Leave it to some self-anointed arbiter of social justice to get sniffy when someone performs a simple act of spontaneous generosity to a recipient who might not meet his definition of deserving (“Letter to the editor: Donation to pay dinner bill better spent on poor,” Feb. 5).

Next time I “pay it forward” at the Augusta toll plaza, maybe I should instruct the collector: “Apply this to the next car, but first please inquire into the socioeconomic status of the driver and be certain that his or her net income falls below the poverty line.”

Tim Wallace

Portland