LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor, For decades, we have been told to distrust our government — to see taxes as theft instead of an investment in ourselves. But the truth is different.
When we look back at our history, during the 1950s and early 1960s, America built the middle class with strong public investment. We had a top income tax rate of 91% for the mega wealthy. We built highways, made college affordable, expanded homeownership, and powered innovation.
In 1964, under President Lyndon B. Johnson, the top income tax rate was lowered from 91% to 70%. This was intended to stimulate the economy but began the long decline.
The slide continued under President Reagan. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 slashed the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 50%, the largest tax cut in American history at the time. Then, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 — with bipartisan support — lowered the top rate even further to 28%, while closing some loopholes. Reagan’s policy fundamentally changed how Americans thought about taxes: from a patriotic duty to a burden. This pivot toward “starving the beast” (shrinking government by reducing its funding) set the stage for a widening gap between the rich and everyone else.
President George H.W. Bush modestly raised taxes in 1990 to address deficits, but the damage was already underway.
President Clinton increased the top marginal rate from 31% to 39.6% in 1993. Under Clinton, the U.S. experienced strong economic growth, budget surpluses, and low unemployment. Importantly, these modestly higher taxes coincided with robust prosperity — proving that higher rates on the wealthy did not strangle growth.
President George W. Bush reversed course with the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, lowering the top marginal tax rate to 35%. These cuts heavily favored the wealthy and dramatically reduced government revenue, contributing to ballooning deficits even before the Great Recession of 2008.
President Obama partially reversed the Bush cuts for the wealthiest Americans. After the 2012 “fiscal cliff” negotiations, the top marginal rate for high earners was restored to 39.6%. However, corporate taxes and capital gains taxes — which disproportionately benefit the wealthy — remained historically low.
President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, cutting the top marginal rate again to 37%, slashing corporate taxes from 35% to 21%, and delivering large benefits to the richest Americans and large corporations. Despite promises, the cuts did not “pay for themselves” through growth; deficits soared.
Today, billionaires often pay lower effective tax rates than working families. Meanwhile, our public services have been hollowed out, and inequality has exploded.
At the same time, politicians and certain media figures have encouraged deep distrust in government. That distrust just makes it harder to fix what’s broken — and easier to keep rigging the system.
We don’t have to accept this. Countries like Sweden, Germany, and Canada prove that fair taxes can fund free healthcare, free college, better infrastructure, much lower poverty rates, and happier reported happiness for everyone. This comes with a 40-55% tax on the highest incomes.
We can rebuild trust by electing lawmakers committed to reversing tax giveaways to the wealthy and investing in our communities again. Here’s what we can do:
1. Vote for candidates who pledge to protect public services and tax the wealthiest fairly.
2. Support policies that rebuild our public institutions instead of hollowing them out.
3. Stay informed and reject the politics of division and fear.
We built a thriving middle class once before. We can do it again — if we have the courage to demand a fairer, stronger America.
Sincerely, Chase Norris San Marcos
