Love Letters/ Hate Mail

Credit Where It's Due

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Down Home and Fancy" in the Jan. 21-27 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

"While Andrews said he's responsible for the main menu development, when it comes to designing the Mexican items, he gives way to chef Fernando Flores and his touch."

????

I believe that his restaurant

Ciao's Manager/Bartender Hope Egan actually invented/perfected most of the main entree items on Calistoga's menu. I remember her selling most of the items when she had her own catering business, and was present at the 15th street farmers market....long before "Calistoga" was in business.

It's a shame that people take credit for the good things, but never the bad things--whether or not it was their idea.

I have had her meatloaf with the spinach ... it's delicious.

I'm just glad to see her food was rated five stars.

-Tulsa Talker

Crazy Tax? Crazy Talk

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Craziest Tax" in the Jan. 14-20 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

I read with great interest Mr. Rall's diatribe against the taxation of unemployment benefits until he made the following statements:

"It was also hypocritical for the Republicans, who rail against "double taxation" when they argue for the repeal of taxes on the estates of the wealthy. Unemployment benefits, after all, were already taxed once; while employed, workers pay into the federal and state unemployment compensation systems."

First, whether one is democrat or a republican railing against it, the estate tax truly is an instance of double taxation. The money subject to the estate tax was taxed at the time it was earned by the deceased, and again, at the time of distribution to the beneficiaries, under the guise of a transfer tax. It is only through the fallacy of classifying the estate tax as a transfer tax that attempts to have it stricken as unconstitutional have failed.

Second, and more importantly, federal and State of Oklahoma unemployment benefits are paid from monies paid in by employers, not employees. When an employer in the State of Oklahoma submits a quarterly employer's contribution report, the person signing the report does so just under the affirmation, "I certify this report is correct and that no contribution is paid by any employee." Without pretending to know the intricacies of every other state's unemployment benefits law, I strongly suspect no employees make contributions to the unemployment systems of those states.

-Terry Tarwater

Dear Editor:

Never letting a good lie get in the way of a rant, as usual..."Unemployment benefits, after all, were already taxed once; while employed, workers pay into the federal and state unemployment compensation systems." The employer pays these, not the employee, so it hasn't already been taxed from the worker.

If UTW is having budget problems with the current economy, I could suggest one column you could save your money on.

-Steve M.

Dear Editor:

You know what? These sorts of loaded political comments are just not needed or productive, even in a column:

".. while the Reagan Administration was busily waging class war against the poor and middle class."

"It was also hypocritical for Republicans..."

"... it was Congressional Democrats, exhibiting their characteristic cowardice,.."

If I wanted to read this sort of political commentary, I would go to DailyKos or RedState, not Urban Tulsa. This style of writing doesn't make you any "cooler" than you already are, and mostly it shows your underlying bias and inability to write a decent, informative article.

Head on over to the DailyKos and post there, as this is where this article belongs...

-LarueLadue

Relationship not Religion

Dear Editor:

Recently the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life ranked Oklahoma as the seventh most religious state in America with 69 percent of Oklahomans stating that religion is very important in their lives. This news is both wonderful and quite troubling. Wonderful in that the tenets of Christianity are widely accepted and mostly understood. It is troubling because Christianity is rarely implemented resulting in transformed lives. Non-believers near and far see our high teen pregnancy rates, rampant drug abuse, failed marriages and over abundant materialism and wonder if this Jesus really matters? Truth be told, these statistical facts of Oklahoma are not an indictment of Christ but of us, His Christians.

These statistics should be a reminder that it is not religion that transforms but the relationship. For far too long Christians have been relying on our religious activities of good works, church attendance and the purist of the prosperity Gospel as substitutes for the real thing. We can be religious all day long and really not know Him; and knowing Him is what leads to a transformed life. To know Jesus starts with first recognizing who we are, and that as sinners desperately needing consistent reliance on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. And finally, knowing Him ends not with religion but by wholly leaning on Jesus' Name.

-Phillip W. Smith, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Speaking for the Po' Folks

Dear Editor,

Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge should be impeached for elder abuse.

His opposition to limiting increases in my property valuations is too much for this old grandma to take.

My property taxes go up five percent every year.

Also going up are: 1. My medicare health insurance; 2. My prescription drug insurance; 3. My AARP supplemental insurance; 4. My G.R.D.A. electric bill; 5. My groceries and 6. My gas.

And, I didn't get a raise on my Social Security.

So, how does Speaker Benge think I can make ends meet on a fixed income?

Oh, I forgot Benge only listens to lobbyists for fat cats.

We po' folks have no lobbyists to treat him like a little king.

-Virginia Blue Jeans Jenner