Leave the Ocean man who said he’d ‘burn the mayor’s house down’ alone

Another tax increase for the hard-working folks of Ocean Township, a Monmouth County town that is already overburdened with property taxes.

When 75-year-old Arthur Morse heard his taxes were about to rise again he became angry. Very angry. Incensed even. So he makes an emotional comment on Facebook alluding to burning down the mayor's house. Then he's arrested and charged with a terroristic threat.

I say the guy gets a pass. I say before you arrest an elderly guy who is obviously frustrated and emotional, go to his house do a little investigating and see if he really means it. Then give him a pass. Because a guy like that has a right to vent on Facebook. Because this wasn't a terroristic threat! It was a cry of anguish!

Who could blame a 75-year-old man for feeling like he wants to burn down the mayor's house? (Although his anger is misdirected!) That doesn't mean he should really do it and it doesn't mean the threat should be taken seriously. But I'm not even close to 75 yet and I feel his immense pain. My husband and I work hard for our money and struggle to pay the ridiculous tax bill we get every year. And especially when you look around at other parts of the country... it can make you wanna burn down a lot of things. Doesn't mean you really will. But when you start to get older and your income is reduced it's more than just angry — it's desperate.

The possibility of Morse losing his house after working his entire life to pay his mortgage on time, get up in the morning to do the right thing is sad and infuriating. And now it's just this looming, bloated, unreasonable tax bill that's keeping him from actually feeling secure in his retirement. So I don't blame Mr. Morris for his frustration. And I defy you at the age of 75 (if you're still clinging on in this state by your fingernails) to not feel the exact same way or even worse. Leave Arthur Morse alone.