An income-tax surcharge to pay for Iraq war
Since President Bush wants no timetable attached to the Iraq spending bill, Congress should give him what he wants. However, the war in Iraq needs to be paid for.
I propose a 6.2 percent surcharge on all personal income over $200,000. The money collected would be used to pay for the total expense of the war. The amount is the Social Security share of the payroll tax, though I would not limit the surcharge to earned income. This would give us the funds to pay for the war without increasing the deficit. It would also give those who are in a position to pay for the war an opportunity to show their patriotism. I would allow for an exemption from this surcharge for those who served in a combat zone while on active duty in the military service and for those who have a child who is active duty in the military. This surcharge might give the government an impetus for more oversight on the money spent in Iraq and it may even bring a quick resolution to this war.
Michael Stanley Vallejos, Pueblo
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Before the war, gas was $1.50 per gallon. Now, it’s $3 per gallon. Mission accomplished!
Prior to when major operations in Iraq had ended, approximately 140 soldiers had died. Now, more than 3,300 soldiers have died. Mission accomplished!
The reason for going to war in Iraq was because Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Now, Saddam Hussein is dead and there are no WMD. There never were. Mission accomplished!
It’s time for the Republicans and Democrats to safely bring the troops home and for the U.S. to get out of Iraq. Then we can truthfully say, “Mission accomplished!”
Cheryl Herrmann, Denver
Students’ expectations for college scholarships
Re: “Aid limit fails students’ dreams of private college,” May 7 news story.
I am so sick of hearing Denver high school students complain about receiving only $3,000 from the Denver Scholarship Foundation. They were offered a gift, which – in conjunction with other aid they were supposed to apply for, and probably most would qualify for – gives them opportunity to attend many of our state and community colleges.
If they think trying to get college money as a lower-income family is difficult, trying doing it as a middle- class family. My son is in college, and because my husband and I both work and make a modest, middle- class income, we qualify for no free aid. We qualify to apply for loans that start at 8.5 percent, which we will be paying off for years after graduation. The schools are happy to accept my son, as he has a good GPA and considerable qualifications, including Eagle Scout and senior class president, but as of yet, no one has offered to throw $3,000 in free money our way.
The expectation that the government or a foundation should be expected to meet all of these students’ needs is absurd.
Rita Hill, Aurora
Finding the source of problems at DPS
Debate on the failure of Denver Public Schools automatically ends up in a discussion on the quality of teachers and the lack of funding. However, my experience suggests that a major problem is incompetent administration.
My daughter qualified for the advanced kindergarten program and I was told by a person at the gifted and talented program that she had been picked by lottery to join the Polaris Program at Ebert Elementary School. The very next day, I was informed that there had been an error and she was really 12th on the wait list. This week, a letter was sent to me from DPS stating that my daughter had “choiced” into the Bill Roberts school in Stapleton. This was immediately followed by a phone call asking me to disregard the letter, as it had been sent in error.
My experience suggests that the DPS administration is in complete chaos and that decisions are made based on the whim of some administrator and have no rational basis. The right hand doesn’t seem to know that the left exists.
Sukumar Vijayaraghavan, Denver
Providing mental health services to youth
Re: “Dealing with mental illness,” May 3 news story.
Our nation’s inability to adequately recognize and provide mental health services to children doesn’t automatically mean these children will become violent. However, evidence shows that children who become adolescents without having earlier, challenging behaviors addressed are more likely to experience rejection from their peers, be arrested, have primarily punitive contacts with adults, and die young.
So why doesn’t the mental health system have the strength and accessibility to support these children? Perhaps that’s not the right question. It isn’t just the mental health system that needs to increase its capacity and improve on the services children need. There is an absence of a comprehensive service-delivery system to support children’s positive social and emotional development. There is also a need for public commitment to assure that all systems where children are – including child care, schools and doctors’ offices – have access to social-emotional screening, anticipatory guidance, and training in how to promote positive social and emotional development, prevent further mental health problems when children are at risk, and provide treatment when children have serious emotional and behavioral problems.
Sarah Davidon Hoover, Indian Hills
State property taxes
Re: “Home values defy listless market; Tax-assessment time,” May 7 news story.
As a retiree in my mid-70s, I was pleased to learn that the real value of my home had increased several thousand dollars, according to the Arapahoe County assessor.
While I have no plans to sell my home, it’s nice to know it will be worth more when the market perks up.
Meanwhile, through the good graces of Gov. Bill Ritter and the Democratic-controlled legislature, my taxes will increase each year because they froze property tax rates which usually fall to control the tax burden. It’s a tax increase that I didn’t vote on, as required by TABOR, and I hope someone has the funds and drive to take the issue to court to support the opinion of the state attorney general.
Robert H. Feeney, Littleton
Abstinence education
Re: “The problem with abstinence-only policies,” May 4 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Jess Steinitz of the Boulder Population Connection writes that abstinence-until-marriage programs are “morally irresponsible.” Here are some resulting questions: What is the moral authority for this judgmental pronouncement? To what stage in life does she want to delay sex and why delay sex at all? How does comprehensive sex ed educate youth to grow up to be responsible and to whom or what are they responsible?
For many years, comprehensive sex ed had predominated. Why is it, then, that the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the Western industrialized world?
J.D. Moyers, Centennial
Poets’ jabs at Bush
Re: “Our greatest poem,” May 4 Colorado Voices column.
Columnist Anushka Anastasia Solomon stated that the “hastily penned” poems bashing President Bush after a 2003 White House symposium was canceled “will neither outlive the poets … nor inspire change.”
Anushka, I fear neither the poems nor their poets will outlive the effects of the immense injury done to this country, its military and its reputation by the Bush administration. America is the greatest poem, and its poets are called – nay, compelled – to add stanzas documenting the harm done to her in the name of George W. Bush.
Jim Keller, Golden
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