Correspondence

0 Comments | Insight on the News, May 14, 2001

Reserve Praise for People Who Fix Broken Tax System

It is symptomatic of the problem and shameful that IRS Commissioner Charles O. Rossotti praises the job of the IRS ["A Taxing Dilemma," April 23]. The IRS, with plenty of help from Congress, cannot administer our tax system, cannot answer half of citizens' questions correctly and cannot do much about noncompliance, which is approaching record levels.

Now is the time to craft a modern and simple tax system to accommodate e-commerce and to provide American taxpayers and corporations with surety that they are in compliance.

Unless Congress or the Bush administration recognizes the broken tax system and rebuilds it from scratch soon, we are going to have a real crisis on our hands that may go well beyond simple tax noncompliance. Participation in our democracy already is threatened, and the actual funding of government services could be severely disrupted.

Robert V. Hartwell Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs Americans for Fair Taxation Washington

Faith-Based Initiative Only Furthers the Welfare State

President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative is wrong.

Scientists have welfare in research grants. Loggers have welfare in lumber-import quotas. Students have welfare in government-guaranteed loans. Businesses have welfare in enterprise zones and deductible expenses.

Senior citizens have welfare in Social Security. The young have welfare with school lunches. And now, with the faith-based initiative, churches will have welfare.

One hundred years ago, all charity was performed by individuals, churches and service organizations. Today, all three may get direct support from federal taxes. Where does the U.S. Constitution say the federal government must be the clearinghouse for all charitable donations?

Libertarians want to cut out the middleman and get the federal government to stick to its constitutional functions -- defense, courts and money. Not only will that save trillions of dollars during the next 30 years, but it also will get more help to more-deserving people faster.

Christopher Ganiere Costa Mesa, Calif.

Traffic Jams Are Symbolic of Today's Transportation Crisis

Thanks for the article concerning the renaissance of nuclear-power generation and the sidebar discussing the ending of the age of oil ["Energy Crisis Rekindles Interest in Nuclear Power," April 23].

There is part of this picture that might be described as the "decline and fall of the automobile." There is no question that there now is a severe transportation crisis that will not go away. This national problem is particularly acute here in New Jersey. Our highways seem to be at full capacity much of the time and nearly impossible during rush hours.

Heavy reliance on the automobile has some other negative aspects. First, it is the most dangerous and expensive mode of travel today. As far as efficiency and economy are concerned, one must visualize the average automobile with a 150-horsepower engine carrying only one passenger.

In the last century, many types of material-handling systems have been developed to serve diverse industries economically and efficiently. Unfortunately, none of these concepts have been applied to the movement of people.

Transportation improvements will be a long time in coming because of political and economic inertia. But considering our dependence on foreign oil and the gradual deterioration of our present transportation system, radical changes are inevitable.

Daniel T. McDonnell Bridgewater, N.J.

Write: Insight, Correspondence Editor, 3600 New York Ave. N.E., Washington, DC 20002. E-mail: Insight@wt.infi.net. Fax: (202) 529-2484. Please include an address and daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for space.