LETTER: It’s a myth that Social Security funds used for other purposes

To Ozaukee Press:

A letter to the editor published in last week’s Ozaukee Press stated that money we pay in taxes for Social Security is being used to support other general purpose spending.

This is a practice that I have also been concerned about for some time. In fact, I checked this assertion by Googling “Social Security and budget.”

My search took me to the Social Security Administration’s home page and quickly to a section titled “Myths and Misinformation.”

This source indicates that Social Security funds have not and are not used for general government spending purposes.

While I am concerned about the sustainability of Social Security and Medicare and the debt burden that we are leaving to future generations, my concerns are partially based on the cost of unfunded wars and military spending.

Writers and advocates have a responsibility to provide clear and accurate information to support their opinions.

Noah Webster would probably have been surprised to learn that his dictionary, first published in 1828, influenced the founding fathers, as claimed by Andy Dieringer in the letter to the editor with the statement that the “founding fathers knew that the Webster dictionary defined democracy as mob rule.”

Let us all demand more of ourselves. Let us avoid passing on or using myths and misinformation to support our political beliefs.

David Franks
Port Washington