LETTERS; NATION'S WEALTHY DON'T NEED ANOTHER TAX CUT

To the editor:

The Republicans are clamoring for another tax cut. President Clinton says it's too risky, and he's right. These are the most prosperous times in America's history, and the time is now for us to start paying down the Republicans' multitrillion-dollar national debt, which was run up in President Reagan's make-believe dream world. It seems the Republicans are still stuck in that time frame and are unwilling to face reality and free themselves.

Eighteen years ago, Reagan said he would cut taxes, increase spending, balance the budget and pay off the national debt. Immediately, deficit spending spun out of control, and the national debt exploded. The United States was the greatest creditor nation on Earth. We now pay $1 billion a day interest on the national debt.

In 1982, it was reported the United States had 13 billionaires. Now we have 189 multibillionaires. Bill Gates alone has $90 billion. We do not need to cut taxes for Bill Gates, Rupert Murdock, Ted Turner, the Wal-Mart heirs, the Rockefellers and all the other rich ones. They're doing quite well.

About 26 years ago, the late Nelson Rockefeller was at a Senate confirmation hearing. A Democratic senator asked Rockefeller if he paid any income taxes during the previous year. He said no. A check revealed that all of Rockefeller's servants paid income taxes. That is a true Republican semi-democracy, and it will continue to be that way so long as the rich control our government with campaign contributions and other kinds of influences.

Personally, I'm for the minimum wagers getting a break. Reagan denied these poor people a single pennys increase in minimum wages during his eight years. In my book, Reagan was without compassion and had the hardest heart of any U.S. president ever.

The rank-and-file working Americans and small businesspeople had nothing to do with Reagan's multitrillion-dollar national debt and should not have to pay a single dollar on it. Give the workers in America a break. Without them, there would be no billionaires.

I can write a campaign-finance law in fewer than 100 words that would put a stop to the wealthy buying of political offices.

W.T. WOODS

Bertrand