Mayor lauded for stand on affordable housing Open letter toMathewMorehead: Iwas dismayed to read the letter from the chairman of the Young Democrats criticizing Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger and Steve Lonegan for their efforts to end the costly, taxpayer subsidized affordable housing program. As a college undergraduate, I am working very hard to earn a degree that will give me the opportunity to enter the workplace and build a career. However, the current financial state of New Jersey that has driven property taxes to the highest level in the nation has made the prospect of living in my home state very uncertain. Expensive, taxpayer-subsidized affordable housing and other similar programs are what have inflated the cost of government and is fast making all housing unaffordable. On a philosophical note, I find it objectionable that any ablebodied young person would look to the already overburdened New Jersey taxpayer to subsidize their home, when for generations, people like my parents and grandparents worked, sacrificed and saved until they could purchase their own home. When I graduate, I realize I may have to live in an apartment and must continue to work toward accumulating the necessary money to own a home. If we provide this socalled "affordable housing," the time before I am able to afford a home will be longer. I must pay extra taxes for those who want affordable housing instead of working until they can afford their own home. This is the spirit of America that made it great, not the socialist monolith that some in Trenton envision. Since America became an independent nation after the ratification of the Constitution in 1787, citizens have needed to work to obtain the money to buy a home and this should not change today. I commend Mayor Scharfenberger and Mr. Lonegan for looking out for the taxpayers and am happy to hear that other cities and towns are finally speaking out on this issue as well. Nick Campione president Monmouth University Republican Club West Long Branch