Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful editorial (“Seeking the fair tale land of no taxes” 11/18). Not surprised you drew fire from the “Greed is Good” crowd.

“How much is enough?” your critics ask. (Or, “What’s in it for me?”) Because if we give more, we should get something more in return. Right?

The answer to “How much is enough?” is all that we see around us and anything more that we dare to imagine. A few generations ago, who could have foreseen “indoor plumbing” and germ-free water flowing in every home? (Remember when we had to help our sick to an outhouse when at our bodies’ weakest imaginable state?) Who could have foreseen high-speed highways to bring fresh meat, produce, and dairy to a local grocer? Who could have foreseen that family members, a thousand miles away, could be physically joined in just hours? Who could have foreseen that an average family could retire without living in poverty? And who could have foreseen dramatic decreases in infant mortality and increases in survival from serious diseases that, without investment in infrastructure, would have never evolved? And, clean air, rivers, electricity ...

“How much is enough?” Let’s just say, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” And many of us say, “It ain’t over until we’ve ended war, hunger, and extreme poverty.”

As for “... we don’t trust the government with any more of our money,” let’s remember that all the while, as we modernized and improved America for each of its citizens, there were whiners, complaining that our government should not be trusted. To you whiners, I say shame, Shame, SHAME on you and your “What’s in it for me,” as if our defenders of the past died just for your personal needs. Let’s also not forget that all that was done was not done with an open checkbook. It was done with responsible budgeting.

Government is our glue. If we look for weakness, we can find and fix. If we simply whine as we wait for others to fix it, it may not get done. That’s what is scary about today’s political climate. I hope we can together, in the 2016 election cycle, take a close look at our candidates and support only honest, responsible candidates who are not accepting contributions from rich corporations and individuals. I’m voting for Joe Pakootas — a fiscal conservative in touch with reality and not owned by contributors.

Dennis Thomas

(former area resident)