Opinion: Here’s how to make Harvey relief more affordable: Raise our taxes

To the editor: My heart aches for the flood victims. Like all Americans, I strongly support doing everything we can. This is what America does: We stand together, regardless of geography, political party or personal need. Our country was founded on the truth that we are stronger when we stand together. (“Trump visits Texas, hailing officials’ Harvey response and promising ‘costly’ federal aid,” Aug. 29

But it takes revenue (taxes) to keep our country great. We gladly tax ourselves for disaster relief, even those of us not among the victims. However, we refuse to acknowledge so many other ongoing disasters. For example, people with health insurance resist helping those who lack it; childless people oppose school bonds.

It astounds me that we are considering tax “relief” at a time when we need so much human relief. With compassion and strong leadership, it could all be set right.

Nancy Garf Moses, Irvine

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To the editor: Speaking to the victims of Harvey, President Trump said, “We are working with Congress on helping out the state of Texas; it’s going to be a costly proposition. Probably there’s never been anything so expensive in our country’s history. We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now, as this is the way to do it.”

I strongly recommend that our commander in chief take roughly $50 billion he wants to add to our annual military budget and use it as seed money to aid Texans. He will be complimented in the future for the good start.

Borrowing more money or increasing our taxes is not the way to do it.

David N. Hartman, Santa Ana

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