I am fed up with ignorant, bigoted, intolerant individuals who continually bash both Somali or other immigrant people, saying they are just welfare abusers, and the church groups that bring them here and support them.

I recently reminded such an individual that we have people who make millions of dollars bringing drugs into our communities and who, with their distributors, sell them to drug users. These traffickers don’t pay taxes; they destroy families, and create addicts, who becomes burdens to society and our health care system for free over and over again by overdosing, getting treatments repeatedly and then going back to get high after being released.

When drug sellers are caught, we also provide them free housing and meals. There is a drug crisis in this country, and we are all paying for it.

The majority of Somalis and other immigrants are good people who end up paying payroll and income taxes and contribute to the economic well-being of our communities and deserve respect.

I have worked for over 50 years as an accountant in private, public and government entities. I could write a book on how rich people abuse the system to avoid paying taxes, cut corners to increase profits and avoid paying their employees just wages and benefits so they can make more money. They are the greatest abusers of our economic system. They create the welfare system for the rich.

Don Michaud

Auburn