Responsible citizens key to strong nation

I just watched Rep. Jan Schakowsky on "Windy City Live" talking about "live the wage." When you decide to start a family you certainly should be making more than minimum wage. Adults should be making responsible decisions and, with all the birth control available, should delay having children until they can afford to at least feed and clothe them.

To hear her say forget about buying Starbucks coffee on minimum wage was just plain stupid. Though I could afford it, I feel that Starbucks is a luxury which I can certainly live without it. So, why would anyone making minimum wage even think of buying it?

With this being an election year, most politicians are more interested in getting votes than actually doing what is best for our country, and in the process they are willing to continue enabling people to be overly dependent on government instead of bettering themselves by getting better jobs.

It's the same with the politicians who use the children coming into our country through Mexico to get votes. Shame on them. We have so many American-born children doing without, yet they will use anything to make themselves "look good" in order to get votes. We should be working with those countries to make life better there rather than separating families by allowing the children to come here.

It's as if we no longer enforce immigration legislation, that there are no rules anymore. How will America survive with the way our country is being run? Unfortunately, it seems government expects nothing from its citizens when it comes to being reliable and responsible, so guess what, that's what it will get - nothing. I truly believe people who earn their own way in life are much better off than those who are handed everything.

Janet Lumm

Schaumburg