'It's the Little Guy that Pays'

With more uncertainty and indecision clouding the debt ceiling controversy, seniors at the are outraged that their Social Security and other government benefits might be cut to make ends meet.

The government "is foolish and I hope none of them are re-elected, even the president,” said Irene Blakely of Grafton. “We should take their pay away from them like they’re doing with ours.”

Many senior citizens are angry with the government and blame the Republicans in Congress for the debt.

“We’re at a point where there’s not much we can do,” said Rita Coffey, of Worcester. “Unfortunately, the Republicans only care about Republicans.''

Meanwhile, she said, "it's the little guys that pay.”

Some senior citizens said the way to solve the government’s debt is to refrain from increasing the debt ceiling and to bring soldiers home from abroad.

“It should stay as it is,” said Paul Hussey of Grafton. “It should not go up. We should bring our troops home if we want to see our budget
go down.”

Michelle Drumm, the Grafton Senior Center director, said she
would be very concerned if she were a senior citizen during this time.

Programs such as Social Security and Medicare are "the bread and butter for [most] of these people,” she said. “Some of them only get 600 dollars a month. If that gets cut, where do you go from there? It’s a scary situation.”

Drumm also said the debt ceiling controversy has been making
her think about how life may turn out as she grows older.

"It’s aggravating as a citizen that the [government is] making all kinds of money and that the wealthy are the only people in office,” she said. “They are just pushing the low man down. I fear for the disappearance of the middle class.”

For now, most senior citizens said they plan on following the news and keeping their fingers crossed for the best.

“This is not a good thing,” said Ann Matson of Grafton. “It’s scary.”