Paying off Palau

Re “Uighurs: Trouble in paradise?” June 14

In your article about the Palau receiving Uighur prisoners from Guantanamo, you mentioned that the resident population of 20,000 receives about $20 million in aid from the U.S. annually, and a new aid package could exceed $200 million. That equates to $10,000 per resident of Palau. Coincidentally, under that new package, per person that would be about the same amount of money per member of my household that I am forced to pay the federal government in income taxes.

I always wondered where my tax dollars went; I don’t think I ever got a thank-you note from anyone in Palau.

Hugh A. Rose

Newhall