From whom much is given, much is expected. I have been fortunate to have grown up as a child of an Air Force sergeant and a nurse, able to attend college and then medical school at what amounts to minimal expense in today’s money. I graduated medical school without debt and later served in the Navy and then in practice, ending up in Maine in 1997.

I have earned good money and part of that has meant that I have to pay taxes. I pay a good bit to the state and to my city of Augusta.

I do not begrudge one dime of that tax money. I was taught that paying taxes was a civic duty, since roads, schools and life-saving services depend upon my taxes. I do not understand the mindset that seeks to avoid taxes, particularly among the well-off.

The income tax rates are higher when you earn more money. This is how it should be.

William Griffith

Augusta