Low-income affected by reduced services

To the Bulletin:

An override is felt most by those on limited or fixed income. These are the folks who are most affected by reduced services as well. Good schools are the backbone of a democratic society. Families who depend solely on our wonderful library system may find it difficult to buy books; youngsters who spend much of their summers at the town pools don't usually go to the Cape for two weeks or have a back yard pool to enjoy. It is not enough to say we are sorry that although these services were enjoyed by our children and parents, we can no longer afford to provide them for the young families and elders who are here now.

We need to find a way to support these services, and the override seems to us to be the most feasible solution in the short term. The three years, guaranteeing no more overrides, will give us time to find creative, alternative solutions to ongoing fiscal crises caused more by reductions from state and federal resources than by poor fiscal management.

Fran Wall
Byron Koh
Amherst

Source: Amherst Bulletin, April 27, 2007 - Letters