Letters to the Editor – Business taxes, Texas surplus, Ken Paxton, Mike Pence, DART

Business taxes no burden

Re: “Texas businesses shoulder heavy tax burden,” by Mitchell Schnurman, Sunday Business column.

At first look, it will seem Texas companies pay a disproportionate share of state taxes. But the crude information omit two essential details. First, as I discovered in graduate college greater than 50 years in the past, companies don’t pay taxes — solely folks pay taxes. Taxes levied on enterprise entities are merely shifted ahead to customers in the type of increased costs.

Second, all taxes paid by companies may be expensed, thereby decreasing their taxable earnings. In sum, taxes on Texas companies are on no account burdensome.

Bernard L. Weinstein, Far North Dallas

Pay storm payments with surplus

With all the surplus cash the state has, it’s thoughts-blowing the Legislature doesn’t pay our payments already amassed. They allowed billions in bonds to be bought for the February ice storm. These have to be paid again by all of us over 30 years. This value must be the first merchandise to be paid by our surplus as a substitute of saddling this debt on our mounted-earnings residents. I suppose paying payments already owed doesn’t purchase votes or headlines.

Tom Roberts, The Colony

Paxton probe news exhausting to discover

Re: “D.C. officials take control of Paxton probe — His attorneys say move to recuse local officials ‘the right thing to do,’” Friday Metro & Business story.

I used to be dismayed with the placement of this story explaining the removing of the corruption investigation of Attorney General Ken Paxton from Texas-based federal prosecutors to the Public Integrity Unit of the Department of Justice in Washington D.C.

Instead of operating the story on Page 1 or close to the entrance of the first part, it was relegated to Page 9 of the Metro & Business part. I agree there could possibly be some humor in operating it on the obituary web page, however that is too essential for the editors to determine Page 9 was acceptable.

A narrative a couple of BBQ restaurant, whereas attention-grabbing, was higher suited to Metro, and the Paxton story ought to have been on the entrance web page. You have been vital of Paxton and didn’t advocate him for reelection. You missed a possibility right here.

Sally Kittles, Dallas/Lake Highlands

Let Paxton voters pay

I positive hope it’s attainable that the $3.3 million Ken Paxton authorized settlement may be allotted in order that solely those that voted for him have to pay. Spare me. I had sufficient sense to vote towards somebody who had eight, sure eight, excessive-rating officers of his workplace allege he had dedicated bribery and abuse of workplace. And that’s not the solely allegation towards him.

His protection of the settlement at taxpayer expense? It was going to be tried in Travis County as a substitute of Collin County. How about letting the details determine the final result somewhat than the venue? Scared of that, Ken? Wake up, my fellow Texans.

Chris Bohme, Dallas

Pence loses braveness he displayed

Re: “Pence set to fight subpoena from special counsel — Resisting cooperation in Trump probe may help in GOP primary,” Wednesday news story.

A effectively-recognized catchphrase usually misattributed to the artist Andy Warhol says one thing like “everyone has their 15 minutes of fame.” Well, former Vice President Mike Pence had his quarter-hour of braveness throughout the Jan. 6 Capitol riot when he resisted our former president’s stress to overturn the electoral school vote.

His largest lack of braveness since leaving workplace is his refusal to testify earlier than the Jan. 6 congressional committee and now refusing to honor a subpoena from the particular counsel investigating Donald Trump’s position in the rebel.

Pence affords weak authorized justifications for his refusal to cooperate, nevertheless it looks as if he’s making an attempt to stroll the tightrope of displaying a bit of independence from Trump whereas nonetheless courting the MAGA voters in a presidential bid.

Pence is the key witness of Trump’s position in the Jan. 6 debacle. It’s regrettable that as a substitute of displaying braveness, Pence has chosen his political aspirations over telling the American folks the full fact of what occurred. That’s what they deserve. And some braveness from politicians searching for to serve them.

Fred R. Neary, Far North Dallas

Yep, there was outrage

Re: “Heckling goes both ways,” by Kevin Loyd, Wednesday Letters.

Regarding Loyd’s letter by which he referenced slights and disrespect by Rep. Nancy Pelosi throughout former President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Feb 4, 2020, he acknowledged, “Talk about disrespect. I don’t remember any outrage over that.”

Actually, in The Dallas Morning News’ Letters to the Editor column on Feb. 7, 2020, there have been three letters casting disgrace on Pelosi.

Alfonso Cevola, Dallas/Lake Highlands

Is public security being thought of?

The DART Silver Line development at present impacts an intersection close to my residence. Two months in the past, I attended a group assembly with the DART organizers and noticed many group members elevating ongoing considerations of security and noise.

After the assembly, I submitted a message to DART saying that we’re very involved about security throughout development. As the site visitors patterns preserve altering, signage shouldn’t be maintaining and we have now seen a number of close to-accidents and a truck obstructing site visitors because it was unable to flip at Hillcrest Road and McCallum Boulevard.

Two months later, I acquired a response by electronic mail that mentioned, “The city of Dallas approves of the current construction plan and traffic control plan.”

I really feel that this response is condescending and dismissive, displaying a disregard for public security in an space with households with young children and faculties. In reality, only in the near past I observed that a number of cones had been lacking from the lane division strains.

I ask that the metropolis and DART attend critically to the security of the group and shield the residents of the space.

Hilary Cohen, Far North Dallas

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