I am told that wolves don’t go after the elk that are young and strong, but rather seek the old, the halt, and the lame. It is not pretty.  As the philosopher Hobbes put it, in his classic work, The Leviathan, “the trouble with life in nature is that it is often nasty, brutish, and short.”

Recently the wolves bought the senior park where I live. They raised the rent 7.5 percent. And they are going to raise it again. So, the wolves circle the park, excited by the scent of weakness and debilitation. The prey in this park is defenseless, and the wolves are hungry. I can hear them howl late in the evening.

I was surprised to discover, that, rent control notwithstanding, they can squeeze us until we eat kibbles, and they can do it with impunity. Rent control was attempted a few years ago, but these are very clever wolves, with lawyers on retainer, and money for media blitzes.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a reasonable profit. I owned and operated a small business for 32 years, and I was there to make a profit, but, at the same time, I was always aware that there was a human being on the other side of the counter, and not an object or an elk.

There are fair ways to deal with seniors. In New York City they have a rent control law which has a senior exemption: If you are over 62 and earn under a certain amount, your rent can’t be raised. This seems eminently fair, especially for people on a fixed income.

I spoke with many folks in and out of government about this situation. Most were sympathetic, none were hopeful.

So, I thought about what I could do for myself and my fellow residents. All that I needed, I did not have: Power, money, lawyers, and the overwhelming support of the populace.

Sadly, my only weapon is this computer, so, I am throwing words at the wolves, hoping to scare them away, but hunger is not easily deterred.

Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.