Seniors in the cold reflect on society

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, August 2, 2001

I just finished reading Kristi O’Harran’s July 24 column, “Why do we leave seniors in the cold?” My heart weeps for our nation’s senior citizens, the forgotten ones. We are the wealthiest nation on this planet and yet our government has turned a cold and indifferent shoulder on a large segment of our population as if they are garbage and can be discarded without a care. Oh how it reeks of capitalism! It comes down to money, does it not?

Our lawmakers and big corporations may be able to convince us that it is OK to continue our steady rate of exhausting nature’s fragile and limited resources, but they will never be able to convince me that it is acceptable to throw away a human being. I don’t care what the cost is – we are responsible for each other! If we lose our humanity, we are no better than animals.

I will keep Roslyn Nelson in my heart, as well as the millions of seniors who suffer the same indignities because we have turned our backs on them. Nobody should have to choose between food and necessary medication. At this moment, I feel such shame that I am an American.

Snohomish