Letters: Toomey’s ‘partisan charade’ continues; Lies about corporate tax increases

Toomey’s ‘partisan charade’ continues

We recently wrote to Senator Toomey asking why he voted against Congressional legislation that would end gerrymandering and outlaw unfair voting restrictions that have sprouted like dandelions across Republican-controlled state houses. Unfortunately, his responses ignored our concerns and contained numerous examples of misinformation and outright lies.

Toomey falsely claimed that voter suppression is absent as evidenced by increased Black voter turnout in recent presidential elections. But his superficial analysis did not explain why only 58.4% of nonwhite citizens voted in 2020 compared to 70.9% of white voters, a 12.5% gap that grew from an 8% gap in 2012. Substantial evidence indicates voter suppression is alive and well in Georgia, Texas and Florida.

Strangely, Toomey never addressed gerrymandering, a glaring example of partisan politics that concentrates selected groups of voters into as few voting districts as possible. Fair-minded citizens want this partisan practice to be abolished so that Alabama and other states cannot create districts resembling “Goofy kicking Donald Duck.”

Like other Republicans, Toomey denounced Voting Rights legislation as a “federal takeover.” Apparently, Toomey has not read the Constitution. Madison, Hamilton and other founders recognized the need to counteract state electoral rules that would subvert the rights of citizens to fair and equal representation in Congress. Article 1, section 4 of the Constitution gives Congress authority to regulate state elections for federal offices.

Thankfully, Toomey’s partisan charade will end soon. We must elect someone who will preserve, protect and defend our Constitutional rights.

Lies about corporate tax increases

Have you ever noticed that Republican politicians, when considering an increase in the corporate tax rate, are incapable of referring to it simply as a “corporate tax increase?” They insist on calling the proposal a “jobs-killing corporate tax increase,” in an attempt to scare up opposition to the proposal.

The implication is that an increase in their income tax will, inevitably, force a corporation to eliminate jobs to be able to pay the new (higher) tax.

Anyone who understands corporate tax accounting knows that this is nonsense. An increased tax rate does not impair the company’s ability to pay its employees, for a very simple reason: Payroll expenses are deducted from gross revenue before arriving at taxable income. The rate could be set at 100%, so all the taxable income goes to the IRS, but the employees would already have been paid.

Of course an increased tax liability reduces a corporation’s after-tax retained earnings, and likely also the level of corporate dividends, so a tax increase could adversely affect the investor class, but not the employees.

Surely these Republican legislators have competent economic advisors to explain this simple truth to them. Why do they keep lying about it?

Do Republicans argue for lower corporate taxes so grateful corporations will return, in the form of campaign contributions, a portion of their tax savings to these Republican legislators who made the tax reduction possible?

Could it be just that simple?

Republicans hurt rural America

Two recent news articles, taken together, pointed out the dire economic conditions in rural Pennsylvania and rural America. This is not surprising as population, jobs and opportunities have been steadily declining across much of the less-populated areas of the country.

The first article, from the Associated Press, highlights the shrinking number of Democrats in rural areas, but it is the Democrats who are working to bring health care and increased public school funding to those areas that need it most, while the Republicans have consistently tried to cut access and funding for both. What’s wrong with this picture?

The second article, from the CDT, focuses on Snow Shoe, located in rural Centre County, and the problems they’re facing there — the loss of grocery and hardware stores, restaurants and medical clinics. Let’s not forget that Snow Shoe has long been represented by Republicans — from Senator Jake Corman to Congressman Glenn Thompson and, more recently, state Representative Stephanie Borowicz.

The Republicans have done a good job of painting the very help rural America needs as “socialism.” Bewilderingly, rural America seems just fine electing the very same Republicans who have been in office for much of the decline.

Indeed, what is wrong with this picture?