While I do not agree with the antics of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, I donâÄôt believe that the outlandish behavior of the tea party protesters should marginalize the attention their cause deserves. The top 50 percent of income earners pay 97 percent of income taxes which fund innumerable programs which they will never benefit from directly. At some point, is it so unreasonable to care about the opinions of the top 50 percent, some of whom may not agree with where their money is being spent? I found it paradoxical that the editorial board, when referring to the stimulus aid that Texas received , claimed that Gov. Perry âÄúscoop[ed] up a gift of charity and then spit in the hand that offered it.âÄù Charity? A more appropriate analogy would still have Perry spitting in a hand; but this hand took $20, spent it on what it wanted, borrowed a dollar and gave back the dollar it borrowed. Governments cannot be charitable, because they do not produce anything; they can only take and redistribute, in which case the taxpayers are generous, not the government. I may not agree with the protesters, but they have a right to be heard. I agree with the editorial board ideal that we as Americans âÄú âĦ need to work together, not sit in a corner and pout,âÄù but I donâÄôt agree with their (and otherâÄôs) simple dismissal of the tea party protestersâÄô arguments. Justifying oneâÄôs own position by demonizing or dismissing people based on who they are and what they believe is first-rate evidence that you are committing an injustice against them (see: History). LetâÄôs work together to see that The Minnesota Daily is an honest forum, full of diverse ideas and devoid of heavy rhetoric and prejudiced demonization. Theodore Gagner University student