Letter: Older generations have paid their dues

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007 | 7:40 a.m.

David Peace stated in his Aug. 8 letter to the editor, "Infrastructure woes left to our children," that "Today's middle-aged and older generations have been getting a free ride on existing infrastructure ..."

He's got to be kidding!

Many bridges and roads have been built by taxes paid annually and tolls it was said would be removed once the costs of those structures were paid . When was the last time Mr. Peace saw a toll removed?

Monies appropriated by taxpayers for infrastructure maintenance and improvement were siphoned off by politicians to take care of pet and earmarked projects. How many lotteries were passed by voters because we were told those monies would be used for education, but were really used to replace money already budgeted for education?

Future generations will be burdened with infrastructure care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the national debt not because our generation got a "free ride" but because our elected officials failed to properly use funds appropriated for those purposes.

Michael A. Donnelly, Las Vegas

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