Rearing Children Without Raising Taxes

Re “Caring for Our Kids Should Be the Bottom Line,” Commentary, Sept. 5: While Californians may sympathize with the plight of children whose parents cannot afford to support them, Robert Fellmeth wrongly insists that the state government is somehow responsible for bringing them up instead.

Tax dollars are perhaps the least efficient form of support for any welfare program when you take into account the costs of forming regulations, collecting from taxpayers, administration and record-keeping and redistributing those dollars. Fellmeth’s energies would be better directed toward better planning by parents and encouraging a reduction in state taxes so we could all afford to contribute more to the United Way.

Gary R. Albin

Long Beach