Scott Watkins, Morgantown
Barry Lee Wendell wrote a letter (DP-May20) concerning the evils of the Trump administration. He started out by claiming President Trump is trying to break the social safety net by cutting SNAP (food stamps) benefits from those in need.
What the president actually said was if you are capable of working, not a single parent raising children or disabled, you would be required to work 20 hours a week or perform 20 hours of community service to keep receiving this benefit. Trump said people who are capable of working should not be subsidized for sitting at home.
Wendell then went on to discuss how the Trump administration is trying to do away with former President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. For the majority of America’s working class, this was a total disaster.
My employer used to pay 50 percent of retirees’ health insurance until this act was passed. Now retirees must foot the bill for the entire amount. The last time I checked on the cost of health insurance for my wife and I, once I retire, would be $1,600 a month with a $5,000 deductible.
How is that affordable for people on a fixed income? The Affordable Care Act is only affordable to those who never had to pay for their insurance to start with.
Wendell then went on to criticize Trump for saying some immigrants are animals. This was in reference to the MS-13 gangs. These immigrants are notorious for rapes, drugs and any other crime imaginable. They are also known to hack apart people they don’t like with machetes. Is this the kind of people we need to show compassion to? If a farmer has a chicken-killing dog he will get rid of the dog to save his chickens.
I don’t care if Wendell is a Democrat, socialist, liberal or part of any other movement. He needs to open his eyes to reality and state the facts as is, not as he interprets them.
This is especially true since he is a member of the Morgantown City Council and citizens depend on him and the other council members to make good, well informed decisions concerning our city.
As far as social benefits go, I was raised in an area where welfare was passed down from one generation to the next. So, if you are capable of working and choose not to I do not feel it should be mine and other taxpayers responsibility to take care of you.
