Taxing high-income retirees is the same as stealing their money

They saved for their retirement with the expectation that their income would be tax-free at the state level.

SHARE Taxing high-income retirees is the same as stealing their money
$100 bills being printed.

$100 bills being printed.

AP Photo/LM Otero

So the Sun-Times thinks it’s unfair to take the 3% COLA (cost of living adjustment) away from government retirees, but it’s OK to take money from the people in the private sector who also planned their retirement years ago?

They saved for their retirement with the expectation that their income would be tax-free at the state level. How on earth is it fair to tax them now when they never planned for that?? Your plan, outlined in your recent editorial, amounts to stealing their money to subsidize a wasteful government! That’s immoral.

Cory Shane, Harvey

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Help Illinois, tax high-income retirees

Thank you for thoughtfully supporting a ‘fair tax’ on high retirement incomes, as key to ending our financial woes (editorial, Sept. 15). I hope that Illinoisans with high retirement incomes will welcome this opportunity to help fellow Illinoisans in urgent need.

Michael Brennan, West Ridge

Dems, quit focusing on Joe Biden

The questions around Joe Biden’s mental agility, stamina, fitness — as proxies for questioning his age — have been growing.

Some of his verbal stumbles have been more worrisome than his traditional gaffes. But, the other candidates have to be careful how they raise this issue.

Julian Castro did not do himself — or the party — any favors in the last debate. Biden could be the nominee and the others would do well not to weaken him for their immediate benefit.

But there’s another angle to the question I have not heard anyone consider.

If Biden is our next president, will he run for reelection at age 80? If not, will his vice president be the automatic candidate, or will Democrats bring back their traditional circular firing squad?

Democrats need to be thinking ahead.

Michael Hart, West Ridge

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