Answers to poverty in the ballot box
Poverty has only become worse over the last five years with the Republicans in power. With the George Bush tax cuts, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, only pushing more and more people into poverty.
If Americans are truly concerned above poverty in this country, then they should do two things: Vote, and vote Democrat.
Matthew Moellering
ASU Alumnus
'Death tax' isn't just a funding issue
While I applaud columnist Joaquin Rios' stab at tackling important topics, I believe his summation of the death tax is a bit simple.
The death tax not only affects the Hilton and Baldwin families. It attacks middle-class families as well, especially those whose surviving members are not American citizens.
If my father died tomorrow, my mother, who is a German citizen, would become more destitute and debt-ridden than Happy Gilmore's grandmother.
And no, my father did not live a life of empty Republican greed. He helped the sick until he was sidelined by serious health problems. He volunteers today, helping those who are dying at hospice clinics, and he provides free medical advice for the poor at the church. He is not wealthy.
Now I ask, what gives our government the right to assess the value of its citizens' private property - family heirlooms, such as silverware, art and furniture - and tax it when they die?
This is a fundamental question that has nothing to do with money spent fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan or the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
Christian Palmer
ASU Alumnus
USG should support the students
I think that it is ridiculous that USG's government relations director, Ed Hermes, was standing out on the picket lines with the employees of Western [Erectors]. These employees are union workers with plenty of support. Why isn't USG picketing for me when my tuition [rises] in a semester or I'm being gouged at the bookstore by high textbook prices. This is just another example of USG's ineptness to effectively represent the students at ASU.
Wally Hirsch
ASU Student
If you have an opinion you'd like to make heard, e-mail a letter to the editor. Just type "Letters.Editor" in the subject line and send it to letters.editor@asu.edu.
