Letters: Jan. 18, 2018

Being Duped

When I think of how the new Tax Bill is being sold to the public, it reminds me of my years in Liberia, under President William Tubman. Tubman was dearly loved by the poorest in the country, which actually didn’t make any sense at all. But, needy citizens would ask him for financial help – for a funeral, a wedding, or just hard times. He would gladly oblige with a gift of up to $500. In fact, Tubman had envelopes marked with various amounts of money already prepared to distribute.

Yet, he neglected to support job growth so these poor citizens could afford basic expenses from their own work and not depend on his “generosity.”

The way the new Tax Bill is framed has some similarities to my experience in Liberia – deceiving the low and middle classes by giving with the right hand (estimates of $2,000 on average per family,) but taking away more with the left – much more than $2,000 when considering the need for health care coverage, improving our infrastructure and paying off our national debt.

The country is being duped by President Trump and our representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Wake up before it is too late.

Nancy Street,

Cheney

Supports library

I am writing in support of the library's levy proposal on Feb. 13th. I encourage county residents to vote to restore library funding to its normal tax rate. The library in Palouse plays a huge role in our community. The library budget is so small that losing four cents in funding will be a real burden. The county libraries and dedicated staff provide so many programs in our community--it would be an absolute shame not to restore funding.

Stacey Sykes, Palouse