Letters: Feb. 19, 1996

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STEVE FORBES' CONTROVERSIAL NOTION

"Explain to me the flat-tax theory that money given to the rich stimulates the economy, while money given to the poor does not." GORDON CARLSON Chicago

AN ENJOYABLE PART OF AMERICAN CAMpaigns is watching politicians reinvent themselves. Wealthy political outsider Steve Forbes [NATION, Jan. 29], while not having to reinvent himself, has reinvented the flat tax, an idea brought back to life by Jerry Brown during the 1992 presidential race. Forbes proposes to give every American, from the very poorest to the very richest, a tax break. Where will he get the revenue to run America? By taxing corporations. What a wonderful idea! Tax powerful companies, and give the money to everyone. Why is this rich, conservative Republican touting such a liberal idea? RANDY ROBERTS Raleigh, North Carolina Via E-mail

FAIR, UNFAIR, WHATEVER--THE FLAT TAX beats the present system! I for one am sick and tired of the unbelievable complexity of my annual tax returns simply because I earn money outside a regular payroll. Our current irs laws actually punish anyone for being even a little tempted toward ventures that show initiative or entrepreneurship. We definitely need change if we want the U.S. to be a capitalist stronghold. OMER NISLEY Hanna, Indiana

YOUR ARTICLE ILLUSTRATED A MAJOR problem in the way we select the American President. Many voters tend to concentrate on a single issue and choose for office a candidate who embodies that lone ideal. However, the President has many roles to play, and when a candidate is selected because he embraces a certain policy, he can disappoint the public on other, less prominent policies. Single-issue voters are often surprised by the direction things take after they vote a President into office, when they learn his entire agenda. JOSEPH ROTUNDA San Antonio, Texas Via E-mail

HOW REFRESHING TO SEE FORBES MAKing a run for the presidency. Here is a man who, contrary to what many members of the press and politicians say, really understands the genius of private enterprise. Here is a man who has the guts to cut wasteful spending and downsize government. If he succeeds, our children and our children's children will once again be able to share in the American Dream. If one of the professional politicians wins, they cannot. FREDERICK N.C. JERAULD Boston, New York

BESIDES THE FLAT TAX, WHAT DOES Forbes have to stand on? Not experience. Not values. Not scrutinized integrity. America needs a leader for President, not simply somebody who can afford to campaign for the office. BRIAN STOUGHTON Nashua, New Hampshire

ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T VOTE FOR HIM, Forbes seems bright enough for the presidency. It's a shame that he's hiding his brains behind his Johnny One-Note song about a 17% flat tax. MARGARET EISEN Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania Via E-mail

STEVE FORBES, THE PERFECT G.O.P. CANDIDATE: a rich white male with a tax plan that benefits rich white males. ARLEN GROSSMAN Monterey, California Via E-mail

TAXES SHOULD BE FLAT, NOT OUR WALLETS. DANIEL JOHN SOBIESKI Chicago