Thank you for the article by Bill Denneen (“It’s time to revolt,� commentary, Dec. 9-16), in which he suggests that we need a new revolution.

It should certainly begin here.

According to a report by the governor’s office, California is what is called a “donor� state — we put far more into the federal budget than we get back. The report says that the difference is about $58 billion. That is enough to clear our deficit and put money in the bank. We are paying much more than our fair share. (I should add that in my search for this information I called Congressman Bill Thomas’ office, and they did not have a clue. Just how out to lunch is this guy?)

The rallying cry for the American Revolution was “no taxation without representation.� The whole Western Seaboard has only six votes in the Senate, compared to 34 for the Eastern Seaboard. Since the Senate approves judicial appointees, you can see that our region has very little voice, even though we are a huge portion of the nation’s economy and population.

And this election showed us only too clearly that the Electoral College system virtually eliminates us from the dialogue.

The recent water and timber decisions by this administration demonstrate that we are just a colony to them — vast natural resources to plunder and 35 million citizens to tax and exploit.

It is time for a new Constitutional Convention.

Kathleen Dewey

San Miguel