Dear Editor:

Jason Smith is our 8th District Representative. But he does not represent the majority of its people. For example, Smith was a major player in getting "The Tax Cut and Jobs Act" passed. William G. Gale, of the Brookings Institution wrote on 09/25/2019 "A Fixable Mistake: The Tax Cut and Jobs Act." "The bill was so unpopular with the public that Republican members of Congress like Chris Collins and Lindsey Graham resorted to justifying their support by saying that their donors would cut off funding otherwise. ...Almost all the individual income tax provisions – but not the price index change – expire after 2025, while most of the corporate income tax provisions – but not "expensing" – are permanent. ... When TCJA is eventually financed, the most plausible scenarios suggest that most households – and almost all low- and middle-income households – will end up being worse off than if TCJ had not been enacted." Smith accuses the "Washington Democrats" of throwing "...trillions of taxpayer dollars down the drain to reward the wealthy and score political points with the radical left, all at the expense of working-class Americans." I assume he is referring to the Biden administration's "American Rescue Plan." The Roosevelt Institute describes the ARP as "The most important story—the one that Americans should hear, and progressive policymakers should tell—is that, as a result of our policy choices, our economic system has created millions of jobs, raised wages for those too often left behind, created real economic security for millions of Americans, and increased the power of workers to secure a better deal for themselves and their families."

Smith misleads his readers on many other topics, e.g. IRS agents and Covid policies. As chair of the House "Ways and Means Committee" Smith has a chance to help working people and families. He may talk like that is a goal, but his actions prove otherwise. Just follow the money and you can predict how he votes.

 

James Vokac, Willow Springs