A call for open meetings with congressman

Dear Editor,
When did we adopt a part-time Congress?
Unlike most other people in Congress, our Representative Mike (Where’s Waldo) Bishop is nowhere to be seen.
Why has he not held any meetings open to the public in his district?
Is he worried that someone will ask why he voted in favor of a tax bill that provides permanent tax cuts to corporations but only temporary tax cuts to low and middle income Americans?
Perhaps Mr. Bishop is too busy meeting with his billionaire contributors, Matty “bridge to my bank” Maroun and Betsy “Amway instant powdered charter school” DeVos.
Rich people worth over $5 million are part of the one-half of one percent of Americans who will no longer pay estate taxes that are repealed as part of the “tax reform” bill that Mr. Bishop voted for. More wealth accumulation for the top one percent while our water systems, roads and bridges fall apart.
Oakland County residents deserve to have representation in Congress.
If Mr. Bishop is too afraid to meet with voters, then as President Harry Truman once said: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Henry S. Woloson
Independence Township

Reader decries pie-in-the-sky tax proposal

Dear Editor,
How sad that a once great nation has begun to spiral into the abyss of deceitful and expedient government that has marked the downfall of so many great societies and nations throughout history.
The current, growing failures of our elected officials to take a stand against leaders who have perpetrated sexual assaults on women and children is deplorable, and marks a new low in moral, ethical leadership.
But the recently more commonplace spin-and-avoid tactics by government officials is also alarming, particularly because it is becoming so pervasive.
We never get a direct, straight answer to a direct, straight question posed to our elected officials. Instead, we are insultingly told, with a condescending tone and demeanor, what the real question should be, followed with the talking point/spin du jour, which is never responsive. Now, a subtle, stealthy assault on all Americans is being advanced by our Congress—the people we elected to represent us and serve the nation with integrity. Of course, everyone is rightfully concerned about Russian efforts to undermine our democracy, but what about the acts of congressional members seeking to enact a fraudulent “tax relief” bill, slickly and deceitfully marketed as a boon and gift to the nation’s middle class.
But every credible and bipartisan group, economist and study tell a different story—that the proposed “reform” is not reform at all, but rather a cleverly disguised ruse of complicated new jargon and tax rules to again transfer huge amounts of wealth to the nation’s wealthiest individuals and entities, all funded by the middle class and their soon-to-be-struggling children and grandchildren.
“Trust us”, the politicians tell us, “we are fulfilling a promise we made to voters.”
But voters believed they were being promised real tax relief, with immediate tangible benefits and not more phony “trickle down/trickle on” pie in the sky.
Oh, it’s true that some middle class families may temporarily receive as much as about $4 a day in tax savings—all as billions of dollars in new tax savings are routinely funneled and transferred to very wealthy elites, but many middle class folks will pay higher taxes immediately, and all their purported tax savings disappear within a few years.
Meanwhile, multi-millionaires and billionaires and their heirs and heiresses will continue to benefit big-time. Facts and truths are not standing in the way of our politicians who have abandoned candor and honesty as they work to dupe voters so they can deliver a campaign promise intended to deliver for only a few elites.
They so desperately want to show at least one legislative win just so they can say they won, even if the “win” is a based on carefully crafted lies and harms real people.They believe voters, especially the middle class whom they disregard or despise, can be fooled, again.
Our local congressman, Mike Bishop, is touting the prepared spin and talking points to perpetrate this tax fraud against the middle class, but only from afar—in glossy, misleading TV advertisements and among small, carefully vetted and screened groups of supporters/beneficiaries. If you want proof of the phoniness of this charade, just try to get Bishop to hold a truly open community meeting to address concerns of all voters.
He fears such a forum and will continue to refuse. Just ask him.
Mike Fetzer
Clarkston