Tax reform; Domestic Terrorism; Public Safety Officer Tax Credit

Tax reform

It looks like Tax Reform could be headed our way. The "Middle Class" is set to receive massive tax cuts, so we hear. Hold on to your wallets while we run a short list of some of the people who are best positioned to shape new tax policy: real estate magnate President Donald Trump- estimated net worth $3B; corporate bankruptcy adviser and private equity mogul Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross- estimated net worth $2.5B; real estate tycoon "Senior" Adviser Jared Kushner- estimated net worth $740M; former Goldman Sachs partner Secretary of the Treasury Stephen Mnuchin- estimated net worth $385M.

Something tells me these people did not attain their respective fortunes by championing the middle class. I, for one, remain a little skeptical.

Mike Huber

Pasadena

Domestic Terrorism

Terrorism around the world has risen to unbelievable levels with a reported 25,621 deaths in 2016. Most of those deaths have occurred outside of the US and we have deployed tens of thousands of our military overseas to keep our country safe. Most agree with using our military resources to contain this threat.

What if the deaths increased to 59,000 or more and all of those deaths were right here in America, what would we do. Well that happened in 2016 but the cause of those deaths was not labeled terrorism but as drug overdoses. So it seems we are willing to support a war against terrorists anywhere but here.

The terrorists here are not the suicide bombers or knife wielding zealots but the drug dealers from the lowest level dealers to the very top suppliers they are terrorists all. We will never cure the drug problem until we treat those that are responsible as terrorist. more dangerous than ISIS. We cannot continue to refer to any drug dealer as a non-violent criminal.

Maybe they have not killed anyone directly but the drugs they are distributing are killing and injuring thousands. We can no longer try to justify their actions by saying they are just poor people trying to get by. We can no longer turn a blind eye to a neighbor or even a relative who is selling this poison which kills more than twice those killed by all of the terrorist acts in the entire world.

We have to insist our government declare a real war on the drug distribution network and do whatever is necessary to stop it. This cannot be just a meaningless statement but an all in war with real federal penalties and not the slap on the wrists that are all too common.

Tim Colmus

Brooklyn Park

Public Safety Officer Tax Credit

The Anne Arundel County Council recently approved a $2,500 property tax credit for public safety officers who live in the county. That's nice, but what about those public safety officers who live in the county but rent their homes? It hardly seems fair to them.

If the County Council feels that public safety officers aren't paid enough, here's an idea: pay them more. We'll all end up paying for either a tax credit or a pay increase one way or another, so let's keep it simple. The last thing we need is another complication tacked onto our already complicated tax system.

Andy Trimpin

Millersville