The writer of the letter “Finland, Norway more attractive than U.S.” (March 25, TribLive) makes a point well worth repeating. Writing of his daughter living in Finland, he notes, “Sure taxes are higher (there), but a small price to pay for so many benefits … .” He notes that in Finland people get free health care, tuition assistance, one year of parental leave, five weeks of vacation and strong labor protections.
That is left out of talk about taxes in this country. People here oppose tax increases because they feel — accurately — that they get so little in return. Here, health care costs pile up, causing family bankruptcies, and millions are burdened by tuition debts they can never repay. (Their bankruptcy protection was quietly removed by a Clinton administration bureaucrat who then became a long-distance truck driver.)
We have the weakest social safety net of any wealthy country in the world — courtesy of the Republicans and their Democratic allies. They say we can’t afford anything better without raising taxes, never offering us anything in return for paying more. This pleases their wealthy contributors able to pay their own way and who hate paying more in taxes. Along with a compliant news media, they teach us not to demand anything from government. So President Trump unleashed Elon Musk to wreck government agencies and deny us access to their services. (Try fixing a problem with Social Security or the IRS.)
The time is long past for this nasty game to stop.
Robert Supansic
McKeesport