Readers write (April 19): Taxes, racial disparities, crime, science museum

Taxes are not a perverse fine against the financially successful, although some critics treat them that way (Readers write, April 18).

Taxes are not a punishment; they are not a weapon of class warfare. Taxes are a duty. And in the developed world, they are generally progressive.

At least one of the rationales is that the poor need the support of a social safety net more easily afforded by the well-off. The author of Monday's letter may not be rich, but based on his taxes, his family makes significantly more than the $57,000 of the median Minnesota household.

If the letter writer wants to move somewhere with "lower or no taxes," he could consider Alabama, Mississippi, or Georgia -- states with neither Minnesota winters nor Minnesota-style government services.

Or he could do better and seek out one of the handful of relatively developed countries in the world with lower taxes than the United States, such as Chile (18.2 percent of GDP) or Mexico (17.1 percent), or he could try his luck in a country with an lower ratio, like Oman or Saudi Arabia.

He is right, however, about the proliferation of loopholes and deductions.

The American tax base would be significantly bolstered if the top 400 earners in the country paid closer to their actual income-tax rate ("Super wealthy pay less," April 18), if hedge fund managers' billions were subject to income taxes rather than the meager capital-gains tax, and if U.S. corporations more uniformly paid corporate taxes.

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There have been some interesting opinions written in the last few weeks regarding the root causes of the ruinous situation in our minority communities. You have the letter writer from Edina expressing his opinion that personal responsibility is at the crux of the problem.

Then you have the expected response that because this man lives in Edina he doesn't know what he is talking about. (How prejudiced is that? Because a man lives in what is considered a wealthy suburb, he has no credibility on the subject?)

Then you have, in Saturday's paper, a commentary from Hennepin County District Judge Lucy Wieland saying that the first step is admitting we have a problem, and that the problem is education, arrest policies, criminal-record laws and employment opportunities -- not one word about the need for personal responsibility.

Finally, in Sunday's paper, you have the inspiring story of Jackie Starr. She runs a program in Brooklyn Center that teaches parents how to help their children succeed in school, how to keep them out of jail, and how to prepare them for college. Now here is a real "first step" toward addressing the problem, and from someone who has lived it.

I realize there may be many difficult reasons why that happened, both personal failures and social policy failures, but the personal responsibility of the parents cannot be ignored. Hope lies in honesty and in practical solutions.

TERRY TRIPP, MINNEAPOLIS

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It is heartbreaking and baffling to read about Adam Baker and the man who took his life ("One punch, one death, 5 years in prison," April 17).

One drink, one second, one punch. Like a tsunami, lives altered in an instant.

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We welcome visitors of all ages to the Science Museum of Minnesota and sincerely hope that everyone has a wonderful experience. ("Needed at Science Museum: Time for quiet contemplation," Readers Write, April 14.)

While we welcome everyone and believe that science is fun for all ages, we also recognize the need for "adults only" time and thus recently held our first 21-plus event called "Social Science." Social Science is an opportunity for grown-ups to have the museum all to themselves to explore and play, while also enjoying food, drinks and music. Our next such event is scheduled for June 22.

If you wish to avoid school groups when planning your visit to our current King Tut exhibition, please consider weekday afternoons (after 2 p.m.) and evenings. We are open every day of the week until 9:30 p.m.

MIKE DAY, HUDSON, WIS.

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