Letter: Seniors make big contributions to valley’s economy

Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004 | 12:46 p.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 27 - 28, 2004

On the property tax issue, the Sun's Jon Ralston, in his Nov. 21 column, has joined in the bashing of old folks -- good sport in Nevada, apparently -- accusing us of a "we-won't-pay-a-dime-for-anything mentality" that threatens the economic vitality of the valley.

Well, consider these points:

We old folks don't require that the valley provide us with jobs. We don't clog the roads commuting. We bring money from all over the country in the form of Social Security, Medicare, pensions and savings, and we spend it all here, creating jobs. We attract improved medical care and we exercise good citizenship by volunteering, voting and writing letters to the editor. We bought houses here to live in, not to speculate in real estate. Finally, we have no children but support schools, among other public services, by paying the same property tax as families that do have children.

Exactly how Ralston adds this up to a "we-won't-pay-a-dime-for-anything mentality" is a mystery to me.

LARRY L. SWETTE

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