I read with great interest the article in The Mirror (Feb. 14) about the proposed tax on pornography. I found the last paragraph profound.

It reads that Russell Johnson, Olympia lobbyist for the Family Policy Institute of Washington, “likens the proposal to the tax on smoking. Although smoking cigarettes is a legal activity, the state has a right to tax behavior ‘deemed not to be a valuable as other behaviors,’ he said.”

Really? The state has this “right?” Last time I checked, we were living in a free society and could behave as we wanted if we were not harming others. Did that change?

This is liberalism at its best. That state decides what behaviors are not valuable and taxes them.

But there is another problem here. These are generally called “sin taxes.” So has the state jumped in bed with the churches to help the churches stamp out sin? I recall that there was a separation between church and state.

Finally, State Rep. Mark Miloscia (D-District 30) was quoted as saying “The purpose is not to put them (sellers of pornography) out of business, but if that happens, I am not going to cry about it.”

Really? If the state taxes a legal business until it goes out of business because the state doesn’t think this is a valuable activity, you are not going to cry about it? Well you should.

Are there no lengths that you people will not go to get money from us to give to your friends? You should not take any more advice from Mr. Johnson until he passes a test on the Constitution.

Bill Pirkle, Federal Way