Whenever left-wingers start complaining about how President Bush’s tax cuts helped only the rich, they inevitably ignore the biggest cut the president provided for the middle class: the child income tax credit, a decidedly family-friendly policy.

President Bush’s cuts doubled this credit from $500 to $1,000. If you are married and have children ages 17 and under at home, and you pay taxes, you continue to benefit significantly from this cut.

The middle class has benefited greatly over the years from this increase. For example, under President Bush’s cuts, a married couple making only $40,000 a year and with two children got a 96 percent cut in federal income taxes; their federal bill dropped from $1,178 to $45, some $1,000 of that being from the doubling of the child tax credit.

When the median household income in the U.S. in 2006 was $48,201 — about $43,000 in Georgia — this cut means a great deal to the middle class: teachers, many office workers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, real estate agents, middle- and higher-end factory workers and many others.

If you have children and pay taxes, you might want to keep the Republicans’ increased child tax credit in mind when you hear people claiming the middle class did not get a cut. You might also want to keep in mind that an important segment of Democrats opposed this family-friendly middle class cut originally. In other words, they did not want middle-class families to get this particular cut.

Worse, many Democrats want to end it with other Bush cuts. In fact, their recently released budget and tax plan would end it.

Tommy Sandoval

Gainesville

What is going on in Hall County government in recent months?

Suddenly, we are made aware of a second retirement fund given to the county administrator after he began drawing from his first retirement. The citizens of Hall County would never have been aware of this matter if The Times’ Harris Blackwood had not brought this to our attention in his article.

The commission chairman then stated that he was not aware of the second retirement (why didn’t he know?), and he would not support such an arrangement in the future. Evidently, did he believe all the questions would simply go away? It is hard to believe our commissioners would pay $330,000 a year for this position with the car allowance, insurance, etc.

Hall County taxpayers are now being made aware that the current chairman of the tax assessors board allegedly violated his own working policy and possibly a state law in listing 477 days of working (including numerous holidays) when there were no board meetings taking place. According to the article, the chairman responded that there was no intent to do wrong. What was the intent? More money, perhaps?

Did the other members of the board list days when no meeting of the board took place or list holidays as days worked? Should the department director, or someone, be advising this board of its own policy and Georgia law? Who is looking out for the taxpayers?

Hall County citizens would do well to begin asking questions of their commissioners and expect straight answers.

Ronnie and Agnes Hamilton
Gainesville