To the Editor:
Why is it not so obvious to the majority of Americans that this nonsense about the so-called “fiscal cliff” is a ploy for both Democrats and Republicans to trash such beneficial programs as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid? Social Security has absolutely nothing to do with the deficit. Individuals share the cost with their employees. Neither is Medicare the cause. It is our health care system that has become one gigantic moneymaking scam. Today, the United States spends more on health care per person than any other country in the world. In 2009, while the United States was in severe recession, the health insurance companies increased their profits by 56 percent.
What do we do to reduce the deficit? We increase individual income tax rates on the wealthy and close corporate tax loopholes while reducing the enormously bloated defense budget. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, China and Russia combined spend $142.5 billion on defense. Consider how puny that $142.5 billion is compared to the United State’s $739.3 billion. Don’t let them hoodwink you into believing that we need it to be secure. That money is lining the pockets of the defense industry. In 1961 President Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex.
Let’s also get serious about job growth by investing money combating climate change, modernizing our infrastructure, strengthening our public education system and by promoting private investment. Want another way to reduce the deficit? Close offshore tax loopholes! Stop listening to the pundits who repeatedly appear on the corporate owned networks and lip-sync what their corporate masters tell them.
Gerald R. Lotierzo