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Musselwhite: Politicians should heed constituents, protect Social Security

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My name is Bob Musselwhite and I am running for Congress as a resident of Congressional District 8.

After talking to thousands of people from all political views in this district over the past two years, several issues have come up.

  1. A Congress that functions for the average American and not for special interests.

  2. The protection of Social Security in its present form.

  3. Affordable, quality health care for all Americans.

  4. Federal fiscal responsibility.

  5. Preservation of the mission at Luke Air Force Base.

  6. A secure supply of water for the valley.

Since space is limited I will discuss Social Security first in the space I have.

For the past nearly three decades that I have been observing our Congressional representation, I have noticed that we elect and re-elect people who champion schemes to change the Federal Insurance Contribution Act, popularly known as Social Security.

This action is one of the best examples I know of in which our CD-8 representation has championed change for something that is clearly not broken. Much information has been put out that is incorrect.

My last figures on this subject are that there is $2.85 trillion dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund and that not one dime has been spent on anything other than the original purposes of the law. In fact, my figures are that in 2017, $85 billion dollars was earned on interest that the fund has loaned to the U. S. Government.

Of course, there are routine adjustments that should be made to reflect the reality of life now and not life in the 1930s. One example is life expectancy, which is far longer now than when the program was put into effect.

It is clear to me that when politicians champion ideas, such as the privatization of Social Security, they are answering to a different constituency than we, the people who live in Congressional District 8.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my opinion on this subject.

Editor's note: Bob Musselwhite is a resident of Litchfield Park who is running to represent Congressional District 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives.