To the Republican Party, P.O. Box 3, Alpena, Michigan, 49707:

The other day I received a postcard from you disguised as a voting bulletin. This postcard urged me to vote yes on tax changes. As I read, it made me think, “Will equal property taxes really benefit the general welfare?”

I am one in the lowest tax bracket and I don’t think so.

As a private citizen and property owner I have a vote and a voice and a responsibility to pay my taxes. I do that this week with the general welfare in mind, to benefit others and myself with so many worthy projects. It makes me angry when the rich and successful don’t pay their fair share.

But why be angry? I don’t like being angry. This so-called voting notice is just a piece of cardboard after all.

Hmm — I’m thinking — maybe I’m angry because it comes through the mail which I pay my taxes for, and it will end up in the recycle bin which I also pay my taxes for. Why bother my sleep if someone misrepresents information and has a guilty conscience?

But then I remember Jiminy Cricket says, “Give a little whistle and always let your conscience be your guide.”

As a concerned citizen, I truly believe in the common welfare and I doubt that telling lies and greedily grabbing a fat tax break are for everyone’s benefit. And I say to you, “A softer mattress or a bigger new truck doesn’t cure a bad conscience — to sleep well, tell the truth.”

That’s what I say to you and to that offensive postcard. Bless us all with honesty.

BRENDA FRAZER,

Alpena