To the editor:

The socialist candidates for the village board election on Sept. 15 want to provide, at village taxpayer expense, health care to everyone in the village. Yikes. How much will that cost? It may be a noble pursuit for our nation, but can a small village of 5,000 people afford that? Of course not.

If 10% of our residents do not have health insurance, then village taxpayers would foot the health insurance bill for 500. Conservatively, that would be 200 families and individuals at $10,000 per year, a total of $2 million per year. This would be a 50% tax hike for every taxpayer in the village.

The socialist candidates for village office do not seem to grasp that the hard-working women and men of our village cannot afford anymore taxation. Their socialist agenda and wish list outstrip local pocketbooks. They do not seem to have a clue about real-life finances for the village budget and how it affects working families in Saranac Lake. Village taxes are high enough without paying for everyone else’s health insurance.

With the socialists and their expensive socialism bearing down on the village and village taxpayers this election, we need to keep Tom Catillaz and Rich Shapiro in office to fend them off. Please vote for these two trustees to protect our village from the huge tax hikes the socialists promise.

Sincerely,

Austin Ecret

Saranac Lake