Celebrating a punishment

Re “House passes tax package as Senate faces dissent,” Nov. 17

The photo of the celebrating House members and a quote in the article by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) say it all.

Having passed a devastating tax bill that favors the rich, we see a smiling, well-dressed, self-satisfied group of prosperous-looking men who have just succeeded, it seems, in doing what Feinstein (and I hope, many millions of Americans) object to: kicking “people off of their health coverage to cut taxes for the top 1%.”

And that's only for starters. It also selectively punishes Californians and other states by taxing people on income they pay toward state and local taxes and threatens the elderly with Medicare cuts, all while increasing the deficit.

When exactly did we sign up for this Neanderthal treatment? Melvin Seeman Malibu

The hand-wringing by the press and politicians in California over the loss of a deduction for state and local taxes is predictable.

I have lived in Southern California for more than 68 years, and I still cannot figure out why such a rich state is the highest taxed while the middle class is so poorly served.

If the new tax plan is enacted, the chickens will be coming home to roost and our overspending politicians will hopefully start to feel the heat. Jerry West Pasadena

I don’t know why people aren’t pointing out that while the top corporate tax rate is currently 35%, the effective rates that corporations actually pay are often much lower because of numerous deductions and other tax loopholes.

Corporate federal tax rates probably should be reduced in this country, but it doesn’t seem like going from a top rate of 35% all the way down to 20% would be a fiscally responsible move for the government to make, especially if it’s going to come at the expense of individuals who may, if the Senate plan is adopted, lose the government subsidies currently being provided under the Affordable Care Act. Paul Ause Porter Ranch