Letters

To make them think

In response to Gordon Forgey’s editorial last week: Yes, Monday April 15th was tax day and yes, Monday was also another heinous, evil attack on our people, at a memorial event, the Boston Patriot’s Day Marathon. We too thank God for each person who responded to help in Boston’s time of need.

However, to suggest any similarity of two folks exercising their right to peacefully protest in Colfax, to the terrorist attacks in Boston is apples and oranges to the extreme! Is it possible that the right to peacefully protest has been forgotten? All know there is no right to blow people up!

We, the man and woman who held up signs in Colfax April 15, did not bear signs stating no tax and no government! Our signs stated “Overtaxed” and “Control Government.” Our action was not because we do not believe in government or taxation: it is because we are seeing out of control government spending, runaway debt, over the top regulations, and too much government control of our lives. We don’t believe this to be an extreme position.

Mr. Forgey states “We need to find the rational middle ground where we understand the real shortcomings and appreciate the real strengths of our government.” Mr. Forgey, we already did that 224 years ago, and it is called the United States Constitution!

Of course, supplying first responders to any tragedy or atrocity is the government’s responsibility; redistributing our income through a bureaucracy that is rife with waste, fraud and abuse is not.

Too many citizens, government bureaucrats, and many of our elected representatives have forgotten government’s constitutionally limited purpose. Our purpose for protest on April 15th—to remind people of that fact—to make them think!

Travis and Cheryl Brock,

Colfax