This letter is in response to Craig Lowell’s Sept. 15 online feedback, “Social programs less crucial than defense,” printed in the Daily.

The Department of the Interior is not disposable. More specifically, the DOI protects America’s treasures for future generations, provides access to our nation’s natural and cultural heritage, offers recreation opportunities, honors its trust responsibilities to Native Americans and Alaska Natives and its responsibilities to island communities, conducts scientific research, provides wise stewardship of energy and mineral resources, fosters sound use of land and water resources and conserves and protects fish and wildlife. The work they do affects the lives of millions of people, from the family taking a vacation in one of our national parks to the children studying in one of our Native American schools.

According to their Web site (doi.gov), the DOI is a large decentralized agency with more than 70,200 employees and 200,000 volunteers located at approximately 2,400 operating locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and freely associated states. We discharge our responsibilities on a $13.4 billion total annual budget. The DOI raises more than $8.3 billion in revenues collected from energy, mineral, grazing, timber, recreation and land sales.

The Department of Health and Human Services provides income support, funds many public health programs and bio-medical research. It also works to make medicine available to all Americans and fight bio-terrorism. The DHHS works to stop the AIDS virus here and abroad. It also provides Medicare for 25 percent of the children in this country. The list goes on and on.

About $16 billion of the DHHS’ budget goes to people on welfare. This is a relatively small portion of their budget going toward cash benefits for families — the amount they receive is not even enough to pay their rent.

People on welfare are not exactly living it up. You obviously have no compassion for people in this world who do not have the same opportunities that you have been given.

Everything you and everyone else has in this country is courtesy of the federal government and its efforts to provide a high quality of life for its citizens. Education is the foundation of this society — we are the wealthiest nation because we are the most educated. And I did not read anywhere in the Constitution that the government has the right to bomb entire countries in the search of two men who do not represent the people of those countries, and then they cannot even find them, and then my money and your money is going to be spent rebuilding everything that was destroyed in vain.

However, it does say in the Constitution that we will “promote the general Welfare,” and also “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” This means to help people. It also states that Congress has the right to levy taxes to aid the “common Defense and general Welfare of the United States.”

You were obviously born into a life with many more opportunities than millions of other people. That does not make you better than anyone else — you just got lucky.

Maria Fisk

Senior

Sociology