Dec 4, 2012 1 min read

In the Nov. 28 editoral, the editor is looking for compromise on the financial cliff negoiations. However, the editor only seems to want Republicans to compromise by agreeing to raise taxes. I would agree to raise taxes only if the Democrats agree to real spending cuts now, not in some future decade, and some reforms to both Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security to ensure those programs survive long term. Those changes should include elimination of the Social Security earnings tax cap and means testing for Social Security and Medicare. Again, any increase in revenue for 2013 must be accompanied by equal spending cuts (not a cut in growth) in 2013, and that increase in revenue should go on the debt. That’s fair!

George Dawes

Washington