I certainly would not call David Behling ignorant. He was comparing some similarities between immigrants coming to this country and snowbirds who go south for the winter, sometimes doubling the size of towns down there. In both cases, they put a strain on resources. But they also pump a lot of money into the economy by buying goods and services. Each group is counted in the state census, even the snowbirds who spend less than six months down south.

My advice is to get used to them because all indications point to more of both groups in the future. Many immigrants come here because of war and starvation in their home country, and they want to stay because of the freedom and opportunities in the U.S.

By now we all should know that the older adult population is rapidly increasing and more of them will want to escape cold winter weather. If I don’t respond to a letter in the newspaper, it doesn’t mean that I automatically agree with the letter writer. Sometimes I choose not to fuel the fire, hoping it will burn out.

 

Lenore Fries

Albert Lea