I certainly agree with Willie Dickerson (“Don’t just vote, speak up,” Reporter, Aug. 26) regarding being proactive in our democracy by contacting our political leaders.

With our extreme wealth divide looming ever larger, it’s so important now. Yes, the United States has 40 million rent-stressed families and 12.8 million kids – about one in five – living in poverty.

Did you know that in the late 1970s, the United States had even a modest surplus of affordable housing units for the lowest-income people? Adjusted for inflation, the federal budget for housing assistance programs 50 years ago was nearly three times more than it is today, in spite of significant growth in the number of low-income renters eligible for housing assistance.

President Donald Trump wants to slash funding for critical programs regarding housing, education, SNAP (food stamps), etc. We can go to cantwell.senate.gov and murray.senate.gov to learn how our U. S. senators are working to keep and strengthen the public safety net and thank them!

Donna Munro

Beremerton