RICHARD BETTERTON

CEDAR FALLS - Sen. Barack Obama has finally revealed himself as a true socialist. The United States has been on a slow road to socialism over the last 60 years and Obama, with his tax-and-spend philosophy, will only make the change more rapid.

When he admits he will use the tax system to "share the wealth" he is leading us down the road to socialism and mediocrity. Socialism does not share the wealth by making people rich, it shares the wealth by making the country poorer. The Soviet Union tried it and eventually collapsed economically due to rising costs and reduced economic productivity.

He says he is going to pay for new programs by taxing the rich and corporations. The problem is there are not enough "rich people" to pay for the new programs.

The problem with taxing corporations is that corporate taxes tax the consumer. A corporate tax is a cost to a corporation. When costs go up, the price goes up. Corporate taxes force corporations to collect taxes and reimburse them to the federal government. A tax on Exxon Mobile is really raising the price of gasoline.

Raising taxes on corporations does not mean just the oil companies. Taxes on corporations, such as General Mills and/or Anderson Erickson, raise the cost of breakfast cereal and milk. When taxes are raised on transportation companies the cost of everything goes up.

The current taxpayers, our children and grandchildren can not afford to have Obama as president of the United States.