THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 29, 1995 TAG: 9504290008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 28 lines
I am an immigrant who has worked from the first month of arriving here. I and others I know certainly pay all taxes, including U.S. taxes on a small government pension given me by the taxpayers of my own country. The money is spent in the U.S. economy, and I cannot get a refund from Virginia even at 70 percent - unlike some other retirees.
While my sponsor (my sister, who has also contributed to the economy since 1946) would be happy to fulfill her commitments, I have ensured her that should I fall on hard times, I will not become a burden on either my sponsor or the taxpayer (it's called insurance).
My wife and I ``chose'' to live here but were admitted only after extensive checks and investigations and after considerable expense, both to my sponsor and myself, and after six years on a waiting list. We are not a wealthy family but simply ``working stiffs'' trying to achieve the American Dream.
ROBERT CONNELLY
Norfolk, April 17, 1995 by CNB