On June 22, Jim Pohlad and others published an ad in the Star Tribune entitled, "We Can Afford to Pay More State Taxes," suggesting a tax increase primarily for upper-income and wealthy households. The next day, a letter writer responded, "If they want to pay more, do so."

If the Pohlads followed the writer's advice, they could buy for themselves most of the functions of a state. They could provide their own police force, fire protection, clean water, waste disposal, health care, retirement, private tutors for their children and huge tracts of land as private parks. They would need help with national defense and the highway system, but not much else. Aristocracies are systems where a few wealthy people have done this. In a monarchy, just one. In a well-functioning democracy, all citizens share in supporting the state and the public good extends to the whole population.

Beginning in the Reagan administration and accelerating under George W. Bush, the wealthy have been excused from more and more taxes at both federal and state levels. In other words, they have been contributing less and less to collective services. As this shift has occurred, as ever more money has been diverted from government, all public functions have become impoverished. I believe this bankrupting of the state has gone way too far and I think many others will agree when they notice what has happened. Minnesota doesn't even have the money to repair the Crosstown Highway and roads are one of the clearest instances of a service that can best be provided by the government.

Until recently, greater affluence meant higher taxes. That has been justified both by greater ability to pay and greater share in the benefits society offers. Today, progressive taxation has been reversed. The tax rate on investment income is 15 percent regardless of the amount. The rate on earned income, on wages, is much higher. Amounts greater than $37,000 are taxed at 33 percent (plus payroll tax)! No wonder the letter writer feels he is paying too much tax. If he is a wage earner, he is.

Jim Pohlad is one of several hundred upper-income Minnesotans who are saying that those of means should resume more traditional levels of contribution to the common good. As such, they are champions of democracy and I say hurrah.

GREGORY LUCAS-SILVIS, EDINA