To the editor:

Every word from Washington shouts, “Don’t worry! We are going to take care of you.”

We do not want the government taking care of us! Where there is greed, it should be punished, not rewarded. If these “stimulus” packages are enacted, who is going to strive to succeed, work at being a good boss or employee, or save rather than have luxuries? Who will teach our children they can do or be whatever they desire if they give it their all to achieve, rise above the average, find joy in their accomplishments and thank God and all the people who have given them the platforms on which they are standing?

Yes, I remember the Great Depression. All of us suffered. My parents took food to those without, gave meals to the men who “rode the rails” to find work, gave professional care without expecting to be paid, always worried they could not pay for groceries, the telephone, the gas or water bill, the taxes. We Americans work for what we receive and give to others.

Stop this madness that is destroying our great nation. It was founded to protect us from our enemies and give us freedom. You do not seem to know who the enemy is and you are taking away our freedom — the use of our money, decisions in the field of medicine, opinions and beliefs on the airwaves — even in the pulpit! Are you listening to us, Washington?

Mary Lou Penny,
Lawrence