Letters: Who are Thompson and McCormick trying to SAVE?; Tax change has big impact on gamblers
Who are Thompson and McCormick trying to SAVE?
Rep. Thompson and Sen. McCormick would have us believe that non-citizens are committing election fraud by voting illegally. Both back the SAVE America Act — legislation requiring you and me to provide documentation of citizenship each time we vote, whether in person or by mail.
Alright ... why?
The idea that election security requires proof of citizenship every time we vote rests on the assertion that non-citizens are voting. Which ... is just not true. Numerous reputable studies conclude that voting by non-citizens is extremely rare, demonstrating that the election safeguards now in place are very effective.
What’s more, we already have a law that makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote. And it carries significant penalties. So they don’t.
To some, providing proof of citizenship may seem a “minor” inconvenience. The Brennan Center for Justice found in a 2023 survey that for many legitimate reasons, however, 21.3 million citizens don’t have ready access to proof of American citizenship. People of color, young people, and married women make up a big part of this group. For these folks, this “minor” inconvenience could keep them from voting.
So why are Rep. Thompson and Sen. McCormick pushing for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist? Especially when it makes it harder for millions of Americans, including many Pennsylvanians, to vote?
Given the SAVE America Act’s underlying falsehood and the likelihood the bill will result in voter suppression, one has to wonder who they are looking out for if not for us.
Ron Williams, Pennsylvania Furnace
Tax change has big impact on gamblers
A recent tax change makes gambling losses dramatically worse. Taxpayers who itemize must now pay taxes on 100% of gambling winnings minus only 90% of gambling losses.
Suppose you gamble using only a $1,000 annual gambling fund and any winnings. Gambling $1,000 on games with 96% Return to Player (RTP) might “win” $960 (i.e. $40 net loss). Gambling this $960 again might “win” $921.60 (i.e. additional net loss of $38.40). Continuing to gamble until your funds are fully depleted — which many people can do in a single night — yields total “winnings” of about $24,000 and losses of about $25,000.
Federal taxes are now due on $24,000 — ($25,000 x 0.90) = $1,500 of “phantom income” you never received. Estimated taxes may also be due, along with penalties and interest if these estimated taxes are not promptly paid.
If you take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, you cannot deduct gambling losses, so the entire $24,000 of gambling “winnings” would be taxable as income. Such increased “earnings” could jeopardize many peoples’ government health care subsidies and other benefits.
If you were “lucky” and experienced better RTP, you would generate significantly more “phantom income” before depleting your gambling fund. Heavy gamblers can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars of “phantom income” annually. There is no limit to the gambling-derived “phantom income” on which taxes can be owed.
This information is not intended to serve as tax advice. Consult with a tax professional to evaluate your own personal situation.
Or better yet, don’t gamble!
Andrew Shaffer, State College
Protect our fragile democracy
Americans are understandably proud of our nation as a free society and successful experiment in democracy. We have stumbled before, yet endured — guided by constitutional guardrails and leaders who respected them. In the eyes of the world, we were Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a hill.” Until now.
Donald Trump has reminded us just how fragile our democracy is. Preserving our freedoms requires integrity in government. Trump rudely woke us to the reality that freedom can never be taken for granted.
By neutering Congress and staffing his administration with underqualified sycophants loyal only to him, Trump has been able to treat the Constitution like the East Wing of the White House; callously tearing it down to create whatever best serves his wishes.
Democracy rarely collapses in a single violent coup d’état with tanks in the streets. More often, it erodes —incrementally, quietly — when someone in power abuses all the levers of government for their own purpose.
Masked “secret police” are detaining people without judicial warrant, denying due process, terrorizing children, and murdering citizens.
Further alarming are efforts to reshape election rules. The so-called SAVE Act, framed as election security, would likely disenfranchise several million eligible American voters by imposing burdensome proof-of-citizenship requirements many cannot readily meet, including married women, rural voters and seniors.
Trump and his Republican Party plans to interfere with and/or de-legitimize the midterm elections. These unprincipled politicians who put their personal interests ahead of protecting our democracy need to be held accountable and voted out of office.
George Polycranos, Port Matilda