Friday was the 75th anniversary of the Social Security program. Lately, we’ve heard some politicians in Washington talking about making changes to Social Security, such as cutting the benefits we’ve earned, to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Fact is, Social Security hasn’t contributed anything toward the current deficit, so politicians shouldn’t be considering cutting benefits to fix it. Instead of targeting Social Security for unfair cuts, Congress should crack down on waste, close tax loopholes and get rid of pork-barrel spending.

While the politicians are right that we need to make some changes to keep Social Security strong for our children and grandchildren, any changes should be made to ensure future generations can collect on the money they contribute, not to fix the budget mess Washington has created.

Companies go out of business. Pensions can be terminated. The stock market can suffer massive losses. But Social Security benefits have always been there. It’s time for Washington to take Social Security benefits off the chopping block and focus on the true drivers of the federal budget deficit.

John W. Smith

AARP member

Vicksburg