A Blow To Working Families

To the Editor:

On April 13, 2005, Congresswoman Nancy Johnson struck another blow against work and working families, when she and her Republican colleagues Shays and Simmons voted to enact HR 292 into law.

This law permanently abolishes the Federal Estate Tax. It is a massive gift to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class and blue-collar Americans.

The median household income in Mrs Johnson’s district is less than $55,000. This is another fundamental change to our system of taxation, further shifting the burden onto those middle class households.

This legislation goes a long way to creating a class of hereditary wealth — a modern equivalent of a landed aristocracy. We fought a war about 225 years ago to free ourselves from this kind of society.

You’ll note that her website doesn’t trumpet this vote. Nancy seems to believe that we won’t notice — that the trinkets she boasts about bringing home will hide the permanent damage she is doing to our country.

This is the true meaning of G.W. Bush’s “ownership society”: bankrupt the government and destroy the middle class. Put all the wealth and power in the hands of a few.

This isn’t even a Republican vote — it’s a Tory vote.

Disgraceful.

Chris McArdle

Bennetts Bridge Road, Sandy Hook                              April 20, 2005