Letters to the Editor 1/10

Dislike them all

The Republican presidential primary has been a spectacle so far. The party, which provides a home for so many prejudices, keeps finding something to dislike in each of its candidates. Be it gender, religion, race, friendliness to immigrants, marital infidelity, isolationism or just plain civility to the other side, there’s something to dislike about each of them.

One possible exception is Rick Santorum, whose record suggests he may have what it takes in the way of all-purpose intolerance. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Dave Bernhardt

San Luis Obispo

Missed the point

I kinda missed the point of Linda Seeley’s letter (Jan. 7), “It’s about fairness,” but I thought I’d throw back two “quick notes.”

One: Life is not and never will be “fair!” I learned this a long time ago.

Two: While I could care less about the whole Kardashian clan, the implication of Linda’s statement is wrong. Unless I did the math wrong, which is possible, Kim K paid $1,236,000 in California income taxes. This is hardly “barely more” than the $4,371 in taxes paid by someone making $47,000 a year. I also don’t think that Kim walked to the bank and put the leftover 10+ million in her checking account. I’m pretty sure she paid several dozen people wages, generating more taxes on their income and also paid property taxes and luxury taxes.

What the “tax and spend” crowd refuses to face is the fact that if you raise taxes enough, people and business will pick up their marbles and go play somewhere else.

C.J. Bell

Arroyo Grande

Corporate immorality

My military service education enabled me to create patentable technologies that led to the creation of thousands of California jobs. When I retired from my position as CEO of a public corporation, I didn’t see a bad guy in the mirror.

Sadly, the Occupy Wall Street crowd has a different perspective of the corporations that employ nearly 80 percent of all American workers. The handwriting of their assessment is “written on the wall.”

There is a parable about the innate egalitarian tendencies that motivate progression toward socialism: A peasant finds Aladdin’s lamp.

“What would you like me to do for you?” the genie asks.

“Look at my neighbor. He has a good family, good crops, and the latest means of conveyance,” the peasant says.

“Look at me,” he continues. “My wife is awful, I have no harvest, and I don’t even have a means of conveyance.”

“So do you want me to make your life like his?” the genie asks.

“No, I want you to make his life like mine.”

I just hope for the OWS people that the last person left in America’s private sector is not on welfare.

Ken Schoniger

Arroyo Grande