To the editor:

How are your finances today? Got a student or credit card debt? Want to feel better? Just look at the federal government.

1. This year the federal government will pay $1 million in interest on its debt every 1.4 seconds!

2. Our national debt recently rose above 100% of GDP for the first time since the end of World War II.

3. With the new stimulus bill, added to the stimulus bills of last year, the government has spent roughly $6 trillion in just 12 months.

One only needs to look at the statistics to realize that there are millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and are finding it next to impossible to feed and house their families.

But let’s be honest here. In a time when many “wants” have been moved into our ever-expanding definition of “needs,” many of us who qualify for this stimulus don’t “need” it. Remember, this federal government I’ve been talking about is you, me and every other citizen. It is our future generations that will have the burden of paying off this debt.

I would hope that in times of crisis, our government would assist those in real “need.” But I would also like our elected officials to be frugal and to narrow the definition of those who truly “need” assistance. For now, I would suggest that if you don’t “need” your stimulus, please consider donating it to organizations around the world and here at home who serve those genuinely in need.

Bill Simons,

Lawrence