Thirty years ago, when I was a working stiff, I gladly paid my taxes. When I worked more overtime, I paid more. I never made a million dollars but would have paid my taxes if I did.

We live in a great country, and it was my duty to pay them. Wealthy people are cheapskates for wanting lower taxes. They should gladly pay higher taxes.

I am a Democrat who has always voted for our Republican senators because I thought they always voted for Maine people. I will never vote for them again.

Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are blaming Barack Obama for the mess we are in now, but it is all George W. Bush’s fault for starting the war with Iraq.

I couldn’t believe it when he started it, as the United Nations group had inspected the whole country and found nothing. Yet Bush went in there and has the blood of 5,000 Americans on his hands and wasted billions of dollars. Many crooked U.S. companies made millions of dollars they didn’t deserve.

We are in a mess, and if the Republicans don’t help to pass good legislation we will be in a worse mess. So Collins and Snowe should stand up and be good Americans, if they can.

Joseph T. Silva Sr.

Randolph