America, the country of creativity and the cradle of innovation, is committing suicide by using voodoo economics. Running negative import/export balances of payments, and paying for a war on the installment plan, is idiotic. A home or business would be in bankruptcy long before now. The deficit can only go so high before the debt service or interest, exceeds the realistic ability of taxpayers to pay. After all, we need money to run the country in the future.

Are our lawmakers public servants or our deciders? Are their real masters the rich and corporate bigwigs? Why else would they pass tax cuts for the wealthy knowing that someone else must pay the freight, which by default is the middle class, because the poor by definition, cannot. Who else benefits when death taxes for those with estates over $3 million are cut? Who benefits more from laws governing business and banking, than the rich? When health, safety and clean air regulations for businesses are made voluntary not mandatory, the public good suffers.

Finally, regarding health care, billions are spent each year without covering 44 million Americans. Those who are not covered are automatically covered by the taxpayers. We need to have a single-payer health care system to include all Americans and their medications. In addition, we need also to include temporary immigrant workers in the tax base. Thus, they contribute and are covered while working here. A precedent is the bracero program of times past. Weed out the criminal element and give temporary work permits to the healthy for a three- to six-month period.

America needs to find a leader who believes in Democracy, the public interest, and the greater good. One who believes in bottom up stimuli and economics, instead of trickle-down or supply side.

Dave Gebhard lives in Lakeport.

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