Socialism a welcome change

The quote from state Sen. Janea Holmquist at the tax day tea party --that the Democrats are lurching toward socialism -- is extremely silly ["Tax rallies say: Enough already," page one, April 16].

The Democrats are giving away free money to the banks, building up troops and spending our tax money in Afghanistan and Iraq, presiding over draconian budget cuts of our social services, forcing unpaid furloughs on public workers, and have not even passed the Employee Free Choice Act or the state worker privacy act.

If they were edging toward socialism, people could expect higher taxes on the rich and large corporations, pulling out our troops from the many countries where we are killing and being killed, instituting free health care for all without the profit-gobbling insurance companies, a moratorium on foreclosures and a lot more.

I welcome socialism, especially in comparison to right-wing demonstrations that pretend to be for struggling workers.

-- Adrienne Weller, Seattle

Fair share of taxes no longer fair

The letter protesting the tax-day protests was blatantly incorrect in depicting Republicans ["Tax day tea protests: Shared sacrifice," Opinion, Northwest Voices, April 17]. Why do so many people seem to think that conservative Republicans are rich? Where does this mentality come from?

I do not know one single person in this category, and never have in the 35 years I have been a Republican, who isn't just as hardworking as any other American. They are low- to middle-class wage-earners, as my husband and I are. We are third- and fourth-generation Seattleites and both of our parents were Democrats when we were growing up, but as the party went further away from the middle and to the far left, they become Republicans, as did we.

I do not know anyone who doesn't want to pay his fair share of taxes, but our fair share is no longer fair. My husband and I live in a very modest home and work very hard for what used to be good wages. Our cars are eight and 14 years old. The world has passed us by, however, and we no longer feel middle class.

We have taken out the maximum tax at the higher single rate in our paychecks for at least 15 years and the only time we received a tax refund was when President Bush changed the married penalty tax. We received a $200 refund.

The facts stand: We work longer and harder to pay our taxes than any other time in the history of the U.S. The government infringes on our wages more each decade. I have worked in the government field and in the medical field and the spending mentality I witnessed in the government arena was appalling. No thought was given as to whose money was being spent.

The government doesn't ask us for a small amount of our wages, and the amount continues to grow. Where does it end?

-- Robin Snyder, Seattle