In "Obama and Alito" (Forum, Feb. 10), Marc Moffit complains that our elections are being bought by the super rich. He defended President Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address, which attacked the Supreme Court decision upholding political donations as the right of free speech. Moffit’s final point was that "we’re now becoming a government of, by and for the super rich."

This philosophy completely ignores the reality that the rich pay most of the federal income tax (top 1 percent pay 37 percent; top 5 percent pay 59 percent; top 10 percent pay 71 percent). And nearly 50 percent of Americans who file tax returns pay no federal income tax at all.

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One of the founders’ principal complaints leading to our revolution was "taxation without representation." Taxing people at a higher rate because they are rich without allowing them to spend their money to advance their political opinion flies directly in the face of this principle, and it is extremely hypocritical.

Obama now obviously agrees, since he has decided to use money from political action committees to help his 2012 campaign.

The solution is easy: a flat tax for everyone and full, immediate disclosure of political donations.

George Sherwood

Sandy