Expand EITC eligibility
Expanding on a point Eloise Vitelli and Garrett Martin made in their Sept. 7 BDN OpEd, it is imperative that Congress addresses the gaping hole in the Earned Income Tax Credit that makes low-income adults without children, including noncustodial parents, the only workers taxed into — or deeper into — poverty. As a senior in college, this is an important issue for my peers and me as we work to establish ourselves after graduation.
In 2012, federal income and payroll taxes pushed 1.2 million childless workers into poverty and another 5.8 million deeper into poverty. Currently, childless workers under age 25 are ineligible for the tax credit. That makes it harder for those of us just starting out to make ends meet. There is bipartisan support for change, with President Barack Obama and Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan proposing to expand it to include childless workers and lower the eligibility age from 25 to 21.
If Congress fixes this gaping hole, 13.5 million childless workers nationwide, including 64,000 young adults in Maine, would become eligible for an the Earned Income Tax Credit or receive a larger a credit. The credit rewards and encourages work. Expanding the credit would boost employment and reduce poverty among childless workers, contributing to long-term financial security for recipients and a stronger economy overall. As Congress contemplates billions of dollars in tax breaks for businesses, hardworking, low-income young adults cannot be left behind.
Susan Fleurant
Waterville
Thibodeau has work to do
I saw the Sept. 27 BDN article praising Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau’s new found status as a bipartisan leader in the State House. The democratic tradition of considered debate and political compromise is the way forward in the angry and divided atmosphere in Augusta.
But let’s not be hoodwinked. He and other legislators abandoned any notion of transparency when they brokered a budget deal behind closed doors. The process left Mainers with real interests at stake in the dark and shut the door on accountability. Thibodeau’s voting record in the last session hurt Maine families when he voted against increasing the minimum wage and child care legislation.
I hope that in the next session Thibodeau continues to work across the aisle with his Democratic allies and ends his longstanding opposition to family friendly and environmental legislation. Maybe he will even stand up against Gov. Paul LePage and others in his party, who rage against immigrants and opt to advance bipartisan legislation to assist transitioning these immigrants into Maine.
Elizabeth Reid
Belfast
Rich don’t stand for common folk
This week I watched a small biotech company’s stock fall dramatically, then seem to level off. At that point, $5 million worth of the stock was bought, and the stock suddenly rose 10 percent. Immediately thereafter, and just as suddenly, the stock was sold and its value fell back to where it was. In my mind I could see brokers smiling broadly as their computer just earned them 10 percent on the money. Winners all.
A little bit later that day, a friend of mine, who was doing some carpentry for a wealthy man told me that the man, who was thought to be a friend, had cheated him out of $1,000 in pay. The man said he did not promise that when, indeed, he had. My friend goes by someone’s word.
Then I hear Donald Trump say he was going to change the tax system to benefit the common folk. After that, I heard support for Trump coming from billionaire Carl Ichan. We have heard Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton say she wants to elevate the common folk; she also is extremely rich.
All I can say is that most people get rich at the expense of others. If we continue to believe the rich have our best interests at heart, we are just fools making the same mistake over and over again.
So why does the name Bernie Sanders keep coming into my mind?
Philip C. Groce
Union