Letter to the Editor: Group Asks Lawler To Protect Seniors' Benefits

To the Editor:

With Congressional Republicans refusing to raise the debt ceiling without making substantial changes to Social Security and Medicare, I joined a small group of constituents to quietly present a petition, signed by hundreds of Hudson Valley residents, to Rep. Mike Lawler, asking him to pass a clean debt ceiling bill that would protect these key programs.

Rep. Lawler has indicated he will not vote for a clean bill. He would like to add conditions, but has not disclosed what they would be.

Recently, a Republican study committee advocated raising Social Security eligibility to age 70, privatizing many aspects of the plan, and decreasing benefits so that the average person will have to rely on their own savings for retirement. Not only do seniors depend on these vital programs, but they are benefits that have been earned over the course of years in the workforce.

So it was astonishing that when we arrived at Rep. Lawler’s Pearl River office, we were not allowed to bring the petition to his office, nor would any of his staffers come down to accept it. Instead, building security summoned the police. They requested we leave the premises, which we did.

This was a disappointing response from a Representative who claimed during his campaign that "seniors of the Hudson Valley will have a resilient and resourceful friend who will never tire when asked to step up and to protect their right to a happy, secure, safe, and comfortable retirement."

Celeste Theis
Croton on Hudson