The issue over the child tax credit in the U.S. Congress is one of the most offensive displays of how mean-spirited and arrogant the national
Republican Party has become.
They chose to prevent 13,000 North Dakota families, and 6.5 million families nationally, from getting a tax cut in their latest effort to shower favors upon the ultra rich. These are families that earn between $10,500 and $27,000 a year.
Naturally, the national outcry has been overwhelmingly against the Republicans for being so ham-handed and heartless. Our own delegation in Washington, Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, have been pushing to get these families included in the tax break. You wouldn't think the North Dakota Republican Party would be so petty
and so callous.
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Think again.
Recently, some of our own state legislators met in Bismarck to conduct business between sessions. Merle Boucher, a Democrat on the committee, suggested that they write a letter to the president and our own congressional delegation urging them to fix his horribly unfair bill. But instead of supporting such a simple effort to correct this injustice, all the Republicans on the committee voted against this simple expression of support for our low-income families.
The Republicans who voted against this are Bob Stenehjem from Bismarck, Dwight Cook from Mandan, Ray Holmberg and Ken Svedjan from Grand Forks, Karen Krebsbach and Clara Sue Price from Minot, Judy Lee from West Fargo, Rick Berg and Al Carlson from Fargo.
Anyone who makes between $10,500 and $27,000 a year in this state should remember those names next time they're up for re-election.
Carolyn Monzingo
Fargo
