I have been reading with much interest the letters to the Forum and articles in the paper dealing with the Trump tax overhaul plan. It seems as though the Democrats are extremely concerned about the estimated $1 trillion the plan will add to the federal deficit. Nancy Pelosi called it Armageddon. Another Democratic leader called it “the end of the world as we know it.” Hyperbole, for sure, but here’s my confusion. The estimated $1 trillion increase in the deficit is over the next 10 years. If that was mentioned in the letters and articles, I missed it. Without that reference, one would be led to believe that the $1 trillion will be an annual increase to the deficit. “Fake News,” or just irresponsible reporting?
Here’s the rest of my confusion. During Barack Obama’s eight years in office, the federal deficit grew by $7.9 trillion — almost $1 trillion per year. (By way of comparison, the next closest president’s record to that was George W. Bush, in whose eight-year term the deficit increased by $5.6 trillion.)
Where was the fiscal outrage from the Democrats during the Obama years? Where was the Democrats’ plan to overhaul our antiquated tax code? Where was the Democrats’ plan to rein in the exploding deficit? Why didn’t the Democrats’ enact a fiscally responsible budget — or any budget for that matter — during the final six years of Obama’s term in office?
Jeff Bendis
WoodstockEditor’s Note: A review of news articles and columns in this paper about the projected deficit revealed that a number of them mentioned that the $1 trillion-plus figure was over 10 years.
I was not pleased to see the recent cartoon by Clay Bennett depicting Fox News as hypocritical champions of fair and balanced reporting. Talk about pots and kettles and motes and beams — it would be laughable how absurdly blind the mainstream media and academia are to their own bias if it weren’t for the damage they are doing to this nation.
I’m pleased if Fox News has got up their collective noses. I do hope that there are enough people who can think for themselves and are not part of the vast herd of “sheeple” who would find this cartoon to their liking. Given the kind of pressure that this cartoon epitomizes, I am not optimistic.
J. Barrie Sellers
Hanover
Trump’s Flaws Were There to See
Regarding Jim Rubens’ epiphany: A bit late, aren’t you, Jim? Any half-intelligent person listening to candidate Donald Trump for more than five minutes could discern that he is a bully, a narcissist of the first water, a racist, a pathological liar and a man who brags about abusing women. As your president, he has confirmed these qualities over and over and now we are stuck with him for the foreseeable future.
Your solution is to convene a constitutional convention to change our Constitution.
Wow!
Do you really think a Republican Congress that tied itself in knots trying to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act by cooking up the abomination it did (in secret, with no widespread input, no hearings, using budget reconciliation to avoid having to get any Democratic votes for passage), a Republican Congress that followed the same legal but underhanded process to write a tax bill with illegible changes written in the margins which many Republican senators voted for without going to the trouble of reading, and which, according to every independent analysis I have read, does not do what they assure us it will, should be trusted to tamper with the most sacred document upon which this country is founded?
Apparently you do. You won’t be able to disavow that.
Lloyd Bunten
Canaan
Various renewable energy interests and lobbyists are going around Vermont to promote a carbon tax to save their businesses because federal subsidies are decreasing.
The carbon tax would take $240 million to $300 million out of people’s pockets and transfer it to the state government. Some people would get some money back as rebates; many others would get nothing back.
A carbon tax would significantly increase the cost of gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and propane.
The Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP), has a nonbinding goal to “transform” the Vermont economy. It would require investments of about $33.3 billion, about $1 billion per year for 33 years, during the 2017-2050 period, according to the Vermont Energy Action Network 2015 Annual Report.
Not counted is the refurbishment and replacement of short-lived wind and solar systems, and cost of financing, etc., during that period.
For Vermont to impose a carbon tax would make its economy less competitive versus other states, i.e., more brain drain, and fewer good-paying, steady, full-time jobs with good benefits in the private sector.
A carbon tax would be another headwind for the anemic, near-zero real-growth Vermont economy.
A carbon tax would further aggrandize Vermont’s government, which is too large, too inefficient, spending too much money, bloated with programs, and is running annual shortfalls that are offset with annual increases of taxes, fees and surcharges, as if money grows on trees.
Vermont finally has a governor who aims to reduce the bloated, wasteful state government to enable the hollowed-out private sector to start growing again.
Willem Post
Woodstock
Thankful for Caring VA Staff
As a Vietnam veteran, I would like to thank a special group of people for taking care of me over the last several years.
The people I am talking about are at the White River VA hospital. I don’t know if they know it or not, but the friendly smiles and warm greetings they give out start a lot of people to feeling better. When most of us vets go to the VA, it’s because we don’t feel good, and the last thing we need is to run into a sourpuss.
I wish everyone at the White River VA hospital the best in the New Year. Thank you for always being there.
Nathan Cass
Cornish