My attempts to find out what has been driving our local welfare culture has met with limited success. Department of Social Services Commissioner Laura Cerow did provide valuable information to me, and I am very grateful for her assistance. But I have been unable to clarify my basic question. Who are these people getting welfare and Medicaid?

I am sure we have all noticed the influx of strange faces in our city. Just driving up Academy Street and seeing so many folks, sitting on their porches, drinking beer, doing nothing makes me very upset. My proposition is simply that they are not natives of Jefferson County or Watertown. If someone moves to Watertown from Philadelphia, Pa., rents an apartment, gets a utility bill in their name, and changes drivers license, they are now considered a Jefferson County resident.

The entire northeast segment of our beautiful city, from Huntington Street to Washington Street, is being taken over by the welfare community, many having moved here from other cities and other states. They come here to be supported by the hardworking taxpayers of Jefferson County. Department of Social Services has no choice, by New York state mandates, but to provide services to them.

According to the Jefferson County sheriff, approximately 15 percent of our crime is committed by nonresidents. However, once more the definition of resident is misleading. If we had a record of where these criminals actually came from, I fear that the percentage of crime committed by nonresidents would be very much higher. This is one of the main factors that is driving the middle class out of Watertown. High taxes necessary to support our infrastructure is another. Throw in the local school system with its taxing structure, and it's 1-2-3 strikes and you're out.

Once more I wish to express my appreciation to the local officials who cooperated with my research.

Bart S. Bonner

Watertown