Middle Class

The middle-class taxpayer, I suspect, is a little like Ichabod Crane, an honest traveler who decided one night to ride his horse through Sleepy Hollow. He disappeared into the night. Maybe Ichabod was a middle-class taxpayer. On April 15 at midnight, a ferocious headless rider will be looking for the likes of Ichabod Crane to collect the government's taxes. If you're in the middle class, you better get ready to share some coins with your favorite uncle. Why? Because no one else wants to pay income taxes.

We became keenly aware of the threat of bigness per se when we were told that our government allotted $700 billion to keep afloat several huge financial firms. We then were told that Wal-Mart is about to build four more mammoth stores around Washington, D.C., and that it is the largest employer in the nation. Almost overnight, the Koch family became a household name, and we learned that they are one of the largest corporate conglomerates in the country. We seem to have a love affair with bigness.

tarar@herald-mail.com As Washington County begins studying rising property assessments and ways to make housing more affordable for low-income residents and senior citizens, some County Commissioners warned Tuesday that middle-income earners shouldn't be left out of the mix. Commissioners Vice President William J. Wivell and Commissioner Doris J. Nipps said the middle class also are struggling to keep up with climbing housing costs....

Author and political scientist Charles Murray is a nationally known libertarian political scientist associated with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. His books have influenced the national dialogue about the proper role of education and social welfare in the United States. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, among other newspapers. His books are regularly reviewed in and national newsmagazines. He's also a local resident, living just over South Mountain in Burkittsville, Md., with his wife of almost 29 years, Catherine Bly Cox. Murray, 69, published his latest book, "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010," in January.

For a long time, I have been a fan of Robert Reich, former secretary of labor and now professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He also is seen frequently on political talk shows.    Reich's recently published book, "Aftershock," is an excellent analysis of the Great Recession and is a must-read. All of the books that I have read about the latest major economic crisis have been good, but "Aftershock" ranks the highest.   Reich starts his book by characterizing our economy as a swinging pendulum that moves between periods of prosperity and recession.

McCown will try to unseat Bartlett By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer FREDERICK, Md. - Calling himself a voice for the forgotten middle class, Jefferson, Md., resident Tim D. McCown today plans to launch his bid for the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett. McCown, a Democrat, will launch his campaign at noon in front of 309 W. Patrick St. McCown, 47, who is seeking his first elective office, said he initially planned to run for Maryland's General Assembly but opted for Congress when he saw big-name Democrats had not stepped forward to challenge the three-term Republican.

Given the notoriety of the splendid film, "The King's Speech," relating the impediment of King George VI, Americans may not be aware of another "Speech" which attracted much less attention. A newly published book "The Speech" tells the story made on the Senate floor on Dec. 10, 2010, by Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders. Just longer than eight hours in length, this diatribe was a filibuster designed to make the whole country aware of an agreement made between President Obama and the Republican congressional leaders.

Hagerstown resident William Gower did not hide his support for raising taxes on the wealthiest Maryland residents Monday. “It's long overdue,” he said. “They've been paying so little, and everybody else has been paying so much.” Gower, 48, was among Hagerstown residents who talked about the budget package that included tax increases that the Maryland House of Delegates approved Friday. He said he thought there was a serious wealth gap in the state of Maryland. “People want things to stay the same and to not have to pay their fair share,” he said.

Bowles-Simpson plan an attack on middle class To the editor: My joke New Year's resolutions often include giving up a private jet or buying a Rolls-Royce. However, after seeing the proposals offered by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, my joke has been co-opted. Such blatant attacks on the middle class are seldom seen. Raising the gas tax 15 cents. Eliminating home mortgage interest deductions. Cutting funding for Medicare. Raising the retirement age for Social Security.

WASHINGTON COUNTY There's no single reason Larry Smith is running for Congress. There are many. He said his campaign is about health care for millions of Americans who don't have it, thousands of jobs being sent overseas, students who take on heavy debt to get through college ? and much more. "Washington right now does not work for middle-class Americans," he said. Smith, 42, lives in Cumberland, Md., and has worked in education for almost 20 years. He is an assistant principal at Hancock Middle-Senior High School and has worked at other Washington County schools.

The middle-class taxpayer, I suspect, is a little like Ichabod Crane, an honest traveler who decided one night to ride his horse through Sleepy Hollow. He disappeared into the night. Maybe Ichabod was a middle-class taxpayer. On April 15 at midnight, a ferocious headless rider will be looking for the likes of Ichabod Crane to collect the government's taxes. If you're in the middle class, you better get ready to share some coins with your favorite uncle. Why? Because no one else wants to pay income taxes.

Standing in front of a newly modified Hawker Beechcraft surveillance plane, U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski on Tuesday announced $43 million in federal funding recently approved by Congress devoted to outfitting two additional multirole enforcement aircraft to protect U.S. borders. Mikulski, an advocate for border patrol and protecting American jobs, told about 100 attendees inside the manufacturing facility of Sierra Nevada Corp. at Hagerstown Regional Airport that the money serves to preserve the “passport of the middle class,” helping to protect about 200 jobs in Maryland, including many of the company's 500-plus workforce locally.

A representative of the Maryland governor said Wednesday that a middle-class family of four could expect to see its annual taxes increase by $2,200 if Congress doesn't act by the end of the year to avoid the fiscal cliff. Dana J. Thompson, director of federal relations for the Office of Gov. Martin O'Malley, told about 60 people who attended a breakfast at the Ramada Plaza hotel in Halfway that it was critically important for Congress to extend middle-class tax cuts. “If Congress doesn't act before the holidays, every family in Hagerstown's taxes will automatically go up, including 98 percent of all of those who make less than $250,000 a year, and 97 percent of small businesses that earn less than $250,000 a year,” Thompson said.

There is no question that our country is at the crossroads of some profoundly important budget decisions - with far-reaching and long-lasting impacts on our economy, our families and our fiscal standing as a nation. The made-up term “fiscal cliff” paints a pretty menacing picture and, in my view, is unnecessarily dramatic.  The issues we're facing are certainly very serious and they must be addressed - which is why I'm working at it full time - but our country will not come to a grinding halt on Jan. 1 if there isn't a final agreement by then.

“You don't see very many polite teenagers anymore. I met one last night ... and his name is Colt, and he was with his mother. He was so polite to his mother, and also to me. So I'd like to say thank you, Colt, for being a good teenager.” - Boonsboro “To the caller who wonders why the police vehicles or ambulances park in the middle of the street there: They're simply retaining the right-of-way. They park there so that they have the right-of-way, for their own use. They have the right-of-way over all other vehicles on the street.” - State Line, Pa. “This call is to the Williamsport caller who says if President Obama taxes the rich people more, they will hire less; it's only normal.

Author and political scientist Charles Murray is a nationally known libertarian political scientist associated with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. His books have influenced the national dialogue about the proper role of education and social welfare in the United States. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, among other newspapers. His books are regularly reviewed in and national newsmagazines. He's also a local resident, living just over South Mountain in Burkittsville, Md., with his wife of almost 29 years, Catherine Bly Cox. Murray, 69, published his latest book, "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010," in January.

Stadium is not only issue in city election To the editor: I would like to make a few observations related to the recent opposition letter by J. Wallace McClure (March 20). First, I question why McClure continues to vehemently oppose the proposal for building a new stadium in Hagerstown. I can only guess he resents any public fund expenditure that benefits private enterprise in any fashion. The fact that baseball has been in Hagerstown for more than 80 years contributing to the community's quality of life and our local economy seems to evade McClure's reasoning.

Hagerstown resident William Gower did not hide his support for raising taxes on the wealthiest Maryland residents Monday. “It's long overdue,” he said. “They've been paying so little, and everybody else has been paying so much.” Gower, 48, was among Hagerstown residents who talked about the budget package that included tax increases that the Maryland House of Delegates approved Friday. He said he thought there was a serious wealth gap in the state of Maryland. “People want things to stay the same and to not have to pay their fair share,” he said.

“Let's talk about the caller from Williamsport's view on President Obama and what he has done in the past three years. Who do you think gave the declaration to Panetta to take out Osama bin Laden, and the night of the State of the Union, to rescue those two hostages held in Somalia for three months? Did you give those declarations, or did Mickey Mouse? Of course not. It was our great president. You need to wake up. I would be ashamed to be so out of touch.” - Hagerstown “This is on the president's State of the Union address.