Letter to the editor: Thanks for nothing, Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you for the 8.7% increase you gave me for my Social Security monthly payment in order to cover the increase in my cost of living. I had no idea you had so much money to give away. Can you tell me how you have managed to accumulate such a large nest egg?

It does create a problem for me, however, I was going to give my employees a raise in their wages for next year. But to make it a real increase and not just cover their cost of living, I will have to give them at least a 10% raise. In order to do this, I will have to raise the prices I charge by 10%.

Then I realized that the grocer from whom I buy my food, and the plumber who fixes my leaky pipes will probably have to do the same. In fact, the only thing that probably won’t go up 10% is the bank account upon which I am relying for my retirement funds.

If you or one of your assistants could tell me how to resolve my financial dilemma, I would be happy to vote to keep you in office.

Richard F. Flickinger

Ligonier