Back up claim that unions give more than ‘special interests’
Re: “Obama’s Labor Day gift to the special interests,” Sept. 8
The Examiner’s Tim Carney writes: “Consider the industries Obama might be deriding as “special interests”: Oil and gas, mining, Wall Street, commercial banks, defense contractors, HMOs, telecom, and lobbyists. Add together the PACs of every company and every trade group in all of those industries, and you’re still short of what the unions have spent.” But Carney gives no numbers to prove that claim.
Providing tax breaks for new commercial technologies is good for the United States. The faster we can get new technologies fully developed and pushed to market, the longer we can continue to be a technological innovator and leader in an increasingly fast-paced world.
“This a president who is interested in ‘picking winners and losers,'” Carney says. That sounds eerily similar to – you guessed it – John Boehner’s statement. Could that be a talking point?
Elmer Edwards
Hyattsville
Ground Zero mosque supporters have a bad attitude
While there have been many arguments, both pro and con, about the siting of a mosque near Ground Zero, with those in favor citing First Amendment concerns and those opposed the sensitivity of the relatives and friends of those murdered in the 9/11 tragedy, the American public is overwhelmingly against it for another reason.
A friend of mine examined the proposed site and places it closerthan two city blocks from Ground Zero. Americans consider this to be an in-your- face statement by Imam Rauf, who does not care about the feelings of others.
The U.S. public does not appreciate the arrogance of either the imam nor of his supporters when they refuse all suggestions of alternatives. The attitude of mosque supporters is what has turned popular opinion against them.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring
Obama never talks about cutting spending
In President Obama’s Sept. 8 speech on the economy, he attempted to fire up the crowd with talk about class warfare. Our president feels that the government is “entitled” to more money from the top 2 percent of taxpayers. Not once did he say that, just maybe, he and his party leaders should cut spending.
The top 1 percent of taxpayers in this country (earning $410,000 and above) pay 40 percent of the taxes. The top 5 percent ($160,000 and above) pay 60 percent. The bottom 50 percent pay zero. When President Obama speaks of cutting taxes for 95 percent of Americans, does he include the 50 percent of non-payers?
Too bad more people weren’t listening when he told Joe The Plumber that “we” need to spread the wealth around in our country.
He should have told Joe that we need to spread the “work ethic” around.
George J. Pitonyak
Kitty Hawk, NC
