Reasonable cooperation

Dear editor:

Oh, dear! How to answer Judith Zitko? There is a vast difference between “privatizing” and “running the government like a business.”

My first thought was when Magic Springs first started the process of starting up an amusement park in Hot Springs. The governments involved gave Magic Springs a huge tax break until they could get started making a profit. Magic Springs was able to keep enough of its own money to build a roller coaster, build a water park, expand parking, make good deals on season tickets, hire more people, install more concessions, etc. — and now the money the government “lost” has been recouped many times over. Magic Springs and their employees are paying money into Social Security, income taxes, property taxes, occupation taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes and the list goes on — which was made possible because the governments involved let them keep some of their own money so they could build a profitable business without getting swamped with tax payments. That’s not “privatizing,” that’s reasonable cooperation for mutual benefit.

A balanced budget is important for any organization, whether it be business or government. No country can survive in the long term if they import more than they export. The government needs to protect and encourage private enterprise and private enterprise needs to support and encourage proper governance. I think that Ronald Reagan had the right ideas and I think that Donald Trump has the right ideas. I voted for both of them.

M. Wayne Spencer Hot Springs