Dear Congresswoman Myrick,
I am writing to express my disappointment with my government at the inability to come to a mutual compromise on the issue of raising the debt ceiling. I find it hypocritical to ask for a balanced budget amendment that takes money away from programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and education while protecting the wealthiest Americans from paying higher taxes. Wealthy Americans are paying historically low taxes thanks to the Bush tax cuts that unfortunately the United States congress along with the President have recently renewed. I hope you'll remember that the last time we had a government surplus and a chance to pay down our deficit was before these tax cuts went into effect.
I am in favor of a balanced budget but it cannot and absolutely should not be done in favor of penalizing the economically disadvantaged. Everyone needs to do their fair share.
It is easy to say that wealthy Americans are already paying their fair share because they pay a higher percentage of their income. It is easy to say that the poor among us do not pay their fair share because people who are economically disadvantaged don't pay income taxes. The truth is that we are all in this together. The "us vs. them" paradigm has been alive and rampant in this country for far too long and it's time that our elected officials take a stand against it. Pass a budget that is truly fair and balanced. The Bush tax cuts are a luxury that America can not afford.
The progressive tax system is flawed but it reflects the best thinking of our time. I don't like to pay taxes but they are a necessary cost of the freedoms and services that we enjoy as Americans. A fair approach to tax increases would be to raise everyone's taxes. A tax increase of one half of a percent would raise a significant amount of income for the government.
Of course this type of approach must be paired with spending cuts and reforms to programs that are inefficiently run. I only ask that you continue to consider all of your constituents and the services that they have come to rely on when making decisions for our mutual benefit.
Thank you for your continued service. To serve one's community is a noble profession and I admire the work you do.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ian Hartner
