Letter: Salem CPA would hurt seniors

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October 8, 2012

Letter: Salem CPA would hurt seniors

Anonymous The Salem News The Salem News Mon Oct 08, 2012, 04:00 AM EDT

To the editor:

Re: “CPA is no bargain for Salem,” published Oct. 1:

An increase of taxes for these so-called programs to restore all of the fields and buildings may be all right for people who have good-paying jobs and don’t mind the increase; after all, it’s only supposed to be 1 percent to 3 percent. Who knows, by the time the work is done, the percentage may go up higher, like 10 percent extra. What will happen to the seniors who own their homes and are living only on Social Security? The only thing they will have to do is to sell their homes. Also, what about the low-income people who have had their homes for years, raising their families and having to leave because of taxes going up and not being able to pay them; this also included seniors. You try living on just Social Security and trying to have things paid. The cost of all utilities and food goes up all the time, it’s not an easy life. One check a month does not cut the mustard.

I was born and raised in Salem, and educated here, and I raised my family here. Salem is going to have a lot of homes for sale, and some will already be sold by the time the CPA does the improvements. Not everyone in Salem will have any use for the repairing of fields and any use after the repairs. Maybe the restorations of the playgrounds and buildings will be able to be used by the younger people but not for the seniors. Can you picture the seniors going on the swings and the slides to get some use of the playgrounds?

Why weren’t the historic buildings kept up right along, instead of putting it on the property tax?

Does Salem want to make the seniors sell their homes and leave, including the low-income property owners? It may eventually have to come to that.

Only in Massachusetts.

Barbara St. Pierre

Salem