Message from Iowa has a national echo - too many tax cuts

This letter to the editor was published in the Iowa newspaper "The Messenger".  I've posted the echo in this blog because the writer could have been writing in any newspaper or in any US state, because the problem of tax cuts impacting the frail, elderly and indigent are a national urgency. There are too many homeless people in America and the cost of health are is increasing at a rate higher than consumers can afford.  

Republican tax plan ignores the needs of the elderly

Big issues facing Americans are mismanagement of health care and unfunded education. But the one issue that is always ignored is senior issues.  

Iowa is among the states with a high percentage of seniors living in it. One out of every four Iowans is a baby boomer approaching 60 and 70.  (Maine is among the states in this situation. http://specialprojects.pressherald.com/aging/the-demographics-of-maine/)

In the last two years the Iowan State Republican elected officials did nothing to help seniors. They cut elder abuse initiatives, cut services to Area Agencies on Aging, no funding to address violent or sexual offenders in nursing homes, failure to address needs of family caregivers, find solutions for long term care workforce shortages and forbid Iowa Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s regional staff can no longer visit nursing homes to investigate complaints because of budget cuts.

Iowans are better than that. (MaineWriter: Likewise, Americans should ask more questions about how our tax dollars are being allocated to agencies that support quality of life for seniors.)

This year Republicans are running on passing the biggest tax cut of history.

So far this year these companies have stated the following as profit: Wal-Mart $9.86 billion, McDonald’s $5.192 billion, Amazon $2.88 billion and Casey’s $317.9 million.

I don’t think companies need more tax cuts, those tax cuts should be rolled back and the money should be invested in senior issues and education.

Dale Struecker, Area Vice President For Iowa Alliance for
Retired Americans