Why penalize those who work hard?

You make me want to cheat. By you, I mean politicians in general.

The currently debated stimulus rebate is restricted by income. The income limitation is going in the wrong way on the hierarchy. It should be the more you pay in taxes the more you should receive back.

My wife and I struggled for many years, putting me through college and grad school, both at night, while working full time and raising two kids. Many sacrifices were made to reach nirvana.

Many could say the same. Kids are grown, a few bucks in the bank and planning for a comfortable retirement in a few years.

So, why is it "equal for all" that I do not qualify for a rebate?

Because we make more and work harder than most, we pay more taxes than most, get less credit on Social Security deposits, tax deductions on Schedule A are reduced to a meaningless amount and thousands more are added April 15th due to the AMT tax.

The "moderately well off" do not receive many free benefits such as financial aid for their kids college, first time home buyers credits like the mortgage credit certificate, low income credits and on and on.

We do our job and do not complain. Until now.

The constant redistribution of wealth from those that "have" to those that "have less" is getting worse.

This country is reducing the incentive to "work hard and be rewarded" to "work less and take from those that have worked hard" all in the name of politicians.

I am tired of it.

Would a $1,200 rebate make a significant difference? Significant, no; meaningful, yes.

It gives me a choice to do what I want, kind of with my own tax money.

R. Hoffman

Schaumburg