Comparing taxes to GDP misleading
Using the measure of taxes as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) is certainly misleading [“Parsing the tea-party logic,” Danny Westneat column, NWSunday, April 18]. Could you honestly say you believe the federal government has been shrinking?
What has been happening is that the GDP has so greatly expanded over the past 50 years —partly due to periods of limited taxes —that even if taxes kept pace with growth, they would be greatly expanding also.
Did you know that the original tea party was fought over tea that would have been less expensive than what the colonists were then currently drinking? Why would they dump tea into Boston Harbor when it was destined to cost them less? The answer is principles.
Beyond that, the tea- party movement is energized by three things:
1. It witnessed the bare exercise of government power to get an ill-conceived and criminally executed health-care bill passed in opposition to the desires of the people.
2. It is concerned not just for its future, but that of the next generation or two that will face mountains of federal debt created by unnecessary government entitlement programs.
3. It is concerned about the federal government becoming too powerful and far-reaching. No sane person could deny this trend, so unless you are just a mindless drone, trusting the government to make your every decision, you should get government back in its place.
— William Schaefer, Renton
Tea-party members get the picture
The Times’ Danny Westneat recently visited a tea party and observed the folk “didn’t fit the crudest media stereotypes.” The people were “friendly” —finally an honest statement from the media, if condescending.
In his column, Westneat wrote he wondered if the tea-party folks were on this planet. No, the tea-party folks are in the United States, as confirmed by the election of Scott Brown to the Senate from blue Massachusetts. The tea-party principles elected the senator and elitists are in depraved denial.
Further, Westneat tried to educate the folks on “currently ‘low taxes.’.” Not mentioned were the recent, historically large Washington gas-tax increase, plans the Democrats have to rescind former President George Bush’s tax cuts, a proposed federal sales tax and much more.
The elites have bankrupted California and the rest of the nation is not far behind. The American people, via the tea party and like-minded people, will throw off the tyranny of the elites and their fanciful vision for the planet.
— Don Wilbur, University Place