Fiscal advice for SHS

Madam Governor, I know you can fly your helicopter wherever you want. But the rest of us depend on regional roads and highways to run our businesses and enjoy our lives.

Please take the fiscal advice of independents and conservatives. Stop cutting the top income tax rate! Instead, raise the bloody tax brackets, i.e., the first $20,000 to $50,000 taxed at a flat 1 percent, the next $30,000 to $60,000 taxed at a graduated rate up to 2 percent, the next $40,000 to $70,000 taxed at a graduated rate up to 3 percent, etc. Let more people enjoy expanded lower tax brackets but charge the Waltons and Hunts up to 10 percent or more for all their billions.

Stop cutting tax rates because your Tea Party feel-good move is just going to save people a couple hundred dollars. Instead, use that money to build more exits from the interstates. Nothing is more frustrating and costly to the self-employed and corporations alike than sitting in stopped freeway traffic for at least 30 minutes or more twice a week. Even worse is being able to see an overpass but no exit to the local county road that you have to take to your next business appointment or home. Now, imagine being stuck for hours or days on an iced-up freeway because of multiple accidents and hills that trucks can’t handle but your 4-wheel drive vehicle can handle with no problem. Spend a couple billion on interstate freeways, U.S. and state highways, and the county roads that will link these new exits to highways connecting to the nearest city of any size. If necessary, restrict these new exits to cars and pickups. Lastly, take care of your long-term-career state employees in GS6 to GS10 jobs. Giving raises and bonuses due to “merit” evaluations is just morally wrong and costs the state millions when experienced workers leave jobs that require knowledge of complex federal and state policies and new workers make mistakes that cause the federal government to sanction Arkansas billions.

KEITH WEBER Jacksonville