Dear Hillary Clinton

Hillary, we don't have cable TV or cell phones. Our car is 16 years old. We grow vegetables in a small garden to eat during the summer months and can some for the winter. We have health insurance and paid for the upbringing of our children and their college tuition. My children worked from the time they were old enough. I never wanted or received a government handout. We also have enough money to support charitable causes and do. Why do you want to take my money and the money of others and give it away?

Hillary, I know a millionaire. Should we take his money? A little over twenty years ago, I worked for him as a business manager. He started with a $25,000 loan from a local bank (his parents co-signed) and through hard work, enormous sweat and determined effort has successively grown his company to one which currently employs around 50 people. I really did not like the business world for several reasons, left after a year. We have remained friends ever since and I often talk with him about his businesses.

He is a multi -millionaire because he took risks that most of us would not. I recall that he was considering a complex business arrangement that I recommended he stay away from because the risk of failure was so high. He was convinced that the venture would be successful and proceeded. He risked every bit of his wealth, at that time about $100,000, in the venture. After two years of very hard work he managed to break even. He was lucky, but that close call with going broke did not deter him and he continued to work hard and became involved in other high risk ventures. Those ventures were successful and he has turned that original $25,000 into many millions of dollars and consequently has contributed much in taxes over the years. He also has given much to the community.

I was talking to him recently and he said he paid about $3,000,000 in federal taxes last year with hundreds of thousands more paid to state and local government. Wow! That's a lot, but I am familiar enough with our tax structure to know it is probably true. He is an involved citizen and doesn't shirk his responsibilities and obligations.

Last year I paid federal taxes too. My share was about $3,000. I wish my share was higher as that would have meant I earned more. Oh well.

So what is the point of this story? This story is for Hillary Clinton and others that would take my money and give it away to others. I don't like that. My millionaire friend also has some objections and some better ideas.

Our government taxes every citizen to pay for many worthy causes - national defense, schools and education, science exploration, health care, foreign affairs, welfare for those that have a need, postal services and many dollars are appropriated for a myriad of other agencies and regulatory bodies that serve us.

However, some tax monies are wasted. I don't like it when the government takes my money and gives it to someone else that did not take advantage of the opportunity to earn their own. I don't object if it goes to those that are not able to work. I do object if it is a hand-out.

Hillary Clinton supports two programs that take from one family and give to another. First, there is the proposal to give a $5000 bond to newborn babies to kick-start their savings. On the face that sounds good, but is it really? My share would be small, but I think my children are better off because they worked for the money. My millionaire friend's part would be large.

What would he do with the money if he didn't give it to our government? The answer for him is simple. He would buy new equipment, hire more employees and expand his business. He already has 50 employees and would like to hire an additional ten. If he had just $1,000,000 back of the $3,000,000 he paid in taxes, he could easily hire 10 others, buy additional equipment and enable those employees to begin to acquire some wealth as well as provide employment for those that manufacture the supplies and equipment he would purchase. To me that sounds like he is providing an opportunity, instead his money is taken away and redistributed by the government.

Several of his former employees have left his company and started their own businesses. He provided them with a chance to learn, acquire experience and they recognized their opportunities and are business owners with employees. All have the ability to save the $5000 for their children and are proud of their accomplishments, I'm sure.

I wonder if they would have taken the risk to acquire wealth, establish their own businesses and hire others if they just had to sit back and wait for Hillary and others to give them money?

The other program is the SCIP (State Child Health Insurance Program) . This program is designed to provide health insurance for low income families. That's good. The problem is that Hillary and others want to expand the program and define low income up to $80,000 a year in income. I never earned that much in a year in my life and I paid for health care, tuition and many other expenses for my children. It would have been nice, but it would mean I had to take money from others to pay for my responsibility. It probably means that jobs and opportunities created by the wealthy will not happen. That would be wrong.

I guess I'm strange. I think people that are rich, or those that want to be, create opportunity. The rich spend their money for things that the rest of us make or do. Those that want to be rich are creative and resourceful. Frankly, while I've worked all my life, I probably would not if the government gave me money or provided for me and my family.

I also think it is instructive for our children to work. It provides incentive for them to study and recognize the value of acquiring the knowledge necessary to be self- supporting.

Hillary, giving money to those that are not needy is a bad idea. It will ruin our nation. It destroys the incentive to be creative and resourceful. In reality it steals from the American dream.