As former chair of the State Committee on Aging, which worked for years to raise awareness of aging issues in New Hampshire and established the current State Commission on Aging, I was shocked to see the negative actions of the Finance Committee to abolish this educational resource for our New Hampshire older adults.

All our citizens should support the efforts of the commission and understand the value of promoting healthy aging. As an advocate for kindness and common sense, I have a hard time understanding why this questionable anti-education legislation has surfaced. There is no big economic savings in eliminating a group which provides educational resources and information to better older lives,

I recall that then-Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and I co-chaired the efforts to educate our citizens about elder abuse back in the day. While we did spend a few dollars for posters describing abuse and the requirements for reporting, I cannot imagine her endorsing this Finance Committee action if it ever gets to the governor's desk. 

Owen R. Houghton

Jaffrey