I noticed our leadership is seriously planning to extend benefits like tax breaks, spousal retirement benefits and insurance coverage to gay unions. I have never heard any discussion of how that cost will be covered. Since the state, Social Security System and many businesses are in serious financial danger, it might be worth looking at our precarious budgetary situations before supporting these additional benefits.

Just so everyone understands, I am already retired so other than the changes to Social Security that are probably already made inevitable by exuberant generosity, I will not be paying for these additional benefits; someone else will.

KIRK C. WILLIAMS, Richland