I am a lifelong moderate Democrat. I voted for Jared Golden the first time he ran for representative. I have not always been pleased with his votes in Congress. The last time he ran, I voted for him as my second choice.

However, his statement concerning student loans is spot on (“Jared Golden criticized for vehemence of his opposition to student debt relief,” Aug. 18). Serve in the military, and you won’t need student loans. Or learn a trade, and earn excellent money without accumulating debt.

Neither my husband nor I are college graduates, and we are proud of it. We are retirees and have done just fine financially. His military service now gives us nearly free health care, and we can choose local medical providers. Yes, we have taken out mortgages and car loans, and we don’t expect taxpayers to pay off our debt. We have no desire to pay off anyone’s student loans, including our grandson’s. They knew what they were doing when they applied for loans. What about those people that paid off their student loans?

Criticism of Golden’s statement is coming from those with college educations, not those of us taxpayers who worked all our lives. There was nothing mean or nasty about what he said. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Donna Runnels

Burnham