Editor, The Transcript
For several years George "gadfly in the ointment" Will has written numerous columns lambasting three of his favorite targets: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, the 1960s, and the New York Times. Now, he has added a new subject to his list of abominations: the "pampered" elderly, all 57 million of them. It seems that Worrywart George is a little more than vexed over the proposed $250 payments to each Social Security recipient in lieu of no cost of living increase this year. Will calls this "monetary consolation for the misfortune of not experiencing misfortune."
Alas, George apparently thinks these pithy chump-change payments could result in the nation's financial breakdown, but he never concerns himself with the monstrous corporate and bank subsidies pouring out of the treasury. My dear old grandma (God rest her soul) would have been outraged if she had been accused of accepting a government "handout" she did not deserve.
Someone needs to ease Will's anxiety about any special treatment for these elderly gougers and tell him that at least they are not on the high priority list for the swine flu vaccine; in fact, they may not be on the list at all.
PHIL H VAUGHAN
Norman
