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Valley
I am writing in response to June England’s letter to the editor of July 24 (“Who built this business?”), criticizing President Obama’s speech about business owners and how their businesses were built with the aid of government.
I am a supporter of our President, but I also support and respect all the individual hard work many Americans put into their businesses and jobs. I thank Ms. England for her history lesson on how Samuele Sebastiani arrived in Sonoma and built his winery.
I noted that Mr. Sebastiani emmigrated to the U.S. in 1895. He probably did not build his own craft to arrive here, unaided by any existing charts or shipping lanes.
He then worked hard to earn money for a train ticket to California, using an important transportation infrastructure at least partially funded by government. In Sonoma, he used his cart and horses to deliver his wine. Again, this would not have been possible without the existence of local roads.
The real point of President Obama’s speech is that no one is able to create his or her wealth in a vacuum. Business owners must somehow obtain goods to sell or materials to make those products, customers must be able to reach the business or receive shipments from them, monies received and paid out must be protected from theft by criminals and employees must educated enough to do the needed work. None of this could happen without public infrastructure, a public safety system and public education. All of these endeavors are too large for individuals, or even small local groups, to accomplish alone.
As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said, “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.” Today, many wealthy individuals and corporations have been able to use their money to make campaign contributions and lobby for unfair tax loopholes for themselves, and this is just wrong. While I support those who work hard being able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, the rich also need to recognize the systematic advantages they’ve enjoyed in our society and be willing to contribute their fair share of taxes.
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Beth Hadley is secretary for the Sonoma Valley Democrats and a volunteer with Organizing for America, Sonoma Valley.
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I agree wholeheartedly on the assessment of what Obama Said, also on the underlying truth that we never exist on a vacuum and furthermore, it is only right that millionaires help the nation by contributing their share.
But what can we do?
- We have to start abolishing the right to lobbyists to exist bc- they are the underlying root caus eof th emess in government, where corporations have a greater say on what laws pass or not. THIS IS CRITICAL
- We have to change the laws that make it possible to millionaires to pay much less than the common citizen.
- We have to change the laws that help the common citizens to have tax brakes and incentives to balance their incomes, promote small business. That is, after the previous is DONE.
With these three measures we are on the way of recovering.
The tax scheme has become the canvas where big corporations have paved the way to more riches and more control. We have a government that is no longer for the people, by the people and we have to address this before we can make any progress.
What do YOU think?
First off Nidia, both Obama and Romney paid an average 17.5%
in federal taxes. For most Americans it is in the 8 to 10%
range depending on exemptions claimed. For you to say that
that " millionaires pay much less than the common citizen"
is just flat wrong. Check your own pay stub if you doubt me.
Obama paid 20% while Romney paid 15%. Romney paid nearly
double what I pay and he is labeled as some kind of a tax
evader. How about this !!....half of Americans don't pay
diddly squat in federal taxes. But yet...since they are the
bottom 50% of income wages they more than likely receive
some kind of a tax benefit even though they owe nothing
in taxes. You doubt me?? I know of a woman who took advantage
of every social program she could get and then boasted who
she got $3K back in the form of a tax refund. How do you
get a tax refund when you paid nothing in federal taxes?
Government cannot spend anything that it has not first taken from someone else by force.