Letter: Conservatives are blocking recovery

Columnist Alvin Bessent, in his article "Even some rich see how the system is rigged" [Opinion, Nov. 29], did not go far and deep enough exploring the causes for the catastrophe we call an economy, and why we cannot get a solution.

It appalls me to hear far-right conservatives touting their "no more taxes" and "responsible spending," while blocking the proven process of negotiation and compromise -- a process that was prescribed by our founding fathers when they established the separation of powers. This concept prevents one group from dictating policy, and promotes input from all sides of an issue.

The agreement on new tax brackets, between the governor and the State Legislature, "Something for everyone in deal" [News, Dec. 7], is an example of how working together and compromise can bring a solution.

Tax cuts to the very rich trickle down mostly into their own bank accounts. It is much easier for them to put that money in a hedge fund and watch it grow without effort on their part, than to open a business that will create jobs. A successful business requires a lot of hard work.

A tax surcharge on the very rich will be a measurable way to put money where we can use it only for job-creating programs, such as highway and road improvements, and to reward entrepreneurs.

In these desperate days, it is time for those who have to come to the aid of their country. It is time for the tea party and their supporters in Congress to assume the responsibility given them by the people who voted them in: to legislate solutions to the crisis we're in.

Joseph Willinger, Selden