I agree with many points Don Roberts makes in his June 18 column “Taxes, class envy and gender politics.” However, I take issue with the idea that the top 1 percent are the job creators. They most certainly are not.

Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of our GDP. The middle class accounts for the vast majority of that spending. The middle class creates rich people, not the other way around. When Bill Gates developed Windows, it wasn’t for the 1 percent. When the first Henry Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line, it was not targeted at the wealthy. Those men knew where the money was to be made, and they capitalized on it. And they became rich. Good for them.

Ensuring a robust middle class is not a moral or ethical issue, it’s a numbers game. A strong middle class equals a strong economy. Full stop.

The other issue Roberts fails to take into account is “official” vs. “effective” tax rates. Rich people can hide their money in offshore accounts and defer income through many loopholes, thus reducing the amount they actually pay.

I am not in favor of demonizing the rich, or anyone else for that matter, but let’s stop acting like they’re victims of greedy poor people.

Our country was founded on the twin principles of personal achievement and a responsibility to the common good. Both ideas were given equal weight by our forefathers.

Richard Cyr

Waterville