I am a senior citizen with a lifelong interest in politics and the antics of politicians. Consider the bag of tricks many politicians use to get elected and to stay in office in a lucrative job. I watched most of the lengthy questioning of Judge Samuel Alito on television to try to disqualify him from an office he is more than qualified for. Listening and watching the antics of some of our longtime elected senators made me ponder, as many of us did, what our nation has become and where it is headed.
We are all aware of the plight of worried citizens all over our nation and what our government officials are actually doing to alleviate their concerns. It's clear in many cases that our nation's hard-working taxpayers, as well as the honest retired citizens who helped build our nation, are being forgotten in favor of the more influential and, yes -- the immigrants who seek a better life here and get help that many of the taxpayers can't afford these days and increasingly worry about. They have to watch their life savings dwindle away because of the need to increase taxes and the cost of just about everything these days.
Here is an example of concern on the lips of many taxpayers: watching those who get food stamps, free medical help, housing and education able to use their help from needy taxpayers to purchase anything they want without supervision. It is frustrating to see their carts full at the grocery store of inessential and name-brand items and expensive cuts of meat, etc., and present a card as payment that the person watching helps pay for and can't afford themselves.
Where is the concern for the taxpayer here -- the worried ones who worked hard to have something when they retired and the retired ones who have cause to worry about their future? It's time to pay attention to what each raise in taxes and needed daily cost of living increases have done to their future worries. It's high time our elected officials give that some thought.
Gladys M. Johnson
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Willmar
