THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
In every national political campaign, aspiring candidates pledge to restore the ``American Dream.'' Yet none of them have the fortitude, or are quickly dissuaded by the members of the ``old boy'' club in Congress, to demand legislation that can renew the American Dream.
No segment of American voters is more supportive of candidates making this pledge than senior citizens, who want their children to have the opportunity for as good a life as they are enjoying. However, no voting group resists any diminution of its entitlements more than these same senior citizens. With this attitude, the American Dream cannot be renewed.
It is understandable why many seniors are not willing to share the pain required to reduce our deficit and protect the Social Security Trust Fund when they learn about the pork in the budget, special interests and the waste of our tax dollars by Congress.
But that is not the reason most frequently given by these seniors. More often the reason given is that they paid it into the fund and now want it back.
The average Social Security recipient is not aware that due to rising benefits, he got back all of his money with interest in about seven years. With seniors living longer than past generations, someone else is paying their Social Security. With the huge increases in health-care costs, retirees collect far more from Medicare than paid in. The American Dream becomes less a possibility each year.
Organizations like the American Association of Retired Persons, labor unions and the real-estate industry rebuff every mention of sharing in deficit reduction. Entrenched members of Congress will not expose themselves to the wrath of AARP and its well-heeled retirees, the corporate-farm recipients or the expensive home-deduction subsidy recipients (current limit $1 million), but they reduce school-lunch funds, etc. The white man speaks with forked tongue when he speaks about renewing the American Dream.
If the retirees who have pensions and income from investments in addition to their Social Security monthly payments really want their children and grandchildren to experience the American Dream as they have, they will have to desist from being subsidized by their children and grandchildren.
Their willingness to share in the pain may influence Congress to cut the pork, reduce the subsidies to corporate farms, reduce the subsidies to the oil, logging, cattle and other industries and to harness the waste in our government. Only then can the American Dream be a possibility for our children.
BERNICE LEVINSON
Norfolk, March 29, 1995 by CNB