Tax cuts should go hand in hand with cost cutting

To the editor:

I'm all for cutting taxes. As a matter of fact, I wish there was no such devil as taxes. Individuals should voluntarily pay for the services they want or need, but that is unlikely to happen with the bloated government we have.

This tax cut is unlikely to ease that bloat, because government will spend more than it takes in taxes. Unless the government reduces spending, the tax cuts will do the economy little good. Those deficits must be funded with money that could have been used for investment in capital equipment or the making of new products. Many investors will simply use their portion of the tax cut to buy bonds, thus funding the government deficit. Or the government might print more money, which adds no value to the economy.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, and government is no exception. If the government really wanted to help the economy, it would downsize, cutting out almost all the regulatory burdens and mandates it has in place and pursue a foreign policy that is more in line with the words and actions of its Founding Fathers. Cut taxes by all means, but also cut the size of government in the process.

JAMES NALL

Marble Hill, Mo.