Instead of raising taxes, erase the waste

To the editor:

At a time when many taxpayers are being urged to give a little more, it is shocking to learn how many tax dollars are lost due to fraud, waste and abuse.

The Institute of Medicine, an independent organization that advises the government, reported that the U.S. health care system is wasting $750 billion a year, about 30 cents on every dollar spent on health care. Causes included unneeded procedures, complex paperwork and procedures, fraud and other wasteful habits that the health care system has developed over the years.

Welfare fraud has been estimated to run tens of billions of dollars per year. A Senate investigation found that student loan programs were "plagued with fraud and abuse at every level." With more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt, fraud is estimated to be in the billions of dollars.

The food stamp program's improper payment rate is about 6 percent, costing taxpayers about $1.7 billion annually. School lunch fraud cost taxpayers about $1.4 billion annually. Almost $4 billion worth of annual unemployment insurance benefits are improper or fraudulent. The General Accounting Office estimated that about $1 billion worth of payments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were "improper and potentially fraudulent."

The Supplemental Security Income program (for the blind and disabled) pays out $4.6 billion in improper and fraudulent benefits annually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture distributes more than $15 billion in cash subsidies to farmers and owners of farmland each year. GAO studies make clear that the USDA doesn't have a good handle on how much cheating is actually going on.

There are about $1 billion in erroneous and fraudulent overpayments of housing subsidies each year, according to the GAO.

Add these up, and the Cato Institute says $100 billion a year - or perhaps much more - of benefits are misappropriated by people not entitled to them.

Brian Aiken

Las Vegas

Obituary policy

To the editor:

I can see the merits of publishing obituaries as paid tributes. Many people want more or less. Some people want annual remembrances of loved ones. Some people read the obituaries first.

But some of our good citizens pass without worldly means, including some entertainers whose names many of us know. Maybe a columnist will bid goodbye.

I recommend that the Review-Journal list at least the name of every person - not the basic obituary package you offer - for every death known from public records or otherwise.

One longtime performer, Babe Pier recently expired in his 80s. There were maybe 100 of us at his services, which were known only by word of mouth. He had no obituary mention, just a note from columnists Norm Clarke (Aug. 1) and Mike Weatherford (Aug. 23).

Even private people with no kin warrant at least a mention of their name. Many of us think that the important obituary section is an official list of those expiring in the community. It isn't. But there is no other.

mike schaefer

Los Angeles

Homeownership

To the editor:

An issue we haven't heard much about yet from either President Obama or Mitt Romney is how they will act to deal with housing issues, especially the foreclosure crisis and homeownership.

Nevada was hit particularly hard by foreclosure. The crash damaged our communities.

It's time for candidates to speak out in support of homeownership. Overwhelmingly, Americans believe owning a home is essential to building stable communities, creating jobs and building a better future for our families.

More than half of Americans surveyed agree neither party is doing enough to stabilize the housing market. Clearly, a public commitment by both candidates is needed to mitigate foreclosures and bring prospective homeowners back into the market.

We need support for the mortgage-interest deduction, an easing of lending standards for credit-worthy borrowers and a strong housing finance system that retains a federal backstop so the 30-year mortgage remains available for the middle class.

The housing sector, which normally accounts for more than 17 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, has been overlooked as an engine for job creation and economic growth. Building 100 homes creates more than 300 full-time jobs and contributes millions of dollars to the property tax base that supports local schools here and in countless other communities.

Join others who believe it is time for a commitment to homeownership at the Rally for Homeownership on Thursday at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, at 11:30 a.m.

mick galatio

Las Vegas

The real 47 percent

To the editor:

Mitt Romney was right about the 47 percent. No, not the 47 percent we all assumed he was talking about. It was that other 47 percent. It was all about the .01 percent of Americans who receive 47 percent of all the capital gains benefits in America.

Mitt Romney was right. These incredibly wealthy individuals receive huge tax breaks because they feel they are somehow entitled to everything and they show no personal responsibility for their actions.

These are the people highlighted in the Oct. 4 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek. Citing several credible long-term studies, Bloomberg shows that 47 percent of all long-term capital gains, now taxed at only 15 percent, go to the top .01 percent of American earners. Studies show this only benefits them personally, and not the country.

Where is their personal responsibility? Why are they entitled to these huge tax breaks, which only grow their wealth and not our economy? It's time for change, and the time is now to re-elect President Obama.

Richard Rychtarik

Las Vegas