When John McCain says that Barack Obama will raise your taxes, he is telling a deliberate lie! Unless yours is one of the very highest incomes in America, you will have lower taxes from Barack Obama’s proposals than from McCain’s!

All Obama plans to do is to allow some temporary tax cuts for the super-rich to expire as originally planned so he can provide real tax relief for the middle class. That’s me, brother; is it you?

What have these Bush tax cuts for billionaires accomplished? They have caused: 1) a massive redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the super-rich; 2) several trillion dollars of national debt that our grandchildren will have to pay; 3) the value of the dollar to fall so far that you and I can’t afford to buy foreign-made goods or to enjoy foreign travel anymore; 4) contributed significantly to the rise in gasoline prices.

Those are the tax cuts McCain wants to make permanent. Why would anyone who isn’t super-rich vote for John “McSame”?

A recent issue of the Lincoln Journal Star said that because of the Bush administration’s eight years of misrule, the dollar is no longer the “gold standard” currency of the world. That means foreign corporations and governments will no longer want to invest in the U.S. Treasury. If China decides to sell all its U.S. Treasury holdings, the dollar will take a dive we will never recover from.

And John “McSame” thinks we should continue down this path of utter economic madness? He was right a month ago when he admitted he knew little about economics! What he knows is war, and he is itching to give us four more years of it in Iraq!

Why would anyone at all, rich or not, vote for that?

Berwyn E. Jones, Lincoln

Fair’s move a huge loss

I’m extremely disappointed that the petition drive failed and hope FairVoteNebraska’s next plans succeed.

I have been to the fair every year I’ve lived in Lincoln, and my children have visited the fair every year of their lives. It’s a family tradition.

We get up close and personal with the horses and other livestock and see baby pigs being born and baby chicks hatching. We soar on the rides at the midway. The children ride on camels. We get ears of corn dipped in vats of butter and smoked turkey legs and pineapple whip cones and giant fresh limeades.

Our children will be so sad to see it all go. My little girl has already told me she wants to buy a keepsake to remember the fair by.

The fair provides an opportunity for city kids to get a taste of farm life. It offers about the only headliner concerts most people can afford.

I understand that the university wants the land, but then move the fair elsewhere in Lincoln.

As the petition drive showed, Grand Island doesn’t even want the fair, as they don’t want their taxes to go up. Why move it to a hostile environment?

The people should have had a say. If the fair moves to Grand Island, it will die. And all those millions of dollars will have gone down the drain.

Most Lincoln people I’ve talked to won’t drive to Grand Island for it, especially with the price of gas. And Omaha people would be even less likely. Western Nebraska simply doesn’t have the population numbers to support the fair. The Lancaster Event Center would be a logical choice, especially because it would be convenient for the large population in Omaha.

The Nebraska State Fair is a Lincoln tradition and (its move would be) a huge loss for our city and our families.

Barbara Clegg, Lincoln

Go inside to order

A Lincoln woman and her attorney are suing McDonald’s for not letting her place an order at the drive-through window. She says she is unable to use the kiosk because of a hearing disability and seeks unspecified damages.

First, it is not any more difficult to hear the amplified speaker at the kiosk (she says her hearing aid screeches at the kiosk) than it is at the window where you are at least six feet from the attendant in a noisy environment with the car engine running against the side of the building.

Second, you don’t need to hear much; it is the order taker who does most of the listening.

With all due respect, if she is not comfortable with using the drive-through, why not go inside to order like many others do? Personally, I would never make everyone else wait while my order is placed and prepared at the window even if I was unable to use the speaker.

In an unrelated case, a woman is accused of extortion after placing a dead rat in her restaurant food and asking for $500,000 to keep quiet.

Last year, many skate parks were forced to lock their doors over liability concerns, and there were concerns that Lincoln and Omaha may close sliding hills.

When are we going to wake up to the fact the legal system in this country is out of control and its effect on the economy and our freedom? This kind of thing makes me ashamed to be an American! While China, India and South Korea are turning out brilliant engineers, we are a country of victims.

Mark Dietel, Lincoln

Crisis of access averted

The Nebraska Medical Association would like to extend its thanks and sincere praise to Sen. Ben Nelson and Congressmen Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry for voting to override the president’s veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.

Their action prevented a 10.6percent cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians across the state. Nebraska physicians stood to lose $70 million for the care of seniors over 18 months and, as a direct result, may have been forced to limit the number of Medicare patients they see.

In a recent American Medical Association survey, 60 percent of physicians said they would limit the number of new Medicare patients they treat and 40 percent would have reduced the number of Medicare patients they currently see if the cuts took place.

We urge our Nebraska delegation, including Sen. Chuck Hagel and Congressman Adrian Smith who both voted against the bill, to stay vigilant. Years of failure to correct a flawed formula in calculation of physician payment is leading to a crisis of access.

Nebraska physicians have been swallowing hard and taking the cuts, but we need our representatives to join us in taking a stand on this issue to prevent future cuts. We need a permanent fix to the Medicare system so that Nebraska physicians can continue to provide for the senior population in our state.

Les Spry, M.D., president-elect , Nebraska Medical Association

Now staunch Democrats

My husband and I began our marriage in October of 1983 as youngsters of 55 years of age, both divorced and both Republicans. As newlyweds, we were questioning our values, our religions and our politics.

In making changes in our lives and lifestyles, it became apparent that we didn’t fit the Republican Party. We quickly changed and became Democrats. In fact, we are now staunch Democrats. We believe in this party and find it best fits our ideals.

We are so happy to be alive in the age of hopefully having our first black president. What an occasion!

It is a privilege to be an American!

Donna J. Wood, Lincoln