Higher taxes have become the American way

Higher taxes now the American way

The sequester has taken effect on our national defense and the livelihoods of the American people, especially with the restrictive cuts by the administration. Two Feb. 28 articles in the Daily Herald gave me an outlook of foreseeable deterioration of our economy and other areas.

The first article referred to the starting salary of $174,000 for a first-time member of Congress. It would be appropriate, with all the talk of transparency, that the salaries and benefits received by our politicians be posted by the media to refresh our memory as to where our tax money is spent.

The second article was the Illinois State comptroller detailing the financial status of our state. It was a voice from Springfield explaining what has caused our woes and that corrective action will take time to improve the situation. I’m sure the method of improvement will be accomplished the easiest way possible: raise taxes — gas, cigarettes, income and car license.

My real estates tax has risen from $5,000 per year to $7,900 in four years. How’s that for correcting a deficit? It’s too difficult for our respected politicians to find cuts in appropriate areas that would be less of a hardship on taxpayers.

Here’s another example of how our military organizations are treated by our illustrious politicians. I donate to a few of these organizations. I purchased a flag from AMVETS and the U.S. Post Office charged them $5.85 for shipping.

Unfortunately, this has become our American way of life.

Jim Wintercorn

Prospect Heights