To the Editor:

Every night I try and catch at least one of the many evening news programs, but lately all I feel is an overwhelming sense of anger and frustration.

Budgetary constraints, fiscal deficits, failing American companies, home foreclosures, million dollar executive bonuses to run failing companies, massive layoffs, increasing youth violence and political infighting are just a few of the depressing headlines.

And then, to top it all off, there’s another steroid popping athlete who earns a quarter of a billion dollars a year to lie, cheat and deceive his fans, teammates and employers.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

Granted, there are multiple issues that could cause one to vent for weeks, if not months. Let’s face it: No one is worth $28 million a year, especially not someone who gets to play a game for a living. Then, to not even play the game fairly is even more despicable.

But, my underlying frustration is that after all that Alex Rodriguez, known to most as A-Rod, gets to keep all that money.

So, I started thinking, how many schools, police departments, fire departments, hospitals, youth centers or animal shelters could use a $28 million “bailout”?

Then, multiply that by three, which is the number of years A-Rod cheated.

I’m no math whiz, but that adds up to almost a billion dollars. I think he owes the people he let down. When are we going to start holding people accountable financially for their deceitful behaviors that the rest of us have to pay for? And this example is only the most recent example of a billion-dollar blunder.

Colleen Monn

Franklin