Letter to the Editor: Don’t sock it to the old folks

By Sun Advocate

Editor:
I hope all senior citizens and Utah special fun tag holders will please read this and contact the Governor, legislative representatives and the Utah State of Parks.
My wife and I used our special fun tag to visit Antelope Island for the first time. The ticket taker there told us to enjoy our card now because the benefits are going to change. He handed us a little notice about the changes that are being proposed.
I was reading on the back of the card and it says “Valid until revoked”. Does that mean that the parks board is contemplating revoking all of the cards that we senior citizens use as a form of recreation that we can afford?
In the little message the board stated that “Reducing benefits to seniors is not something our agency wants to do, but we have taken every other measure in an effort to increase revenue and lower operation costs-.”
What cost did that agency incur when my wife and I visited Antelope Island? We didn’t even use a toilet. We drove on the roads and looked. We, the seniors, are not the group that writes on walls, damages the restrooms, have drinking parties, shoot up the buildings, or leave trash all over. And yet the state is thinking of passing on those costs to us to pay because they can’t come up with anything better than “sock it to the old people”. We, who have supported, with our hard earned money, every program that has come down the pike. Now when we can’t make any more money, they still want us to support their programs.
Think about it! One day you too will live on a fixed income; with rising prices on everything. First food, then medicine, utilities, postage, auto fuel, newspapers, cable TV, and taxes.
Hidden taxes are the worst. We can’t decrease our usage of anything to reduce these hidden taxes. We just pay and watch our savings decrease. We will spend all our savings trying to survive and stay healthy physically and mentally and just maybe our funds and our lives will run out about the same time.
I ask the state to reconsider their plans for reducing the benefits for the old folks. Let them enjoy the sunsets on the lake or the rising sun over the mountains. That doesn’t cost any more money than if they would have stayed home and watched it on TV. If they do travel, they are buying fuel for their car, picnic supplies in a store, and film for their cameras.
That is about all we can afford for a little outing. Please don’t deny us this.