THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 17, 1995 TAG: 9504150004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
Bernice Levinson (letter, April 5) states that the reason most given by seniors for not being willing to give up or reduce their monthly Social Security benefits is because they earned the money. Not so. Promises were made to us by our government. We are asked to give up now what we paid into, regardless of how much, for the guarantee that we could live decently in our old age.
We kept our commitment. Who now is speaking with a forked tongue? Now almost a million, and by the year 2004 more than 3 million, legal immigrants who have never contributed a cent to the fund or to Medicare will cost taxpayers (of which I am still one) at least $328 billion by the year 2004. They are supposed to be supported by their sponsors under immigration laws - or be deported if they become a public burden.
Then there are the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants on the public dole.
Just who is taking advantage of whom? If, as Ms. Levinson says, we wait for Congress to cut the pork and reduce the subsidy giveaways, we will have a very long wait, especially now!
RUSSEL CONOVER
Virginia Beach, April 6, 1995 by CNB