Starting to resent income taxes when Trump and his ilk won’t pay their fair share (Letters)

Happy to pay taxes for services; not happy to let others off the hook

This year, my wife and I are paying a huge tax bill. I appreciate the services our government provides for not just ourselves but for everyone else.

We appreciate clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. We appreciate uncontaminated food to eat. We appreciate the house that provides us shelter from the elements. And we understand it takes a lot of work from agencies and services we take for granted.

But what I am sick of is the leader of our country who won’t pay his fair share of taxes, just like many other rich people. I resent the fact that he has fired so many federal workers who provide services that protect us. I resent that he is shattering agencies that have worked for years so that we Americans can live day to day and not worry about the very same governmental structures for which I pay taxes.

This president and his political party are tearing our government apart when they should be upholding our way of life.

I am sick of it. If I paid a high price for a particular service, I expect the service to live up to its promises, and so far, I am not getting what I paid for.

Provide the service or give me a refund.

M. Rodriguez, Aurora

What happened to the fiscal conservative?

Re: “Senate Republicans approve framework for Trump tax breaks”, April 6, 2025

It has not been that long ago that many of our congressmen and senators bragged about being fiscal conservatives. But the chat now seems to be about tax breaks. How many trillions of dollars is the national debt? How much money is being freed up by whatever methods are being used? And the talk is about tax breaks (for people who don’t need it) rather than reducing the debt. Really?

Anybody who calls themselves a “fiscal conservative” and goes along with the tax cuts is a liar!

Arthur David Hubbard, Dacono

Tariffs: Trusting politicians to micromanage the economy

Re: “Dems dislike ‘chaos’ but OK with some tariffs,” April 13 news story

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) claims (without evidence) that “Tariffs are an important tool in our economic toolbox.”

But tariffs impede Americans’ access to the affordable goods they want to buy. Tariffs violate the right of Americans to decide for themselves who to buy from. Tariffs are social engineering designed to coercively change Americans’ buying patterns.

Tariffs harm our economy and are only good for special interests. President Joe Biden’s targeted tariffs forced Americans to pay more for solar cells, electric vehicles, and electric vehicle batteries for the benefit of U.S. manufacturing special interests. Not only did Biden’s tariffs harm the economy by making these goods more expensive, but they also harmed the environment by making solar cells and electric vehicles less competitive with fossil fuels.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics concluded that President Trump’s 2018 targeted steel tariffs cost $650,000 per job created. That’s a terrible return on investment since the median annual wage for structural iron and steel workers was $62,760 in May 2023.
Tariffs stimulate the lobbyist industry due to businesses lobbying for tariff exemptions for themselves, but not for their competitors. Tariffs, therefore, encourage cronyism and corruption.

Believing that politicians are good at micromanaging the economy with targeted tariffs is the same as believing in the magical powers of pixie dust. It doesn’t happen in reality.

Chuck Wright, Westminster

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