Here's a deconstruction of a U.S. Senator's rant in today's paper:
Dear Editors:
I think North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan called for a tax increase to fix Social Security in Sunday’s Forum. I’ll let you try to figure it out. Dorgan wrote exactly the following:
“Even the estimated shortfall under some of the most pessimistic projections could be fixed just be repealing the tax that has been given to those with incomes over roughly $500,000 a year. So, it’s a question of priorities and values: Save Social Security for America’s elderly, or tax breaks for those that make more than half a million dollars a year? We should do the right thing!”
“Could be fixed just be repealing the tax that has been given” is unintelligible gibberish. First, why the word “be” appears twice is beyond me. Second, the wording makes it unclear whether he is calling for repealing or increasing a tax. Third, what exactly is a “tax that has been given”? One can “levy,” “increase,” or “cut” taxes, but rarely is a tax “given.” If Senator Dorgan is “giving” taxes, I will respectfully decline his gift. Fourth, to which tax is he referring: income, death, or Social Security taxes?
Next, Senator Dorgan makes a statement in the form of “It’s a question of X or Y.” Why is that statement followed by a question mark rather than a period? If it is just an improperly formed question, perhaps he could entertain us with his answer. I suppose his answer is “Do the right thing!”, an unexplained exclamation. The tortured punctuation of these two sentences reflects an unhinged emotion, lack of cogent reasoning, and insufficient primary education that reflects poorly on our State.
Regardless, we all know that Senator Dorgan’s rant means “TAX INCREASE!” because the Democrats’ reflexive answer to toenail fungus would be “TAX INCREASE!”
To save Social Security for our children and grandchildren, there is no tax increase big enough to fill the hole. When inevitable demographics result in one worker per retiree, shall we tax the worker at 100% to fulfill Senator Dorgan’s pipe dream? When the 100% taxed worker starves, who will the Senator tax next?
I recommend Senator Dorgan review rudimentary demographics, mathematics, and English and develop a logical, well written proposal that doesn’t tax our grandchildren to death.
Sincerely,
Brad Cloven
You'd best be careful if you start criticizing our elected officials' communication skills. Dorgan isn't the only one that garbles his sentences.:)