Congress can override old law

With regard to the Tuesday letter, “Increases dictated by 1973 legislation,” which stated, “The lack of a raise in Social Security wasn’t anything the current government had any say over

,” this is not true.

Among other things, the lawmakers could have passed a “House referendum” which would have effectively overridden the outdated legislation passed in 1973. The referendum could have reflected honest changes in the CPI, using the CPI-E (consumer price index for the elderly). Can any reasonable person deny that seniors on fixed incomes are adversely affected by regular increases in the cost of food, clothing, shelter, energy, insurance, health care, fees and taxes, etc.?

They deserve at least the same cost of living increases that their government “employees” receive. Perhaps if our politicians had not raided the Social Security fund so many times, their “stingy” attitude would change. For elderly recipients, Social Security income is a return on a life-long investment, and should not be referred to as an “entitlement,” which infers welfare.

They expect and deserve the government to a be good, honest steward of their investment. They don’t expect or deserve a government that is constantly finding ways to short-change them.

Don Sanders
Granite Falls