The American Spectator

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Everywhere, Angst

8.13.08 @ 12:01AM

THROW IT IN BOSTON HARBOR
Re: W. James Antle III's Taxachusetts, RIP:

Thanks to Mr. Antle for shedding light on the craven treachery in which those Committee for Small Government types are engaged here in Massachusetts! How in the world do those lunatics expect our state to survive?! Who in God's name will be left to teach our public schoolchildren about the joys of homosexuality?!
-- Francis M. Hannon, Jr.
Melrose, Massachusetts

It took James Antle almost an entire column to get to the bottom line: "The state income tax rate still stands at 5.3 percent because the legislature refused to implement the last phase of the voter-approved rollback."

Such is the essence of liberalism: the law only matters if we like it. A ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States has failed to deter liberals' determination to prevent individual gun ownership in Washington, D.C. What chance do the citizens of Massachusetts have?
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

W. James Antle III replies:
If the voters hadn't approved the income-tax rollback, the Massachusetts tax rate would be 5.75 percent today, not 5.3 percent. Even if the legislature tries to thwart the will of the people, a vote to end the income tax would place some limits on the tax-and-spenders' designs.

TRIPLE-K PARTY
Re: Jeffrey Lord's Democrats: the Missing Years:

Bravo for a compelling and authoritative re-telling of the Democrat story.

Thanks also for the info on Republicans passing the Civil Rights legislation in 1866. I will use that on my friends -- referring to that bill passed back in "66. No, not 1966, but 1866!
-- David Thompson

The late Patrick Moynihan once remarked, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

It's bad enough that the Democratic Party disagrees with that statement. It's worse that they get away with it.
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

ANGST POPULARITY
Re: James Bowman's "American Teen":

Why don't these movies ever focus on the 99% of teenagers who are NOT in the Elite Clique of Popular Kids?

Wouldn't you once like to see a movie about Diana who is the oldest of five girls in a family with two hard working parents who had not even graduated from high school and although both worked full time, never grossed more than $10,000 per year in their lives -- and nevertheless, Diana and any sister who wants to go are headed for college at their own expense because Mom and Dad taught them how? Albeit they will not attend a major Upscale University or spend their entire time binge drinking, protesting and worrying about whether or not they are pregnant?

How about a movie about Leon whose older brother dropped out of high school to support the family after his father ran off with his secretary, who is going to college because his brother says life will go on the same as if their two-timing rat of a dad were still there?

Or even a movie about Mary Jane, who doesn't want to go to college at all and who is resisting the pressure from guidance counselors, teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins, girl friends and hoi polloi of all sorts and is firmly intent on attending secretarial school with the aim of following her idolized Auntie into a high powered law firm and traveling the world helping the boss negotiate deals with the Czechs and the Poles and the Germans?

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