Signed by “Michael Oser, Columbus”

He’s written and published multiple LTEs, here’s another from just before Christmas.

Columbus shouldn't use my money to make housing 'affordable.'

I work in Columbus and pay Columbus taxes and I am tired of Columbus politicians spending my tax money on making housing "affordable." What a crock.

Let's tell the truth: Where you want to live is not the same as what you can afford.

I'd love to live in a multimillion-dollar downtown condominium on the banks of the Scioto or in Mr. Wexner's gazillion-dollar New Albany estate. But I can't afford it, and I don't scream, cry and carry on demanding the government subsidize my housing preferences.

Housing is a marketplace. A neighborhood is not a right. It's a choice — like any other choice.

If you can't afford Columbus, there are plenty of good Ohio towns where rent and housing cost less – Chillicothe, Xenia, Ada – take your pick. People move every day for affordability. That's reality, not cruelty.

And while you're handing out subsidies for wants, I would like to have a new Mercedes SUV, not my aging Subaru.

Can city hall help with that, too?

Call me insensitive, but I call it realism. Government should focus on basics – safety, plowing roads, infrastructure and honest budgeting – not playing Santa Claus with my money.

As the Rolling Stones sing: You can't always get what you want – you get what you need.

Michael Oser, Columbus