Big companies are big contributors to our economy, just like small ones: Letters – Presse Entreprise

Regarding “Proposed minimum tax targets large corporations” (November 19):

According to a report, Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to impose taxes on big business. This article does not discuss the contribution of big business to the economy. These billionaires do more for people than the government acknowledges.

Amazon has 950,000 employees, Facebook has 44,942, FedEx has 289,000, General Motors has 155,000, etc. On average, these companies pay their employees $17 per hour plus benefits, including education and health.

Instead of trying to get more from these companies, they should give them a thank you plaque.

Politicians have thrown us into a creator with their wasteful spending and want to snatch money from people who are creating a better life for their employees.

Yes, the owners of these companies are making a fortune, but what would we do without them?

A simple example of what politicians should do to get us out of the hole is to stop all funding for California’s high-speed rail.

If they don’t stop the funding, they should quit the work they aren’t doing. If they did their job and budgeted taxes strictly on the necessities of life, they would be able to reduce taxes at all levels.

—Victor Lopez, San Bernardino

Columnist Jonathan Lansner’s take on supply chain issues

Re “Beards won’t heal the supply chain” (November 21):

Lansner’s last statement in this column, “One thing is certain: partisan chatter won’t solve anything,” is interesting given the completely partisan tone of the column, but I’ve come to expect it from the writer regarding California.

All of his columns express his undying love for California, and this one is no different. I agree with some of the issues he mentions.

However, the columnist would be much more credible if he spelled out just one of the many reasons why California and its governments are responsible for incompetence in the ports.

He blames COVID-19, blames the lack of inventory, blames the rest of the country for expecting too much from California, blames other state governors, even blames people for being selfish consumers with their demands, but not only once did he hold California responsible.

Come on man.

—Rich Wagner, Riverside