Don’t blame wrong person for sluggish job growth
Many of us wonder what the country must do to help the economy recover more quickly but refuse to look at the facts of the situation.
We have a president who I don’t always agree with, but who wants to end Bush-era tax cuts on the wealthy. This wouldn’t raise taxes on you or me, but on the wealthiest Americans. Doing so would cut the federal deficit in half over the course of the next 10 years.
People wish to label these men and women as job creators. If they are job creators and they have the Bush-era tax cuts in place now, where are the jobs they’re supposedly creating?
When that theory is debunked, they wish to argue, “Why are you penalizing success?” No one is penalizing anyone’s success. It’s common sense, the more money you make the more you pay in taxes. It shouldn’t be the other way around, but we have a presidential candidate who refuses to release his tax returns and continues to advocate tax cuts for the wealthy, how is that not suspicious?
Our president is being blasted by the GOP for not meeting with his jobs council in months while the GOP in Congress wastes time and taxpayer money on attempting to repeal Obamacare while they know it’s just for show.
Why haven’t they spent a single second discussing or voting on Obama’s jobs bill he created months ago?
“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” — Mitch McConnell (R), senator from Kentucky.
We have politicians in Congress who are worried more about political alliances than the American people. Perhaps these politicians initially ran for Congress to help the country, I just hope they find that same motivation before it’s too late.
— Greg Hicks
Harrisburg
Constitutional quagmire
The recent flap over Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy’s comments about same-sex marriages proves a very important point: Don’t moralize at work. While Cathy represents a large chain of fast- food stores, one wonders why he chose to inflict his views on the general public. Every venue in the United States and abroad caters to individuals involved in same sex-marriages or relationships. It reminds me of former Georgia governor and restaurant owner Lester Maddox, who carried an ax handle and would not allow African-Americans in his restaurant. This conduct ignited civil rights protests and brought court intervention.
Cathy has not opposed gay customers — the color green being extremely important — from purchasing chicken. Because the doctrine of free speech exists, he can publicize his views. He is as protected as are citizens offended by his remarks.
Citizens have First Amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Citizens can respond by protesting with the pocketbooks and their feet. As long as they do not prevent others from patronizing Mr. Cathy’s establishments, they are within their legal rights to protest.
There is one other Bill of Rights protection: freedom of religion. Mr. Cathy has the right to express his religious views as long as no attempt is made to physically coerce potential customers into accepting his views. He may express his concerns — sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt you. The former would lead to a police response, but not the latter, since one could simply walk away. Yes, a peaceful boycott is legal if all municipal ordinances are satisfied.
Finally, politicians in Chicago and Boston had no right to call for citywide boycotts in construction or purchasing at Chick-fil A. While his conduct may be reprehensible, Cathy’s statement doesn’t provide a legal justification for their conduct.
— Arthur Steinberg
Salisbury