Obvious answer: Raise taxes

The more I watch the Republicans perform, the more it worries me.

We have serious economic difficulties, driven largely by the disparity in incomes between the haves and have-littles. The gap has been growing steadily since the late 1970s. It’s similar to the prelude to the Great Depression, when, in 1929, income and wealth were concentrated in the hands of a few, limiting the ability of the many to consume and support our economy.

One of the key actions that we need to take today is a tax increase, especially on high-income taxpayers. The majority of Americans (72 percent by a recent poll) want that to happen, as do the Democrats. The Republicans are opposed.

It’s not in the Republicans’ interest to expose, as a lie, the notion that we can solve our economic problems without increasing taxes, before the 2012 election.

Only an uninformed person believes we can solve our deficit problems solely with spending cuts. Most understand that we must also increase taxes. Yet the Republicans obstinately stand in the way of such increases. Unfortunately, it’s not because they’re uninformed, it’s simply because they believe they can win back the White House and Congress if Obama fails.

Bob Wynhausen

Sandpoint