Letter: Social Security recipients not getting their due

Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 9:06 a.m.

I read last week's article in the Sun about the 1.4 percent increase in Social Security's monthly benefits for 2003.

In the year 2002 my wife and I ended up with a combined net loss of $29 per month after a large increase in our supplemental medical insurance coverage.

I am sure this is happening to many retired citizens of the United States. If this trend continues, in a few years we will be getting a bill from the government and insurance companies instead of a Social Security check. We won't need to worry about the Social Security system going bankrupt. Social Security will bankrupt the recipients who worked years contributing to the fund!

The Social Security "lock box" did not happen and will not happen until we elect a Democratic president and Congress in 2004. My wife and I will be voting a straight Democratic ticket in November and I assure you we will vote this way from now on.

Why not tie our government workers and legislators to the same percentage of increases that Social Security recipients receive? I believe the cost-of-living increases each year would be more if this happened.

I noticed in the Sunday paper that President Bush still wants further tax breaks for the big corporations. What pays for the break, the unlocked "lock box"?

CHARLES BIRD