This editorial appeared in The Kansas City Star.
Frustrated about taxes? Join the crowd.
Millions of Americans today are rushing to mail their income tax returns by the midnight deadline. And filling out IRS tax forms isn't exactly a simple task. Just ask some of the Obama administration nominees who couldn't do it correctly, including Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
Today also will find a number of frustrated Americans attending "tea parties," including ones at the Liberty Memorial and Johnson County Community College.
These aren't exactly grassroots events. They have been organized or hyped largely by conservative-leaning groups, Republican politicians and others opposed to the Obama administration's plans to get the U.S. economy back on track and to clean up many of the financial messes left by former President George Bush.
While protests against taxes and spending are time-tried rituals, these aren’t exactly on target given the nation's current crisis.
The federal government has been proactive in recent months, pumping billions of federal dollars into the economy to try to help revive it during a horrible recession. That's not "socialism," to use a word that will be thrown around recklessly at today's gatherings. It's responsible leadership.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Kansas City Star.