Free rides are payback for seniors

Jennifer Bauer (Fence Post, Dec. 19) is certainly correct. There is no rational basis for allowing affluent seniors to ride our transit system for free. Just as there is no rational basis for seniors to be assessed and be required to pay real estate taxes for schools when their children have graduated and no longer use the school system.

I firmly believe that the affluent would gladly trade their “free” RTA pass for a pass on paying that portion of their real estate taxes. How many seniors have had nondeductible FICA taxes withheld from their paychecks and now, during their retirement, pay tax on their Social Security benefits? I call that paying tax on the same money twice. What is the rationale to that process?

The reality of the RTA pass is not that the affluent can afford to pay, but it is a matter of convenience. As you grow older many things begin to work poorly. We begin to find walking any distance is a chore and remembering to buy the train ticket before boarding is an inconvenience.

For many elderly, the permanent RTA pass is like a safety net. They know that they don't need to rush to buy a ticket or if by accident they board the wrong train or bus the free pass can get them on another without having to buy another ticket.

I'd like to think that legislators who oppose limiting the free rides are saying thank you to all the seniors who have helped pay for the school system that educated them and their children.

Michael J. Singer

Arlington Heights