Thank you Mr. Morrison, of Ossineke, for your “Open letter to politicians” (April 20). It IS time to just say no. To EVERYONE. No. I’m sorry. No thank you. Not this time. And I do feel sorry. But …

When our elected officials, public servants and administrators feel that they have no other choice than to increase taxes or funding requests, it is NOT acceptable. The time has come for just plain NO. Everywhere one turns, everyone wants more, needs more. At every level, local, state and especially federal. YES, all programs ARE important. YES, we DO have to take care of our own. YES, our environment IS essential and limited. YES, our roads DO need fixing. But you have “taxed and spended,” “millaged,” “levied” us to the limit. It’s time to do due diligence. Spending increases cannot be justified unless the house is cleaned. Time to look inward and spend only what you have instead of asking for more.

First and foremost, what are the responsibilities and/or purpose? Your job/purpose/institution needs examination. For government, the answer is easy. It is spelled out clearly in the Constitution: Government’s responsibility/sole purpose is to protect, establish law, create a monetary system. That’s it. Nowhere does it state “provide medical coverage” or “provide education,” nor “provide” anything. It is time for individual responsibility.

Ordinary people have limited resources. Let us, the citizens, decide where, on what, and when to spend our hard-earned dollars. For me, it’s my community, and where I volunteer my time and when and how much I CAN give. These are things I can control. Our advice: Control that in which you are charged. You have enough for what your needs are and the purpose you are to serve. Please! You MUST figure it out.

KAREN PETTALIA,

Presque Isle