Vote your interests

In a recent poll, Americans were asked what they thought was the best way to reduce the deficit. Sixty percent favored taxes for the rich, 20 percent preferred cutting military spending, 4 percent would cut Medicare and 3 percent would cut Social Security.

Yet, every single Republican senator vowed to stall all other pending legislation before the lame-duck Congress unless their most important action item, the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, was first passed. Sadly, Obama caved in to their demands because his party was soundly defeated by them in an election bought and paid for by the rich and powerful in November. The rich got what they paid for; we got what we deserve.

Now, for the next two years, these elected GOP representatives of the rich will be showing us ingenious ways to make draconian cuts in Social Security (which has a multitrillion-dollar surplus) and Medicare.

Am I sure that in order to have a viable democracy you must first have an electorate intelligent enough to vote in its own interest? Of that, I’m 100 percent certain.

William Betz

Newport, Wash.