The government gets; it never gives

Re “Give the rich my $600,” Opinion, May 26

Please tell Barbara Garson that I will happily take her $600 and put it to good use (most likely by contributing it to charity). She is clearly under the false impression that, as one of the “rich,” I have been given money by our government. I can assure her that our government has never given me a penny.

She must be very confused as to what “give” means if she thinks that lowering my taxes from $100,000 to $90,000 is giving me anything -- even if others’ taxes are only lowered from $10,000 to $9,000 (or, more probably, $7,000). In this scenario, I am still paying 10 times more to breathe the same air and drive on the same roads as the person who pays much less or nothing at all.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not complaining. I’m happy to pay my way to live in America. I just want Garson to understand that President Bush didn’t give me any money, and our government has never given me any money. It is taxpayers, like me, who give money to the government.

P.J. Gendell

Beverly Hills