Bruce D. Brovold: Shocking Disrespect for the Elderly

To the Editor:

I am writing about the Forum’s editorial in Monday’s paper, 10/18/10.

The author of this editorial calls the citizens who are worried about how they are going to pay their monthly bills whiners, and gives them a leafy spurge. The reason why is because they did not get a raise in their Social Security checks this year nor next year. In addition, they will be making less money next year as Medicare will be going up $168 a year.

Costs are going up. We see it every day at the gas station, the grocery store, new surcharges on our phone bill, prescriptions drugs, heath insurance and healthcare costs. Prices never go down, they always go up, even in a recession.

Have you forgotten that the people you are referring to are the people who have made this country what is today? Have you forgotten that some of these people have fought is WW II, Korea and Vietnam to protect our country. Many coming home with loss of limbs and disabled? Many of these senior citizens sacrificed for their country during WW II. They had to use ration books to buy less food.

They also rebuilt this country when they returned home from the war. They build the interstate highway system, dams, bridges, national and state parks. The also created the suburbs Everything we take for granted today. What has the author of this editorial sacrificed for his country during our present wars or bad economy?
Today these are the most vulnerable people with the most health needs.

Are you the one who Sarah Palin is really talking about, that wants death panels for the elderly?

I did not see you writing a leafy spurge to President Bush, when he borrowed ten trillion dollars for the top 2% of the richest Americans; for their tax cut over the last ten years, which the poor and middle class are paying for with their tax money.

Today, there is the greatest gap between the poor and the rich in history.

We are not the low class citizens that you make us out to be. We are the citizens who made this country great. Now you just want to sweep us under the rug like dirt; how heartless of you.

The next time you see a man on the street with a missing leg, from a past war, or a hunched over elderly woman, dragging her groceries in a cart behind her, maybe you should just stop and thank them for what they sacrificed in their lifetime to help this country become a strong nation and most importantly a free nation. They should be honored, not insulted by them by calling them whiners.

-Bruce D. Brovold
Fargo