Gerald Keer writes that a Star-Ledger editorial took a too-short view of the impact of tax cuts and boosts.
This is a response to the Star-Ledger editorial, "N.J. Republicans in Congress can play key role to Trump on tax plan," which was printed in the April 28 South Jersey Times:
The gist of the editorial was to blame our national debt and taxation problems on Republicans because of tax cuts they sponsored. The editorial writer seems to think tax increases are the answer.
The editorial faults Ronald Reagan's tax cuts, citing them as a cause for eventual tax increases. But this ignores that Reagan inherited a bad economy from Jimmy Carter.
Next, the editorial endorsed the tax increases during Bill Clinton's administration for boosting the economy. Republicans had predicted a recession, but it did not come immediately since it was delayed by the "dot.com bubble." Then the 9/11 attacks and the resulting wars impacted the economy.
Tax cuts are a tool to fight recession, unlike when Franklin D. Roosevelt increased taxes for more government handouts.
After all the finger-pointing, the Star-Ledger editorial admits that there is a need for tax reform -- just as there is a need to reform the "Not-so Affordable Care Act." Tax reform can bring corporate profit dollars back to the United States for investment and employment increases.
"Obamacare" caused tax increases on some people and prolonged the slow recovery from the housing collapse. The mismanagement of government spending -- from the 1930s Great Depression to the recent incursion of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac housing agencies into banking -- has been sinful.
Gerald Keer, Turnersville
See coverage bias in 'dead toddler' trial
I just wanted to voice my opinion as to the way the media have handled the David "D.J". Creato trial. (Creato, 23, is charged with killing his 3-year-old son, Brendan, whose body was found in a Haddon Township park in 2015.)
I have watched the entire trial online since it has started. I cannot believe how reporters have twisted information and how it is completely one-sided.
Television news reports have me upset the most. Two TV stations actually showed the defendant yawning after they showed Brendan's pajamas (in which he was found) -- which did not happen at that exact point. Creato's yawn actually occurred at the end of the day, as the judge was dismissing the jury for the day.
If you are going to report news, get it right and get both sides of the story. This makes me wonder how many innocent people have been judged and then incarcerated because of lousy reporting.
Dee McCone, Glassboro
Another N.J. Assembly choice in 4th Dist.
I am planning to run in November as an independent candidate to represent the Fourth Legislative District in Camden and Gloucester counties.
I will be running because I believe now, more than ever, New Jersey needs elected officials to unite all of its citizens. I believe I am that kind of candidate.
While New Jersey may have its issues, they are not insurmountable. The issues we face today are fixable. We must elect leaders with the courage to stand up to resolve them.
As a younger person, I want to transform my state into an affordable place to raise a family, earn a decent living, and then retire. If we elect principled leaders, we can do exactly that.
New Jersey is the state where I was raised, educated, and molded into the person I am today. Let us not run for Pennsylvania, South Carolina or Florida. Let us do what is needed to improve the state we call home.
William McCauley, Blackwood
Editor's note: Independent candidates for November must file petitions by June 6, the date of the party nominating primaries. If McCauley files for one of the district's two Assembly seats, he'll face Democratic incumbents Paul Moriarty and Gabriela Mosquera, and Republicans Patricia Kline and Eduardo Maldonado, none of whom face June 6 primary opposition.
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