Editorial clearly trashed seniors

I read your Oct. 22 editorial "Bad idea on trash" with great dismay. Not only did you libel senior citizens, but you also left the impression that all citizens in the county are paying for the services that they now receive.

Many residents pay less in taxes than the value of the services they receive. Are these people receiving the "free pass" you accuse Augusta Commissioner Roy Rearden of wanting to give to seniors on trash service?

Facts do not support the assertion that seniors get more government aid than any other group. Certainly they receive retirement income and medical care under government plans. However, they contributed to these programs through payroll deductions over their working lives. How much do recipients of Medicaid, federal and state job training programs and food stamps contribute to the cost of their programs?

All citizens must help pay for government services, but where are the lines of fairness drawn? Should our government use ZIP codes to determine who pays less and who pays more?

Rearden's comments at the AARP forum have forced us to face one of the shortcomings of our current trash collection system: that some in the urban district are not paying their fair share for this service.

My husband and I will vote for Rearden on Nov. 8. He brings a fresh perspective to the problems in Richmond County, and he has ideas that need to be discussed for the good of all Augusta. I urge all District 7 voters to vote for Rearden.

Linda Burris, Augusta