Thank you BGYA leadership

Dear Editor,
I am so proud of the Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance Program (BGYA). Our kids deserve the best and this kind of student leadership shows us how bright our future is! For 35 years BGYA has been honoring the best and brightest in our community and I am proud to recognize each one of them.
Young people are selected for their efforts in making our community a better place and for helping others. Schools, community organizations, civic leaders and members of the faith community come together every year to nominate students who have stepped up to make their mark.
In 2022, BGYA honored 189 students from Brandon, Groveland, and Ortonville.
Their efforts included working with the homeless, volunteering at numerous charities, animal shelters and local food banks. They helped seniors, planned community events, and raised funds for restoration projects, among so many other examples of real leadership.
BGYA and those they honor, continue to make Brandon, Groveland, and Ortonville a better place. I would like to thank Robert McArthur, Jeannie McCreery, and Theresa Bills for making this all possible for our kids.
Again, thank you to the BGYA leadership and all those who stepped up in Brandon, Groveland, and Ortonville.
Ruth A. Johnson, State Senator
14th District

(In response to ‘Buy their ‘vote-ism’ with your ‘money-ism’,’ a letter by Frank Porretta, The Citizen, April 16, 2022, page 7)

Yup, I will pay for that

Dear Editor,
I read with interest Frank Porretta’s letter regarding student loan forgiveness. While there are many arguments in favor of student loan relief: predatory banks, for profit schools ripping off kids, the sad inability to find a job after graduation, what stuck me was the idea that these students were somehow scamming with “someone else’s’ money.
Well, all government programs are someone else’s money. The only revenue any government has is someone else’s money: us, the taxpayers.
The writer also cites that old idea, the scary word Socialism. We have whatever Socialism we want, like the Socialistic snow plow that plows M-15, the Socialistic Internet we all use, the Socialistic FAA we all depend on when we fly. We all contribute money to stuff we will not directly benefit from.
Will I ever use the Big Nance Creek Bridge in Alabama, repaired with my Federal dollars? No. Yup, I will pay for that. Will I benefit from a study of Bay of Biscayne’s water quality? Nope, but, Yup, I will pay for that. Do I know any of the kids in Kansas who will enjoy fresh fruits and veggies at school paid for by a federal program? Nope. But, Yup, I will pay for that. Will Mr. Porretta send me my Social Security check next month? Yup, he will, along with all the other taxpayers. (Thanks, buddy).
We are all part of a community, we all benefit by pooling our money to do stuff we can’t do alone. Our young people need our help with this crushing debt. Yup, I will pay for that.
Bonnie Beltramo