Seniors subsidized by voters should pitch in for schools

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

She whines that she is over 65 years old, has no children or grandchildren and has to pay $319.38 a year for schools. Let the parents bear the cost of sending the kids to school, she says.

Fine. That seems really fair. Of course to be completely fair, everyone getting any kind of benefit from the government should give up that benefit. Parents, children and other relatives can pick up the slack.

Let's see. Hutton and her husband are over 65 which means they are both covered by Medicare. According to Newt Gingrich, we taxpayers are paying about $4,900 each for Mrs. Hutton and her husband.

She and her husband are undoubtedly also receiving Social Security payments.

If she is serious that relatives or recipients should pay for benefits, Mrs. Hutton should return the $20,000 she and hubby get from the government each year and find some relatives to support her and pay her medical expenses.

We should all pay our share for the construction and operation of schools. Of course, it is truly unfair to fund education with property taxes. If a program is funded by property tax, only property owners bear the burden of financing that program.

Carl Uhlott