Cut to compulsory programs would be akin to stealing

Ginger Swartz, Boulder City

Monday, Aug. 1, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.

Steve Williams’ Thursday letter to the editor, headlined “We have earned our Medicare, Social Security,” hit the nail on the head.

I am tired of listening to people refer to Medicare, Social Security and unemployment benefits as “entitlement programs” that can apparently be reduced or deleted at the stroke of a congressional pen.

Much like compulsory auto insurance requirements, these programs are compulsory insurance programs that we, and our employers, have paid into on a regular basis.

Why is it that insurance programs we have all subscribed to and paid for in good faith can be arbitrarily reduced or eliminated without so much as a “What do you think?” to the premium payers and policyholders?

It strikes me that, if our insurance benefits are reduced or eliminated for any of these three programs, we should file suit against Congress just as we would sue anyone who absconded with our auto insurance premiums and left us high and dry with nothing to show for payments made over the years.

As Mr. Williams wrote: “We bought it. We paid for it. It’s ours.”