Home Opinion Letters Letters to the Editor for Dec. 18, 2009

Letters to the Editor for Dec. 18, 2009

Written by Baker City Herald Readers December 18, 2009 11:01 am

Abortion is not an abomination

To the editor:

This concerns the recent letter on abortion, in which the authors stated: “Abortion is an abomination upon our society. . .” Abortion is not an abomination; it is a difficult, often emotionally wrenching decision many women feel they must make at some point in their lives. Their individual motives are no one else’s business.

A true abomination occurs whenever someone views themselves as God’s mouthpiece, and sees it as their personal responsibility to be the guardian and judge of others’ behavior.

The authors also expressed concern about sustaining human population in the United States. In fact, the human population is exploding throughout the world and is a major cause of current environmental and social problems, among which are inadequate food, water and shelter for millions of children. Surely these young innocent lives could benefit from the love and political action advocated by the authors of the above letter.

Lindy Cloyd
Baker City

Yes, Durkee’s still here
To the editor:
Just a note to say Durkee is still here. Yes, in the winter things slow down. It always does. We as a community support Ash Grove Cement. Everyone needs to write our governor for his support of this viable business.
As for our local gas station, the fuel is flowing, the milk is in the fridge and the coffee is always on. Stop in and say hello.

J.T. Toll
Durkee

Tax hikes would affect all
To the editor:
Two tax measures will be on our ballots next month. Supporters say that the measures will make sure that in the future, corporations and the rich will “pay their fair share” of state taxes. Now for any business, a tax is just one more cost of doing business, along with wages, cost of raw materials, etc. And to stay in business, a corporation must generate enough income to cover those costs. Otherwise it goes belly-up. If corporate taxes increase, the business must adjust somehow, either reduce costs in other areas, or raise its prices.
A common way for corporations to tighten their belts is to let some of their employees go. That’s been happening a lot lately; we’re in a recession, after all. But encouraging corporations to lay off employees by raising their taxes doesn’t seem like a good idea right now, not with Oregon’s current unemployment rate. Economists mostly agree that one of the worst things a government can do during a recession is to raise taxes. Doing so only makes a bad economic situation worse.
Another common way corporations adjust to increased business costs is to raise their prices. (Haven’t you noticed the price increases at our local fast food places every time the minimum wage goes up a notch?) Basically, corporations don’t pay taxes — they act as a tax collection agency for the government. Any taxes they pay comes from the income they receive from their sales. And that’s why politicians love corporate taxes — they’re a hidden tax paid by a business's customers.
So don’t be surprised at the price increases if the tax measures pass. You’ll be helping Oregon corporations “pay their fair share” of Oregon’s taxes.

Pete Sundin
Baker City