A response to Donn Teske’s letter to the editor

I read with interest your letter to the editor in the High Plains Journal, Feb. 12 edition, referencing Sec. 199A of the new tax reform. While I salute your support of cooperatives, I also take offense to your reference of corporations. I certainly do not see Sec. 199A as a step closer to equity. My husband and I are part owners in an 80-year-old, third generation family business—a corporation. We are small in comparison to the local co-ops but have remained in business for our devotion to serving our community and customers with a positive, energetic attitude. We are focused on achieving growth and profit not only for ourselves but for our customers and employees. We are honest and trustworthy with a high level of integrity. We may not pay out dividends to our customers but we provide many services to this rural area that would be missed if we were not here. We have invested heavily in our community with funding for 4-H, FFA, FCCLA, Girl and Boy Scouts, local churches, schools and many other organizations. Even more importantly, we invest our time—sometimes during business hours but mostly on our personal time. Sec. 199A creates a disadvantage to our small business, affecting our employees and their families. I certainly do not see our “behavior” as a bad thing for cooperatives. There are always winners and losers in tax reform and I do not promote disadvantages towards cooperatives, but I don’t believe in unfairly directing business activity toward one type of entity. I believe that if government is going to direct business this way it is one step closer to socialism.

—Nancy Horning, Frieling Grain Co., Inc., Gaylord, Kansas