As the late New York City hotel heiress Leona Helmsley said when she was accused of tax evasion, “Only the little people pay taxes.” Leona was right, but it’s time for a change! Our federal tax code is a Frankenstein monster: stitched together by Congress to please every special-interest group wanting a tax break, and grossly unfair to honest, hard-working taxpayers. “Trickle-down” economics failed to help low- and middle-income working people during the Reagan-Bush years. It allowed the wealthy to hoard more money and gain more control over corporations and politicians. President Trump and Congress, please bring our troops home and cut off all foreign aid. Use our tax dollars to help working people and retired workers.
Please follow the KISS principle: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” “Repeal and replace” the individual income tax, which unfairly places most of the tax burden on working people, with a 1 percent tax on real estate, big-ticket luxuries (like yachts, fancy cars, high-end jewelry and art), stocks, bonds and cash deposits. It’s not so easy to hide real estate and mansions on a small island in the Caribbean or off the coast of England, though I’m sure some tax attorneys will try!
Give retired workers barely surviving on Social Security a retroactive cost of living raise equal to what you have been giving yourselves and highly-paid federal employees all these years, to help us “little people” keep up with inflated housing costs, inflated medical bills and basic survival. At least give us enough to buy a few cups of coffee at McDonald’s! Congress, you have been sucking up to the rich and powerful too long. You have sold working people down the river — but you can still make it right.
