by MATTHEW NASH

Sequim Gazette

In his first book, Ted Gagné, 81, of Sequim, has written a letter that serves as a warning of sorts for his grandchildren and other young people.

Gagné’s “Things That Need to Be Said: A Telling Behind the Scene Look at Government,” (see box for availability) touches on a number of topics such as taxes, illegal immigration, health care, retirement and more.

“I’d like young Americans to read this because when we vote, we vote for their future,” he said. “The government is increasingly less able to manage what’s on its plate.”

In his chapters, Gagné walks people through national hot topic issues and his solutions for fixing many issues he sees within the government.

“I’m furious about what’s happening with this country and furious is a gentle word,” he said.

Gagné grew up impoverished in Michigan, and with the current economy, he sees a growing amount of people like his former self.

“I believe we can turn around out of this,” he said. “We can do it incrementally, but to get to the point in 10 years we have to have tough leadership and give policy time to work.”

Since he was young, Gagné has followed politics. He served in the U.S. Air Force and even ran for Congress in 1979 from California. He spent three years as a pathologist working on products that would become Aleve and birth control pills with less estrogen. He later owned two veterinary clinics in California before retiring in 2002.

Gagné is a self-proclaimed traditional conservative.

His hope is that if older people read his book, they’ll pass on his information to younger individuals.

“It points a rational way forward,” Gagné said about his book.

He takes particular issue with the U.S. policy on Medicare.

“It’s predicted there’s going to be 400 million people in the U.S. by 2030,” he said.

“How are we going to handle 70 to 80 million people on Medicare when we can’t handle those on it now.

What we’ve done with Social Security and Medicare is passing the problem down the generations.

Ignorance may be bliss, but it can destroy a nation,” he said.

“We must do more and be more informed and treat the ballot box with the seriousness it deserves,” Gagné said.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.