February <strong>21</strong>, 20<strong>24</strong> 4 I OPINION I WEST NEWSMAGAZINE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Regarding Donald Trump Most Republicans are ecstatic now that Donald Trump has “thrown his hat in the ring” and is running again for president. They really do believe he is the best choice. But let me refresh the memories of the American people. Remember when Trump was campaigning and there were protesters at his rallies? He ridiculed them, chastised them, berated them, had them forcibly removed, and then said he would like to punch them in the face. Remember when he promised, “As soon as I get elected, we will repeal and replace Obamacare.” Remember when he promised, “We all will have a great big, beautiful healthcare plan and everyone will be covered.” Remember when he promised, “As soon as I am elected I will release my tax returns. Believe me!” Remember when he promised, “We will build a big, beautiful wall across the southern border and I promise you, Mexico will pay for it!” The majority of his “promises” failed miserably. But, one of his promises was totally correct. Remember when Trump was campaigning against Hillary Clinton and he said, “If you vote for Hillary, you will have a president that will be under investigation for years to come.” Well, Trump was totally correct! I did vote for Hillary, and we do have a president who has been under investigation for years. Good call, Donald! Fred Max Regarding the grocery tax It’s tiring to hear Missouri’s counties, cities, schools, fire districts and every other taxing authority whine about losing tax revenue if someone’s taxes are cut. It’s even more exhausting to listen to their paid professional lobbyists, and trade groups like the Municipal League, and the Missouri Association of Counties, who are mugging taxpayers with our own taxes, wail about having to cut our services, being unable to pick up people in an ambulance, or God forbid being unable to afford to teach children if taxes are cut. Enough is enough. Taxing authorities’ tax revenues are bursting at the seams. They have never collected more taxes off the backs of hardworking Missourians. Their problem, which is actually our problem, is that they’re not adjusting and cutting their budgets. They use us like their personal credit card. They take our money to pay for their largesse and corporate welfare. Missouri is one of 13 states that still tax grocery sales, even California stopped. When the cost of your groceries went up 25%, so did your sales tax which means their revenue went up 25% too. MO Tax Relief Now supports and prefers Rep. Ben Keathley’s bill (HB 2055) and Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s bill (SB 1062), which exempt essential groceries that qualify for food stamps (SNAP) from state and local sales taxes. They give the taxing authorities the opportunity, over four years, to do a better job of budgeting and focusing on essential services. Who knows? Perhaps they’ll quit giving our money to billionaire developers. Dennis Ganahl Regarding Social Security Star Parker does the usual hatchet job on government-sponsored benefits by calling them “socialism.” No question, Social Security is socialism, but that label has been made negative by persistent propaganda by Republicans. If anything, it shows that our government integrates socialist practices successfully. We need this “socialist” practice because many Americans can not afford retirement planning and many others neglect it. In 2022, almost half of American households had no savings in retirement accounts, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). Without Social Security, half of Americans could not afford to retire. As for financing, there are many good ways to save. The cut-off for required Social Security should be set so that those who can afford retirement savings, for example, earning seven times the poverty level, be exempt from contributions and would not receive benefits. More significantly the benefits should be available only to those 67 and older, in keeping with the increase in expected lifespan. This would eliminate early benefits for those 62 and older and give incentives for saving for early retirement. Undoubtedly the Social Security contributions could be managed more profitably. That deserves investigation, to concede Parker’s last critique of the system. As usual, Star Parker argues for the benefit of the upper middle class and not for the majority of Americans. The majority has benefited from modified socialism, and it can still provide for them. 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