Tax Cuts Redux

* Re “Proceed With Tax Cuts to Lessen Recession Pain,” Commentary, Dec. 27: Arthur Laffer, a dinosaur from the Reagan days, and Joel Fox, who never saw a tax he didn’t hate, claim that “because of tax cuts, people will work harder and produce more, including tax revenue.” American workers already work harder and longer than those in other industrialized countries. Maybe the assembly line should be speeded up, like in Charlie Chaplin’s movie, “Modern Times.” There, it eventually went so fast that Charlie couldn’t keep up and found himself being dragged through the machine.

If I remember correctly, the Laffer/Fox theory was tried during the Reagan administration and resulted in tripling the national debt.

Some people never learn.

ROGER BLOOMER

Los Angeles