Editor, I would like to respond to a Sound off in the Wednesday, Oct. 28 paper. The caller brought up the fact that people on Social Security retirement are not getting a raise this year. This is now three years in a row, and it is unfair to the retirees.

Guess what? The government is unfair and doesn’t care anything about seniors, who have worked all of their lives and paid taxes to support the government’s spending. The government doesn’t care that Social Security belongs to the retirees, who paid into it. In fact, the government does not recognize that Social Security was set up as a trust fund. Instead the government used this money to feed their pet projects over the years and give to people who did not work for it. I repeat — Social Security belongs to the retirees. The government stole this money.

For 2016, the U.S. government plans to spend $33.7 billion in foreign aid (foreignassistance.gov). There are approximately 56 million Americans on Social Security. If all of the money going to foreign countries next year were to be given to these seniors, each would receive $601 more than they are now receiving. The government’s priorities are all wrong.

Why is the government giving $422 million to the terrorist organization Hamas? Why are we still in Afghanistan and supporting this country with $1.5 trillion in aid? Mexico does nothing to stop its people from coming here illegally, yet we give Mexico $142 million. We turned Libya over to terrorist organizations to run and prop them up with $20 million. For some reason, we are involved in Syria’s civil war and spending $255 million — for what? Uganda has some of the worst civil-rights violations, yet we plan to give Uganda $469 million.

Remember, President Barack Obama sets the budget and Congress approves it. So you know who to blame.

Just as a side note: When Social Security was started, there were 16 people working to support each retired person. Then came the baby boom in the late ’40s. Now, because of smaller families, there are only three people supporting each retiree. As usual, the government did not plan for this. When Social Security was started in 1935, the life expectancy was 60-64. Today, it is 79. Yet the retirement age is still the same as it was in 1935. This needs to be changed to reflect the longevity of our lives.

Len Calderone
Midway