Who’s the victim? Maybe it’s the accuser

So, candidate Mitt Romney thinks I'm a victim, does he? Well, in my entire life, I have taken from the government only what I was eligible for and willingly paid whatever taxes I owed without resorting to foreign bank accounts.

As a child, I was partly supported by Social Security Survivors Benefits, which helped my mother make ends meet while she worked two jobs for low wages. Those benefits made me feel that my government valued our family and my mother's efforts to be a good parent. As an adult, I have been self-supporting, although I admit I have depended on public roads, national parks, public schools, national defense, the court system and all the other benefits my taxes pay for.

Now that I'm older, I do consider myself entitled to Social Security and Medicare benefits, programs that I have paid into since my first job at age 14. By the way, I pay taxes on my benefits. In fact, I pay a higher percentage of my income in taxes than Romney does.

I'm no victim. I believe Romney is the victim here - victim of his own greed and arrogance. I'm voting for Obama.

Carol Thompson

Coralville