With so much happening in the world these days, it’s hard to not get caught up in the bombastic headlines trying to grab our attention. Sadly, what these headlines often do not capture are the real-world problems American families are facing every day. Serving as mayor of Slippery Rock, I get to hear about those problems from area families.

Families in our region often tell me, “The government should be getting out of people’s lives and not making things unnecessarily harder than they already are.”

But some of the politicians in D.C. aren’t listening to these folks. Right now, they’re pushing a plan that would do just the opposite. The plan, written by a handful of senators, would create a government-run tax preparation system and dramatically expand the IRS.

With tax season in the rearview mirror, Americans just went through the unpleasant experience that is dealing with the IRS. Unfortunately, this plan would allow the government to take full control of the filing process and put the accuracy of your refund in the hands of bureaucrats. And when it comes to an agency that is infamous for poor customer service and historic backlogs, it really doesn’t take an expert in tax law to recognize that this is a disastrous idea.

I just hope Sens. Bob Casey and Sen. John Fetterman take the time to listen to their constituents to understand what a terrible situation this would create for Pennsylvanians if it ever became a reality.

Jondavid R. Longo,

Slippery Rock