Letters of the day: Readers opine on Franken tax controversy

Oh, please! The Republicans' blather about Al Franken's tax problem is just another attempt at Swift-boating a fine Democratic candidate. Most people I know have their taxes done and have no idea how their accountant gets them their refund or reduces their tax. The truth is they do not want to know. Anyone who says differently is a lying liar telling lies.

KRISTINE PERSSON, BUFFALO

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Although I've never been able to see it before, I must admit that I see it now -- Al Franken is indeed a comedian. He must be if he expects us to believe that, even though he didn't do such a bang-up job with his own money, he'd do a yeoman's job with ours. And like the rest of his "humor," this isn't funny, either.

BOB HUGE, EDINA

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Al Franken's latest missteps continue to underscore the fact that he's woefully unqualified to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. There is nothing in his background that would indicate his ability to effectively represent our state. Had any other candidate committed similar blunders and offered such weak excuses, they would have summarily been drummed out of the race.

MIKE SIDDERS, WACONIA

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So I could vote for Al Franken who admits his tax mistake and promptly pays back every penny owed. Or I could vote for Dick Cheney's hand-picked candidate, Norm Coleman, who now denies being a Bush Republican but voted to stick my great-grandchildren with a $1 trillion bill for the war in Iraq. Hmmm, whom do I choose?

STEVE MARK, MINNETONKA

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As I understand it, Al Franken paid the taxes in question, but to the wrong state. He will now pay the taxes, and the fines, and get a rebate for the original payment. So I find Norm Coleman's feigned concern to be misplaced. Coleman, the poster boy for the Bush administration, stood by while it created a huge deficit and bungled the war in Iraq, costing us hundreds of billions of dollars and endangering our troops. Why wasn't he concerned then?

PATTY JANE MINEHART, WOODBURY

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Al Franken's excuse for not paying taxes in all the states in which he earned income is the lamest excuse I have ever heard. A first-year accountant knows what the rules are. Franken is just passing the buck.

RICHARD DANIELS, ROSEMOUNT