This is in response to Senate candidate Charlie Sumners’ claim that his signing of the no-tax pledge is a step in the right direction. His letter perfectly illustrates what is wrong with the Republican party today.

Republicans seem to have been brainwashed into regurgitating the party line with no room for t hought or creative thinking.

“We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem” is the most overused political phrase out there. Republicans conveniently forget that the seeds of the deficit were planted on their watch by the huge unfunded prescription drug program and two unfunded wars.

The burden of war falls heavily on those who fight and then return home to an egregiously underfunded Veterans Affairs Department that cannot properly care for them.

There should have been a war tax all along to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan. If taxpayers were confronted with a war tax, perhaps there would be fewer wars. But, the money has been spent and now we need to play catch-up by raising taxes, especially on the wealthy. If Republicans have their way, only the neediest among us will pay.

And, by the way, it looks like Republicans are setting up for another debt ceiling fight that will do nothing but put my 401K in the tank again. It is unseemly and unsettling for politicians to suggest that our country won’t pay its bills.

Thanks for nothing, Republicans, we can’t afford you.

Gail Nye

Belgrade Lakes

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