Drawing your attention to the front page of the Local section dated Oct. 20: On the left side the headlines are “Report examines hunger in county” and “Meeting to explore homeless issues.” On the right side, the headline is “Housing prices up in SLO County.”

How can this be, more hungry and homeless with rising home prices? Think about it because this is a snapshot of our country right in our own backyard. I wonder if the rising home prices will get some folks above water, stimulate housing-related businesses and in turn create jobs for the hungry and homeless.

If you make the “well-to-do” amongst us less well-to-do with higher taxes and other punishments then, in turn, you make the poor poorer, too.

Who’s going to buy your SLO home? I am an average citizen, who, like you, has worked hard all her life. I just get tired of people being slammed just because they are successful.

I can’t help anyone if I become poor — not even myself.

So let’s encourage the “well-to-do” to keep on doing what they’re doing: buying homes, creating jobs and helping the hungry and homeless.