Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Having studied the recent legislation to increase our debt limit in return for future budget cuts, I am writing to express my anger about the House Republicans’ vote to trim Medicare and cut the benefits that hardworking seniors have earned.

This reckless scheme is an insult to every American who has worked and paid into Medicare. Especially in these challenging times, when retired Americans rely on Medicare, Congress must do whatever it takes to protect this critical safety net.

Medicare belongs to the people who worked their whole lives to pay into the system. It is not the federal government’s piggy bank to balance the budget.

Our children, grandchildren and seniors deserve much better than an extreme Republican plan that will take away basic benefits. As voters, we urge our legislators to find a commonsense solution that ensures that Medicare is viable in the months and years to come.

Dwight R. Ambach

Susan, Va.
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