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Don’t emulate Trump’s businesses

Do we really want the federal government run like a Trump business? Trump made his money by paying as little as he could get away with.

One path was by stiffing contractors, paying the smallest amount possible. He even bragged in the debates that not paying any income tax was just good business. Then, of course, the massive way to avoid paying debts is bankruptcy, something with which Trump is very familiar. (I presume Trump is not considering bankruptcy as an option for the United States.)

Our problem is that states and municipalities stand in the place of contractors with respect to the federal government. An example in the news is the “payment in lieu of taxes” program, replacing the income lost locally from property tax because federal property within a region is exempt from local taxes. It appears that the proposed federal budget would drastically cut such funds, leaving local governments struggling to provide essential services with significantly less funding.

Tim Rolfe

Spokane

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