To Mister Romney and friends,

". . .he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?' Jesus replied, 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?' He said, 'The one who showed him mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'"

- Luke 10:29

"There are 47 percent of the people who. . . are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. . . My job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

- Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate

I would like to tell you about one of the "47 percent" you were referring to, she is 40 years old and has never worked a day in her life. She is one of those Americans that has never paid taxes. The government pays some of her health care, food, and housing. That person is my sister. You should also know she can no longer walk, dress herself, feed herself, or communicate with her family. Her life has never been easy.

My parents realized years ago that eventually they would not be able to care for her and were fortunate to find a home for her run by the charity Heritage Christian Services (HCS). Now she has a larger family that includes her housemates and the people who care for her. Some of the money that keeps HCS going comes from the taxpayers of the state of New York. When I encounter people complaining about taxes I tell them that my sister depends on some of those taxes to maintain her house and have a decent life, and I thank them because they've helped make that possible. Another portion of HCS's money comes from very generous donors who believe in its mission: "A life of dignity, worth and expression to which all are entitled as God’s created children. This is their rightful HERITAGE."

No doubt your apologists will be quick to say that of course you weren't really referring to people who are disabled. Then which people were you referring to? The elderly poor? Disabled veterans? People who work one or two jobs just to have food and a place to live? The mentally ill, who often have no place to live and no one to treat them? These are the types of people that are part of those 47 percent. You've dismissed almost half of the citizens of this country as unimportant and not worth caring about. That made me angry. I decided I had to speak up for the most vulnerable people who often have no voice of their own. Those who aspire to be great American leaders should stand up for those that have the least, not inflict misery on them.

My sister has never voted, and will never vote. She is not capable of expressing her desires, wishes, or dreams. She is utterly dependent on others to care for her and advocate on her behalf. I wasn't very excited about the upcoming election since President Obama has failed to take many of the actions that I believe are in the best interests of the citizens of this country. But now that I know how you really feel about my sister and other less fortunate citizens in this country I'll be voting in November and I'll think about what's best for her while I'm doing it.

My sister arriving to celebrate Christmas.