This is in response to the guest column by Rep. Michel Lajoie, printed May 12. His column ties nicely into an incident that happened just a couple of days later, on May 15, at the Poland High School budget meeting and explains why this country is $17 trillion in debt and counting.

Lajoie’s assertion that accepting federal health care dollars is a great deal for Maine because the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost for the first three years is misleading at the very least.

The last time I looked at my paycheck, I was sure it had a deduction for both federal and state taxes; that is the way it is with most hardworking Mainers in the private sector.

People can try this exercise on for a minute: take $100 and put $50 in one pocket and call it federal taxes; take $30 and put it into another pocket and call it state taxes; and last, but not least, take the $20 left over and put it into another pocket, calling that local taxes. It becomes obvious that whether you are asking to use federal or state or local tax dollars, they are all coming out of the same place — the pockets of hardworking Mainers. So how is that a savings?

That same type of attitude was prevalent at the RSU 16 budget meeting held recently at Poland High School. Superintendent Micheal Wilhelm was explaining the budget and often would make the comment that this item or that item was no cost to the local taxpayer because the state was picking up 100 percent of that portion of the budget. One of the examples he used was Poland High School students going to use the programs at Lewiston High School LRTC, which the state pays for 100 percent.

Really? It doesn’t cost us anything? Where does the state get the money to pay for such programs, out of thin air?

It comes right back to that same pair of pants hardworking Mainers are wearing.

So when the Democrats are trying to tell people what a great deal federal health care is, people should remember they are just trying to reach around to that other pocket.

With the national debt at $17 trillion and a family of four’s share at more than $200,000, enough is enough.

Donald Dubuc, Minot