LETTER: How do you define middle class?

To the Editor:

I guess I never understood just how poor we were until I heard Mitt Romney say the other day that "middle class was between 200 and 250,000 a year. Now I understand why Rep. Sean Duffy was complaining how tough it is to get by on a paltry $174,000. Poor Sean, I didn't realize how much he's been forced to struggle, what with paying off student loans and all, and trying to raise a family.

Perhaps we can do Sean and his family a favor this November and get him off the public dole, and into a job in the private sector. Maybe he could do some lobbying. I understand that pays pretty good.

I heard that guy across the river in Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, just found himself a job like that. Pays over a million a year. I'm sure Pat could find something.

Seriously? $200K is middle class? Is Mr. Romney on some sort of comedy tour or is he running for president of the United States?

I hope it's not the latter, as a statement like that proves that this man is so out of touch with the realities of the rest of Americans, he doesn't deserve to be even considered for the office he seeks.

My husband and I raised three children and never earned more than $65,000 between us. We owned our own home in a good neighborhood and our kids went to public schools and got a darn good education.

Now we're retired and with defined pensions and our Social Security we can live a decent dignified life and with the help of Medicare we can hopefully stay healthy enough to enjoy our golden years.

The party of Romney, Ryan and Duffy would gladly privatize the most successful government program in history, Social Security, leaving it at the mercy of the vultures of Wall Street and turn Medicare into a windfall voucher system for private insurance companies and a disaster for senior citizens.

Let’s hope that Mr. Romney, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Duffy are all busy working on their resume's after the November election.

Sylvia Richard

New Richmond

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion