have a president . . . where we work out of their office.”

As governor, George W. Bush signed a bill in Texas making it legal for just about any adult in the state to carry a concealed weapon. Later he went further, and signed an amendment allowing concealed guns in churches, hospitals, amusement parks and nursing homes.

To further prove subservience to gun people, Bush supported legislation that prohibits government entities from suing the gun industry to recover gun violence costs unless the Texas Legislature approves.

Bush’s running mate, Dick Cheney, has given evidence that he agrees or feels even stronger in favor of guns. He voted against a ban on plastic guns that would pass through airport checkpoints; against a ban on “cop killer” bullets; and he voted to repeal a seven-day waiting period on gun purchases.

There’s no doubt about it. If you want fewer guns in California, you’ll work hard to keep out these two GOP gunslingers from Texas!

J. MILLER

Tustin