Public not getting truth about cuts

I enjoyed reading Rich Lorimer's Jan. 10 letter where he detailed how bad it is when some people don't know who represents them in elected office. While I agree completely, I think it is a much worse situation when people do know who they voted for, yet they don't have a clue as to what these elected officials are doing.

And the media report only what suits their corporate agenda. Witness one of the first votes taken by our new Republican-controlled Congress. Along an almost perfect "party line" vote (all Democrats and only a few Republicans voted against this), Republicans adopted a rule on the first day of the new session that effectively forbids the House from approving any financial fix to the Social Security Disability Insurance unless it is coupled with other reforms to Social Security Old-age and Survivors Insurance (OASI).

In other words, if nothing gets done to make cuts to Social Security OASI, the SSDI cuts will be automatic. This is the "sequester" all over again. It is a manufactured crisis.

Democrats are being forced to either agree to cuts in Social Security OASI benefits (retirement age, cost of living cuts, etc.), or else disability benefits for 11 million mentally or physically disabled Americans will be cut by 20 percent.

It is a false choice, manufactured by the Republican political agenda that the Republicans don't think they will be held responsible for. How pathetic.

And these Republican representatives are the same candidates that unknowing voters saw last November as the Good Christians in the room? Not.

Worse yet, when Republicans return home to get re-elected in two years, and they tell you they oppose Social Security cuts, the sheep reading this sanitized newspaper will once again believe them.

Phil Graf

Rolling Meadows