Your recent editorial regarding poverty ("The nonworking poor," Sept. 18) should be required reading for all members of Congress who are gainfully employed with great benefits. The mere fact more and more of their constituents are living in poverty, becoming homeless, and receiving no medical benefits is totally inexcusable.

Why do these disturbing conditions exist? Because jobs, mostly in manufacturing, have gone and continue to go overseas. Our middle class is and always has been reliant on manufacturing jobs as the locomotive of a prosperous economy. Manufacturing jobs need to be recreated in America or else jobs sent overseas need to be returned. Our elected leaders in Washington need to stop the rhetoric, compromise, and work in concert with the private sector to create both temporary and long-term jobs. This should be the their number one priority.

John V. Daley, Ellicott City