Dear Editor:
I read with great interest the coverage of federal plans to offer tax rebates to energize the national economy.
As a local official and State Senator, I witness every day the plight of New Jersey’s working poor, who are literally living paycheck to paycheck and struggle every moment to afford the Garden State’s high cost of living. Disabled residents can’t afford the increasing cost of medically-necessary care, and retired seniors on fixed incomes are forced to leave their homes and families for more affordable living conditions.
Any plan to bolster the nation’s ailing economy must take into consideration these people, and provide some measure of relief to those that feel the greatest impact of any economic downturn.
Including the working poor, disabled citizens and retired seniors in any economic revitalization plan makes sense. Any economist will tell you that people with the greatest need for a rebate are the most likely to spend that rebate – on living expenses, medical bills, etc – and help pull us out of recession.
And there’s a sense of justice in providing rebates to those at the lowest end of the income spectrum, considering that the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market plays a major role in our latest national economic problems. For too long, sub-prime lenders disproportionately targeted home owners with the least ability to pay.
I hope our leaders in Washington will show real leadership, and consider a plan which doesn’t leave behind citizens in the greatest need. A federal economic recovery package which denies the working poor and those on fixed incomes aid should be considered incomplete at best, and a callous example of class warfare at its worst.
Sincerely,
Senator Brian P. Stack
33rd Legislative District