Dear editor,
The news in the papers and on TV is all about wages and inequality. If you are a small business and are struggling to make a go of it, I can see not wanting to pay more than the minimum wage. But on a larger scale, most small businesses can pay more and should.
The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas. A few years ago that was adequate, but there’s a thing called inflation.
Two years ago a family of two could go to a fast food restaurant and a meal was $12. Today it’s $17. Fuel has almost doubled over the same time. Although it has gone down, it will go back up.
I just bought a car tire for $120. That was $80 three years ago.
Automobiles, houses, rent, food — you name it, it has gone up.
Now Brownback wants to raise consumption taxes. Income tax is the fairest tax. You have income, you pay tax. No income and you don’t.
I had a fellow tell me well these rich people have loopholes and don’t pay income taxes. If this is the case why is Brownback removing the income taxes for these guys?
A 6-cent gas tax will cost me $200 more a year; cigarette tax at 55 cents will add $200; an additional half-cent sales tax will add $3,000 to my budget and I haven’t figured how much an increase in property taxes will cost me.
What really makes me mad is I’m one of the 4 million Kansans who didn’t get any income tax cuts because I am poor.
The really bad thing is Brownback is not done cutting income taxes, but getting ready for round two.
Why would any company want to move to Kansas if we don’t want to educate our kids, we don’t want to expand Medicaid for the poor and we don’t want gay marriage. I don’t believe in gay marriage but they do work and pay taxes.
Yes, the sun is shining in Kansas right on you governor and your band of merry men. I believe you will go down in history as the worst governor Kansas ever had because of your reckless experiment.
David Comstock,
Colony, Kan.
Letter to the editor — May 20, 2015
