The Sun's article "Baltimore's street violence creates an epidemic of spinal cord injuries" (July 30) is yet another example of how the illegal drug trade saps not only the life of our city, but also the taxpayer's hard-earned money.

Those young men/thugs depicted in the article knowingly engaged in illegal activities that resulted in their paralysis.

There is something wrong with the picture when taxpayers, many of whom work hard at honest jobs for far less money than the average illegal drug dealer receives, are forced to pay for the results of criminal activity -- through Medicaid, welfare and other publicly funded social programs.

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