Dole’s Tax Cut

* Re “Dole to Call for 15% Cut in Income Tax Rates,” Aug. 5:

George Bush, oops, I mean Bob Dole, finally revealed his economic plan. Big news? No, it’s the same old borrow-and-spend Republican plan we know all too well, the plan that ran up the debt from $0.9 trillion to $4.1 trillion during the Reagan-Bush years. When their voodoo again does not produce its magic, taxpayers will again be asked to pay the ever-increasing bill. RICHARD M. MATHEWS

Northridge

* The response of the Democrats and the liberal elite (including The Times’ Aug. 6 editorial) to Dole’s proposed tax cut has been predictable and quite comical. Heaven forbid that Dole has the audacity to propose serious overhaul of the IRS tax code! And shame on Dole for having the chutzpah to propose tax relief that will benefit all working Americans!

Does any serious-thinking person actually believe that the tax burden in this country is too low? Or that the tax code is anything but an absolute joke? Dole comes up with a serious plan to both cut taxes and reform the byzantine IRS tax code. And all we hear from the liberals are cries of “exploding deficit” and “cheap political trick.”

Quite simply, liberals don’t like tax cuts and serious tax reform.

STEVEN M. ZELMAN

Manhattan Beach

* To the extent that the Dole plan depends on economic growth, the Federal Reserve Bank is an insuperable obstacle. Chairman Alan Greenspan has indicated that he believes that growth over 2.5% per annum will result in inflation.

The gross domestic product is already growing at approximately that rate. Accordingly, any increase in economic growth will cause the bank to increase interest rates until economic growth goes back down to 2.5%.

That is an issue not only for Dole, but for President Clinton. Neither one will succeed unless he can convince Greenspan to experiment with allowing 3% growth.

JACOB OLIKER

Venice

* A desperate act of total lunacy! What’s next--Bob Dornan for budget director and Rush Limbaugh for chief economic advisor?

BOB CONSTANTINE