Enough is enough.
I have sat back long enough and bitten my tongue. This letter is to any and all persons involved in throwing stones and slinging mud at people who are just like you and me, except for their good fortune and smart investments. I am naturally referring to the residents of the exclusive golf courses (The Rim Club and Chaparral Pines). Every letter (except from residents) bashes these people as devil's advocates.
The only thing these people are guilty of is being wealthy. You see, I happen to know a large majority of them "personally," and to say they don't spend money in Payson is ludicrous.
Try driving through the employee parking lot of the golf courses some day and look at these "underpaid employee vehicles." You might just be surprised.
As for the title "The Idle Rich," where were any of you when the "Idle Rich" were working 60 to 70 hours a week just to make a better living for their families. You see, I know them. And, I can tell you this, they're everywhere. I see them in every single store, shop, gas station, restaurant, casino, events, outing and charity fund-raiser.
But, you can't see them because you're looking for some prima donna who doesn't exist. Oh, don't get me wrong, you have said "Hi" to them, or thanked them for letting you go first in line at the post office or grocery store. But, you don't know them. So, you just think, "Wow, that was a very nice Payson family," and you would never think that they were the "Idle Rich" as you watch them enter their 1995 Buick 4-door sedan.
My point is: Please don't judge people you don't know because of their wealth, color, creed or religion. These folks are mostly from humble backgrounds and beginnings.
You now might ask yourself, "How do I know all of this?" Well, it's because I am an employee of the so-called "Idle Rich," and let me be the first to tell you that these folks are not only "rich," but kind, generous, giving, caring people whom I will continue to work for and be friends with as long as I possibly can.
L. Stevens, Payson