Gordon Clay here. There was a headline given a July 25 Letter to the Editor in the Reporter stating "You're about to get hit with the largest tax increase". If Clay Dalrymple was addressing everyone, that's only because the Republicans, NOT the Democrats, voted against extending the tax breaks for those clearing under $250,000.

If he's addressing just his friends who clear over $250,000 after deducting for all of the tax breaks and write-offs then yes, the Democrats did propose letting that part of the Bush tax cuts expire. That 2% have had over 10 years and over a trillion extra dollars to prove the trickle down theory. Instead, just the opposite has happened. The money trickled up and they pocketed it instead of growing the economy. The rich got richer and everyone else got poorer.

Meanwhile, to pay for that extra trillion dollar tax break, the Republicans have been dismantling programs and safeguards for children, families, and veterans, endangering the health, safety, and prosperity of the middle and low income families, the other 98%.

Don't be fooled. It's the Republicans who are filibustering against job growth. They're hoping they can convince people it's because of the Democrats so that they can win in November. They want a return to the Bush era policies that brought even more wealth to the rich and corporations. The downward slide has continued for the rest of us as health, education, and public safety deteriorates, eliminating the infrastructure needed to grow our country back to be the economic world leader.