On March 3, 2021

What I see, from the other side of the fence

Dear Editor,

I hope this falls on the right ears. It has been a rough year for everyone, and it is not going to get any better whether Covid is controlled or not.

Our economic situation in this country does not leave much for the average person any more … as the days and years go by, I see this country becoming like England, that is, a so-called ruptured economy: those of us that work, or did work, make everyone else’s payments, and everyone else is on benefits, meaning social welfare programs.

Yes, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the middle class is slowly drifting down to slightly above the poor class. I am 71, and at our age, there is no way out, and if the younger generation doesn’t get itself a good education, they will be where we are, right out of school.

Our society is full of useless drug addicts, people of all kinds and colors are trying to take what little the poor folks have by scams of every sort, the government and states are taxing us on everything they can think of. They hand you a stimulus check, and take your food stamps, they raise your social security and then raise your Medicare/Medicaid payments and deductibles. They talk about affordable housing , but the rents are still more than what Social Security pays, and if you can afford that, then you don’t eat because all your money went to bills and rent.

If you worked for a farm, or owned one, it is so expensive trying to produce milk or what ever product you are into, you can’t save money for retirement, because machinery and seed and grain and just living life, won’t let you.

So you wind up an old person either living on the street, or with your kids, or migrating to climates that are warmer all year, where you won’t have to fight the cold, as you live in the woods, with who knows how many other homeless … and eventually, the kind, decent person you once were now becomes just like all the other undesirable pinheads that are out there trying to do you out of what you have because they don’t have anything, and if you’re lucky, one day you don’t wake up and it’s finally over, the world has one less homeless person to kick around or make fun of.

This country, the greatest country in the world, went wrong when it let the first homeless person become homeless, when it let the first veteran be hungry or go without medical attention, when it let the first woman be battered by her spouse and nothing was done about it, the first kid be abused in any form.

I could go on, but why, no one is listening, we’re too busy thinking what we will eat or wear tomorrow, or who’s on TV tonight.

Sooner or later, we all become stray cats and dogs and whatever.

The thing is, if we ever become organized, then you well-off people better watch out, because we expect justice, but you know what, we won’t be mean or nasty like you people are . . . Why? Because we know what it’s like to be on the down side.

V. Valentino

Orwell

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

We won’t forget Vermonters

January 8, 2025
Dear Editor,  More than any post-election period that I can recall, Vermonters remain heavily engaged since November’s election. So engaged that many want to know why the problems highlighted on Nov. 5 haven’t already been fixed: education property taxes, housing affordability and availability, healthcare costs, public safety, and the Clean Heat Standard.  This urgency, like…

Vermont Saves makes saving for retirement an easy resolution

January 8, 2025
Dear Editor, As we welcome the New Year, many Vermonters set resolutions to build new skills, improve their health, or spend more time with loved ones. This year, let’s add a resolution that really pays off: saving for retirement. Saving for retirement can be daunting, especially for Vermonters living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to…

Common ground: Working together to address Vermont’s affordability crisis

January 8, 2025
By Amy Spear and Megan Sullivan Editor’s note: Amy Spear, Killington, is the president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Megan Sullivan, Chittenden, is the vice president of government affairs for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Each year, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce outlines its legislative priorities with one focus in mind: creating the conditions…

End funding of religious schools

January 2, 2025
Dear Editor, Thanks to G. Gregory Hughes for his Dec. 18 letter, “The dictates of conscience in Vermont.” Mr. Hughes identifies a fundamental flaw in our laws: they allow spending tax money on religious schools. He also suggests a sensible solution to the problem: eliminating state expenditures on all private or religious schools. To paraphrase…