I was inspired by Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” speech. So inspired that I went to see my mother. This is what I told her.

“Mom, it’s time that you showed a little initiative. All you do is sit around all day in your wheelchair. I know, I know, you are 92 years old, your foot was amputated. You can’t walk without assistance, and your blood pressure is so high that you can have a heart attack at any time. But those are excuses. Get a job. Maybe for a credit card company dunning debtors. Or selling Florida real estate.

“You and your sense of entitlement. All you do is take. Sure, you paid into the Social Security fund for 40 years, but that doesn’t entitle to benefits for the rest of your life. And you are always taking from Medicare. You say without it, you’d be thrown out of the nursing home and have to live on the street. Well, if you can’t pay the bills, maybe that’s where you should be.

“Make me proud, Mom. Show some ambition. Stand up on your own two feet (metaphorically). Work. Pay taxes. And stop acting like a victim.”

My mother looked at me like I was crazy. It’s like Romney says. Some people will never learn.

- Joe Gerken, Buffalo

Artvoice reserves the right to edit letters for content and length. Shorter letters have a better chance at being published in their entirety. Please include your name, hometown, and contact number. E-mail letters to: editorial@artvoice.com or write to: Artvoice Letters, 810 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14202