Tie corporate tax cuts to a minimum-wage rise

I believe that two important issues should be linked in the public’s mind — corporate tax cuts and a raise in the minimum wage.

Now that Republicans have won both the White House and Congress, we can be certain that change is coming, and we can expect that many of the usual one-sided policies will finally be enacted, such as corporate tax cuts, tax reform and reduced regulations — all of which are meant to help businesses become more profitable. This, of course, will raise our national debt because taxes are government revenue, and cutting taxes is cutting government revenue.

If we are going to hand businesses a pile of cash through these policy changes, isn’t it fair to increase the minimum wage also? Why should businesses be the only ones to benefit from policy changes? Isn’t there a standard of plain fairness here?

The promise of America is that when people work hard and follow the rules, they should be able to live a normal and decent life. How is it tolerable that we allow some businesses to pay such ridiculously low wages that our fellow citizens cannot actually live on them? Why should employed people need to seek government assistance with food, shelter or health care costs? It is clear that wages are simply too low.

As citizens, when corporate taxes are imminently going to be cut, we must insist that the minimum wage also be increased. JON SUTTER Mt. Lebanon where the solution to the Legislature-created problem might be found — must be found — one cannot look anywhere but the Legislature, the body that is the source of so many of Pennsylvania’s problems.

Unfortunately, with a view to history, looking to the Legislature for solutions to problems created by the same bunch seems an exercise in futility, notwithstanding all the gold that is showered on that body by the taxpayers of Pennsylvania. ALAN SCHULTZ McCandless for over 50 years and I cannot believe what we have become. We started having mass killings of deer in 2006 and now are in the midst of our seventh allout slaughter.

These projects have always failed because they are based on the supposition that does only wander a mile or two from their place of birth throughout their lives and therefore Mt. Lebanon has its own isolated “herd of deer.”

That idea has been vigorously promoted by a series of contractors who know otherwise, but come here to promote their business interests.

The latest research indicates that does roam over an area 10 times what was previously assumed and thus Mt. Lebanon will never control their deer by killing them.

The latest excuse used to justify the slaughter is that the deer are an incredible traffic hazard and responsible for numerous serious accidents throughout the community.

The relatively small number of deer road kill found here is the supposed proof of the tremendous risk that we all face if they are allowed to continue living among us.

Mt. Lebanon does have significant traffic issues and a serious crash nearly every day, but the ever-increasing volume of traffic and poor driving habits are responsible for that, not deer.

All of these slaughter projects have been promoted by our community’s gardeners and thus are private property owners’ concerns and not the community’s.

Mt. Lebanon has been turned into a private hunting camp. We don’t make progress in Mt. Lebanon, we just fail at projects.

It is well past time for this to end. WILLIAM L. HOON Mt. Lebanon