Tax Increase for Retired

There appears to be a concerted effort to blame senior citizens when the country falls on economic hard times.

Let’s set the record straight. Most seniors didn’t have jobs that provided pensions and medical benefits. When they say they are financially OK, it means they can make rent or house payments, buy groceries, maintain their 10-year-old cars, and pay their medical bills. If they once had the American dream (work hard, save and invest, and retire in comfort), they now think in terms of financial survival.

These are the people who sired the baby boomers. They paid for education, cars, down payments on homes, furniture, and maxed-out credit cards. They helped the kids deal with drug problems, failed relationships and child rearing. In short, they’ve had an open purse for the generation that now wants to place blame for its own excesses.

If those under 45 had shown as much fiscal, ethical and moral responsibility as their parents, perhaps the country wouldn’t have such a big burden to bear.

KATHRYN G. WEINMANN

Tustin