I must admit that up until recently I was pretty indifferent towards Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. He wasn’t my state representative, so I guess I didn’t worry too much about what he did or didn’t do.
The Republican rubber-stamping in Washington of everything our Dear Leader does, however, has changed my perspective. How is that any different than what’s going on here in Illinois? In both Washington and Springfield, you see one party supporting their leader to a fault simply to retain power.
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Madigan’s political strength, I will admit, was what our state needed during Gov. Bruce Rauner’s reign of error, but our state now has great leader in the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in a long time with J.B. Pritzker. So now’s the time for Democrats in Illinois to call their state representatives and let them know that if they continue to support Madigan, the voters won’t continue to support them.
Don Anderson, Oak Park
The $750 ‘Trump Alternative Tax’
If President Donald Trump, who in 2015 claimed to be worth more than $10 billion, could pay no federal income tax for many years, and only $750 each year for 2016 and 2017, then the typical American taxpayers should rightfully feel like “suckers” and “losers.” Those are the words Trump reportedly has used to describe American soldiers who died in war, the president unable to understand what was in it for them.
Does anyone seriously believe that Trump has a higher regard for Americans who dutifully pay their taxes?
So here’s a proposal: Change the federal income tax system to allow taxpayers to simply elect to pay $750 a year. Call it the Trump Alternative Tax. Relative to their incomes, almost all taxpayers still would pay more than Trump has paid.
This, of course, is preposterous. The government quickly would go broke. But it’s not much more preposterous than Trump calling the New York Times report on his taxes “totally fake” while refusing to disclose his tax returns. Trump says his tax returns are being audited, but he is free to make them public at any time. The fact that he hasn’t speaks volumes.
Most Trump supporters pay taxes at a much higher rate than Trump pays. Do they seriously believe Trump doesn’t regard them as suckers and losers?
David J. Roberts, Lincoln Park
Pandemic and compassion
It’s the height of non-compassion not to want to help the poor. Yet Republican propaganda blames the poor for their condition, ignoring the fact that corporations have not passed on their prosperity in the form of living wages to their workers.
Now Trump has blocked all further financial aid to those in need because of the pandemic until after the election. Those in need will have to wait until Joe Biden and the Democrats take over on Jan. 20.
Perhaps there are still enough Republicans in with a conscience in the House and the Senate to work with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass a new stimulus bill — and override any veto from our narcissistic “president.”
Marion J. Reis, Lombard
