To the editor:

I have a few thoughts I’d like to share.

1) Government needs to stop trying to manage people’s lives.

2) People on social services are already receiving Medicaid. Taxpayers are already paying for Medicaid.

3) People who want to buy their own insurance should do so by their own choice.

4) When someone gives a large sum of money via parties or limousines for a wedding gift to the governor’s family, that should be his or her own choice.

5) Why should tax money be spent to investigate a gift to the daughter of our governor for her wedding? A gift should be the business of the giver, not the public.

Having to hire lawyers is very costly. The governor is already being replaced in January, so why should taxpayers’ money be used for an incident that should have been private, between the daughter and the gift-giver?

Shouldn’t the governor’s accusers have to prove the gift-giver has received “perks” due to this gift to the governor’s daughter?

People in prison are receiving perks, because they have medical and dental services, food, a place to sleep and an opportunity to get an education. My tax money is being used to provide these perks for habitual offenders, who know they will fare better in prison than they would by working for a living or living on social services.

Either way, taxpayers are the ones who are straining to keep their families alive. They should not continue to take care of habitual offenders. Instead, long-term prisoners should be made to work and be paid a minimal wage so they can get educated and learn how to save some money, so that when they do get out of prison, they will have a few dollars to tide them over until they can find a J-O-B.

Mary Grace Garner-Atkins

Suffolk