Re: “Triumphant Trump celebrates tax win — but some fear backlash,” Dec. 20 news story.
Well, the corks were popping Wednesday on bottles of Dom Perignon in corporate board rooms, yachts and mansions of the wealthy throughout our nation with the passage of the tax break reform bill by the Republicans in Congress and pushed by President Donald Trump. You cannot blame them for celebrating. Huge permanent tax breaks for them with minimal temporary tax adjustments for the rest of us, all delivered with a $1.5 trillion increase to our national debt. Sen. Cory Gardner must certainly be celebrating as well since the Republican Party donor base will assuredly reward him and other Republican congressmen with big campaign donations.
It appears the D.C. swamp has been drained all right — directly into the White House and the offices of Republican senators and representatives in the U.S. Congress.
Terry Talbot, Grand Junction
The passage of the Republican “Make the Rich Richer Again” tax bill offers a huge opportunity to Democrats. In next year’s elections, they should campaign on the promise of making the bill’s provisions permanent for the working and middle classes while sunsetting the rates and cuts that help only the top 1 percent.
Less money added to the debt, more likely economic growth, and a reduction in income inequality. I believe the American people will vote for that.
Stephanie Logan, Centennial
The Republican tax bill is disgusting. It sets America back in so many ways: redistributes wealth to the already-rich; undermines Obamacare; causes environmental damage in Alaska; and worst, sets up deficits that will lead to future cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
There’s only one way out for the American people: Defeat the bums who support this, starting with Sen. Cory Gardner and Rep. Mike Coffman.
Ron Binz, Denver
The writer is a former chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Re: “Colorado lawmakers should oppose the dismal Trump tax plan,” Dec. 16 editorial.
In response to your editorial tirade against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, I ask you two simple questions. You mention “exploding” the national debt and deficit by $1.5 trillion in total over the next 10 years. Really? Barack Obama and the Democrats added almost this much annually over the previous eight years, increasing our national debt by close to $10 trillion. Where was your outcry over this? Secondly, and more importantly, where have the congressional Democrats been during these discussions and debates over the tax bill? Sitting on the sidelines, refusing to participate in any committee hearings having to do with tax reform and just complaining isn’t helping out your liberal constituents.
¾Ჹܲ, Denver
I don’t always agree with The Denver Post, but your editorial on the tax bill was spot on in my opinion. With the huge increase of the deficit, won’t that also end up raising interest rates on car loans, mortgages and credit cards? If that is true (who know the truth these days?), isn’t that going to hurt consumers who likely will not be able to afford purchasing a house or perhaps even a car? How will reducing these purchases help America and the economy? Too bad the Chamber of Commerce can’t address this instead of helping the rich and huge corporations.
²Ա²ٳ, Highlands Ranch
The Denver Postap editorial contains a number of misleading statements about the Republican tax plan, which it calls a “sham.” The bill will not “explode” the national debt. That debt “exploded” during the Obama presidency when government spending doubled the federal deficit by $10 trillion. The tax cut would not be “at the expense of the middle class.” Rate cuts and nearly doubling the standard deduction would lower tax payments for an estimated 75 percent of middle-income households, with no, or a slight, increase for the rest. What The Post calls “accounting lies” is actually the fact that the Republican bill provides that some tax cuts would expire in 2025 if not extended by Congress. Even if not extended, what The Post mischaracterizes as a “tax increase” would be a return to current levels. Like it or not, the GOP plan will lower taxes for most Americans, and that is not a sham.
Seymour Joseph, Denver
In an otherwise well-thought-out editorial, you perpetuate a standard GOP lie by stating that Republicans got the idea of ramming through Congress the tax reform bill from the Democrats with the Affordable Care Act, in which they purportedly did not hold a conference committee and instead hammered out the deal behind closed doors. Letap set the record straight.
First, with respect to pharmaceuticals, it is true that the negotiations were held behind closed doors. Second, the ACA was debated in three House committees and two Senate committees. This allowed for hours of bipartisan debate, the introduction of 130 amendments, and 79 roll-call votes. Third, the full Senate debated the ACA for 25 straight days. Those are the facts and that is not what the Republicans modeled with the tax bill.
մdzܲ,Aurora
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