To the editor:

If you are an elderly person living on a fixed income in Douglas County, you are not going to be able to keep your home that you worked your whole life to pay for. You are going to lose the home that you raised your family in and made a lifetime of memories in because you can’t afford to pay the ever-increasing real estate taxes.

The house you purchased many years ago has now doubled or tripled in value, and while that sounds good if you want to sell your home for a profit, the fact is that this is creating a nightmare for many elderly people because of tax increases. Many are now faced with taxes that amount to more than what their monthly mortgage payments once were.

Douglas County doesn’t care about the fact that you got old and can’t work any more. As a matter of fact, they’re going to discriminate against you because of it. Douglas County is not going to be fair and take your income or lack of it into consideration. While many places and institutions offer senior discounts because they realize that the elderly deserve a break, a little extra respect and consideration, Douglas County chooses to prey upon its elderly, the disadvantaged, the vulnerable and the weak.

There’s a reason people are forced to retire from their jobs when they get old. There’s a reason senior citizens aren’t doing battle in Iraq, and those same reasons should apply when it comes to taxes on the homes of the elderly.

Jane Triplett,

Lecompton