Times can be hard for seniors

This letter is in response to Karen Demaster’s letter to the editor on March 4 — “Americans are cheapskates.”

I would dearly love to buy from local businesses and better quality products, as a matter of fact, until rather recently I did. Why as I now a cheapskate? Let me tell you.

My husband and I are elderly and on a fixed income. The standard for qualifying for aid have not kept up with inflation. Our income is modest but we don’t qualify for aid (until recently we didn’t need it) neither of us has any family so we can’t look to anyone else to help us. We are quite literally on our own.

In order to maintain our basic needs, a roof over our heads, utilities, and food in our stomachs, we have had to do the following:

Never take another vacation; never eat out; change to the cheapest phone service, change to the cheapest TV provider; change my supplemental insurance to one where I can only see a doctor three times a year; switch my shopping from Safeway (I miss their veggies) to Walmart; totally blow off Christmas and birthdays; haven’t seen a steak in 8 months nor do we buy junk food like potato chips; cancel insurance and garage of our two cars.

All of my life I have been financially in the middle class and assumed I would always be there. I am a financially responsible person. I owe nobody a penny. What’s really alarming is that there are million of others out there, especially seniors, in the same boat.

When I retired we were doing fine, but at the rate inflation is going many of us seniors will find ourselves in the streets before long. My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I suffer from arthritis and we would literally not survive out there.

Evidently Karen has a better financial outlook than many of us. I had a career with the phone company and supported many local businesses and charities as well. I believe Karen needs to educate herself on the realities of today’s world. We aren’t all “drug addicts.”

Try to develop a little empathy for us in less fortunate circumstances who are struggling responsibly through this time which is not our fault. Keep in mind Karen, “There but for the grace of God.”

Gloria Anrett

Aberdeen

Just say no to tax cuts for the wealthy

I remember the air controllers’ strike in 1981 and President Reagan’s firing of some 13,000 federal workers.

I have heard that our country has never recovered from the upheaval he caused, and now President Trump is causing even more uncertainty throughout our economy in the same way.

This appears to be an effort to “save money” in order to justify another tax cut for the wealthiest people in our country. They do not need another tax cut and perhaps pay no taxes. Has there ever been evidence that relieving taxes on the top 1% of earners trickles down to benefit the rest of us? I think not.

It’s a mistake to think that success in business qualifies one to govern our country. Businesses and governments have different goals: simplified, for business it’s profit and for government it’s people.

And let’s not forget that between the businesses of Trump and Musk alone, there has been reliance on government contracts and grants, workarounds of government laws and regulations, tax fraud, lawsuits, as well as bankruptcies.

Their goals do not take people into account. The past couple weeks have shown that neither is qualified to study, plan or implement changes in government spending. Even more alarming, they have no inclination to acknowledge or learn from mistakes. They break it, we buy it, but not willingly.

A budget deficit will not be helped by extending tax cuts on the rich. In fact, the deficit has increased since tax cuts in Trump’s first term. More tax cuts on wealthy Americans? Just say no.

Becky Durr

Aberdeen

Seniors on fixed incomes are trapped like rats

Manufactured home park landlords buy 55 and older parks because they get older people, many with health issues, who are basically trapped like rats with nowhere to go.

Social service programs are booked three years out. Few have the money to move their homes (thousands) and even less would have a place to move their home to. This is abuse and exploitation of vulnerable adults, pure and simple.

Many seniors are paying their entire income, just to try and keep the home they thought they would die in, in an attempt to keep from being economically evicted and keep the landlord from getting their house.

Rent stability now

Deb Wilson

Aberdeen