I Voted for Them, but They're Doing Us Wrong

Dear Editor,
   First it was the Senate, and now the House, and soon our Republican president. To my shame, I supported all of them and voted for the ones I could. They voted to "remove the loophole" that allows a widowed schoolteacher to collect the survivor benefits her husband paid for with a lifetime of Social Security "contributions." They call it the Government Pension Offset, but in truth it is the "loophole" by which the government refuses to pay for the widow's financial support, ignoring the husband's entitlement to the survivor benefit he purchased for his wife. The "loophole" puts a face of fairness on the blatant act of stealing from widows. Shame on our Congress, shame on Mr. Bush if he signs the bill, and shame on Rep. Kevin Brady who said, "I rise on behalf of the 99 percent of the seniors in America who don't have a special loophole." Like most Texans, Mr. Brady, I believe we should pay our debts. It is a matter of honor, you see. You didn't rise on my behalf, Mr. Brady, indeed you stooped as low as one could and tried to color this obscene outrage in the cloak of fairness. I confess I am joining the growing mass of citizens who wear our badge of contempt for our congress as a token of American integrity.