Response to “My Republican Friends
This letter is in response to the letter to the editor titled “To My Republican Friends” (3/11/21)
It’s troubling to see people being attacked for holding a political opinion or asking questions. The latest Covid relief comes in the form of the “For the People Act of 2021.” It comes with a price tag of about 1.9 trillion dollars. A number that large is hard to wrap your head around. Suffice it to say, that it is roughly $5,700 for every person in the country.
That’s obviously a lot more than the $1,400 that many people will receive in the form a Covid relief check. If you do the math, that’s more than four times as much as the Covid relief checks. So maybe we should ask some questions.
Maybe we should ask why a political wish list that accounts for three quarters of the cost of the bill is being tied to Covid relief? Maybe we should also ask why fundamental changes to our election laws are included in the bill? Maybe other concerns should stand on their own and not be tied to Covid relief.
I also think it’s reasonable to ask who is getting the relief checks and why. My mother is retired and on Social Security. She hasn’t suffered any financial loss from the pandemic but she’s getting relief checks. Why? My girlfriend has been working throughout the pandemic. No financial loss there either but she’s getting checks.
Any idea why we’re doing that? Shouldn’t we be giving Covid relief dollars to those who need it?
But that’s nothing compared to who else is getting taxpayer money. According to the fact checking website Snopes, the Boston Marathon bomber “and others convicted of a range of crimes are, in principle, eligible for such checks.” Wow.
I don’t qualify for a relief check so Mr. Abelha doesn’t have to worry about me cashing one. If he qualifies for a relief check and has suffered a financial hardship during the pandemic then I’m glad he’s getting one. If he’s getting a check and hasn’t experienced a financial hardship maybe he should contact his elected officials and ask them why we are wasting so much taxpayer money?
Frank Crowell, Fairhaven
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