LETTER TO THE EDITOR - EDITOR
To the Editor: The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee and Wisconsin State Assembly just voted to cut funding for veterans’ support. As a result, Klein Hall in Chippewa Falls and VHRP in Green Bay will close in two months. These facilities have helped struggling veterans find housing and employment since 2007 and 1994, respectively.
This comes less than a week after Van Orden’s bill—offering little real help to financially strained veterans—passed nationally.
Why are Republicans at every level suddenly abandoning the veterans who served our nation selflessly?
It’s hard to argue these cuts are about “fiscal responsibility” when their “big beautiful bill” will add trillions to the debt while handing tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations already doing extraordinarily well. It appears they are determined to cut anything that supports people in need simply because it “smells like socialism.”
A call to the Joint Finance Committee members—Representatives Born, Kurtz, Zimmerman, Rodriguez, Dallman, Hurd, and Senators Testin, Marklein, Quinn, Wimberger, Stafsholt, and Bradley—might persuade them not to leave our veterans out in the rain.
Stand up for our veterans!
Lisa Jones US Army Veteran
Two things can be said about numbers:
To the Editor: Numbers don’t lie and you can lie with statistics. Both are true. Derrick Van Orden in his email to constituents stated, “Our Borders, Budget, and Bureaucracy Act” (OBBB) delivers the largest tax cut in American history, with $10,000 in extra take-home pay for the average worker, no taxes on tips or overtime, and big benefits for seniors and family farms.”
Sounds great—but is it true? Here’s a closer look.
Independent analysts have not confirmed that this is the “largest tax cut ever.” Most people will not see anything close to $10,000 in extra pay unless they’re in very specific circumstances, like working long hours for tips while raising several children.
The “no tax on tips” idea is real and may benefit service workers, but overtime is still taxed like regular income. And while the Child Tax Credit might rise modestly from $2,000 to $2,500, it’s far short of the pandemic-era support of $3,600.
As for “historic” tax cuts for seniors or a Death Tax break for “two million farms”? That’s mostly smoke and mirrors. Very few farms pay the estate tax today—maybe 50 to 100 per year—so the claim that 2 million would benefit is a wild exaggeration.
Tax policy should help working people and talking about tax policy should be honest, not political spin to hide the fact that the OBBB facilitates the biggest transfer of wealth to the richest Americans from the middle class and lower.
Candace Hennekens Eau Claire
Thank you from VFW Post 2227
To the Editor: A big thank you to all businesses and individuals who have graciously and generously donated money this year during our poppy drive for the VFW Post 2227 and their auxiliary. Your support is very much appreciated. Thank you also for displaying the poppy card as remembrance of the veterans and your donation. The money will be used to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans as well as the VFW National home for orphans and widows of veterans.
Margaret Mateer Poppy chairperson
