Wayne Palmer

To the editor,

I wanted to thank you for reprinting a patron’s lament about not being able to receive a blank census form from a woman sent to his household to gather the information. I am still laughing about this gentleman’s letter to the editor and my sides ache. Do you know if he does a comedy routine in the Laconia area?

He begins by telling us how superior his education is and I quote, “as a retired former educator and the recipient of advanced college degrees plus a high school diploma, married to another educator and the parents of four young ladies.”

Having children requires an advanced education? And a high school diploma, placed as an after thought, of advanced college degrees; that’s funny material. But all fun and games aside, this gentleman did nothing more than belittle one of his neighbors who was merely trying to do a job and earn a little money to support her family. She’s not a part of something bigger than herself, some census army. She’s more than likely from the Laconia area trying to gather the census information that 30-percent of New Hampshirites didn’t return via U.S. mail or didn’t receive in the mail, but this poor woman doesn’t know what the situation was that this gentleman didn’t receive his questionnaire, nor does she care. She merely needs the information to complete that small part of her job. He obviously is incapable of understanding that she has been instructed by her supervisor not to have a respondent fill out their own census form.

But this man and his superior education and wisdom found that acting like a five-year-old, stomping his feet, having a tantrum, demanding a second piece of candy, was more suitable than answering this woman’s 10 questions. And he not only tells us once but twice in the same article. Does he think that we’re to stupid to understand what he said the first time around? and I quote: “You get my drift, Sun readers?”

As for his apology for not being part of the census; I’m certain he may be sincere and I hate to inform him because he is so superior to the rest of us; he was counted in the census even though he refused this woman’s inquiry. You see, she merely asked one of his neighbors for the information. The only shame of all this is that we, as census takers are not empowered to cite people like this gentleman on the spot; for the census is mandated by the United States Constitution and compliance is the law, but it is doubtful that anyone will be arresting him. His apology should go to the woman he bantered at his doorstep and to the parents of the children he supposedly educated.

So Lawton, with your superior brain and all as well as being retired, don’t you think it might be time to grow up?

Wayne Palmer

Manchester