Letters: Wealth inequality should concern all; Democrats must fix what they broke

Wealth inequality should concern all

Wealth inequality in the United States has reached levels that should concern every American. While millions of working families struggle to afford housing, healthcare, childcare and higher education, a small percentage of the population continues to accumulate enormous wealth at a historic pace.

Hard work should provide stability and opportunity, yet many full-time workers live paycheck to paycheck. At the same time, large corporations and the wealthiest Americans often benefit from tax loopholes and economic policies that widen the gap between rich and poor.

Historically, federal income tax rates for the top earners in 1965 were 70%. Today the top federal rate is 37%, and the top corporate rate is 21%, a decrease from over 52% in the 1960s. These massive decreases in tax rates on the rich and corporations occurred under the Reagan, Bush and Trump administrations.

Extreme inequality weakens our democracy and undermines social trust. A healthy economy depends on a strong middle class, fair wages, affordable education and equal opportunity.

We should support policies that empower workers, ensure fair taxation, expand access to healthcare and education and create economic opportunity for everyone, not just those at the top.

America succeeds when prosperity is shared more broadly. It is time to address wealth inequality before the divide grows even larger. Please reach out to your elected officials and demand that they increase taxation of the rich and corporations to make it more equitable for all Americans, and pay down our massive federal debt.

Jon Miller, State College

Democrats must fix what they broke

The CDT recently ran an article on excessive costs for power and Gov. Josh Shapiro addressing this issue. Once again, the Democrats are trying to fix what they broke. In April 2023 the Bechtel Corporation abandoned their plans for a massive power plant in Renovo, PA. This decimated a community and doomed us to these excessive prices. So Democrat Gov. Shapiro, why don’t you fix what your party broke and, somehow, convince the Bechtel Corp to resubmit the plans, and this time put down the ignorant who do not understand how the electrical grid works. This plant would have been online by now and would have stabilized prices with desperately needed production. How did this happen? Building on the Green New Deal, which outlined a broad initiative, three groups, one of which was supported by AOC’s Sunrise Movement, put the final nail in the coffin and doomed us to these rates. Yes, a fossil fuel plant, but one based on natural gas, which is far cleaner than coal and would have been piped directly from the fracking fields, thus mitigating the risks of transportation. It was estimated that there were 100 years of supply. It would have helped bridge the gap in the shortfall we are experiencing in power production for our area. A fix? The folks in Renovo could petition to have a large AI facility to build there, and overbuild the power plant, with the extra production going into the grid.

Chris Potalivo, Boalsburg

ASAP Act would improve seniors’ access to care

I respectfully urge Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson to support and cosponsor the ASAP Act, an important piece of legislation that would expand access to blood-based biomarker testing for Medicare patients.

For individuals facing serious conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and other complex illnesses, early and accurate diagnosis is essential. Yet too often, patients encounter barriers to accessing the latest diagnostic tools. Blood-based biomarker tests offer a less invasive, more accessible and potentially more affordable way to detect disease earlier and guide treatment decisions.

The ASAP Act would establish a clear pathway for Medicare coverage of these tests once they are clinically validated. This commonsense policy ensures that scientific innovation can reach patients in a timely and responsible way, instead of being delayed by outdated coverage processes.

As a representative of many rural and aging communities, Congressman Thompson understands the importance of improving access to care. Supporting the ASAP Act would be a meaningful step toward ensuring that seniors in our region can benefit from cutting-edge medical advances without unnecessary barriers.

I encourage Congressman Thompson to join his colleagues in backing this bipartisan effort to modernize care and improve outcomes for patients across Pennsylvania.

Nancy Baranaskas, Brookville