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Senior Citizen
Benefits
In My Opinion
By Sharon Hopper
Why in the world is AARP and the rest of the senior advocates sitting
so silently by as the government raises benefits for everyone else
except our nations Senior Citizens on Social Security? We are the
people who fought in the wars that have made us who we are today and
the people who have made this country prosperous beyond words. We are
the people who have set the standards for equality for women as well as
those who come to our shores from other countries.
It seems to me that we should be entitled to an increase in our monthly
checks. It is called a cost of living increase based on the gross
national product of the nation as I understand it. In other words no
inflation, no raise. Well my friend this is almost funny. My electric,
fuel, grocery, medical costs, and general living have all increased. I
did not even get to vote on these increases. Yet I am told that I do
not need any more money to live on. As most seniors are well aware it
only takes a moderate illness to put one into a situation where they
depend more and more on the Social Security Check. That is not the way
that it was intended, but the long and short of it is simple. You can
go through thousands of dollars of money saved in a hurray when there
are medical problems. All is not covered by insurance. After you spend
your savings, you are forced to rely on your retirement. Some companies
are forced to cut benefits, and sometimes monthly pensions just to meet
their obligations to government and debtors.
Congressional people do not even have to pay back the college loans for
their children, and even if they serve only one term in congress they
are awarded lifetime benefits that far outreach anything most of us
will ever see. I worked fourty years to become broke after 6 years into
retirement and have no hope of getting any more money to live on. I am
told that my medical costs have gone up so I have to suffer poverty. In
my opinion seniors should have a raise every year. We seniors are the
least able to earn a living. In my opinion the US does owe us. Life
does not end, but living certainly can. There is a difference.
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