Lately, I have been dumbfounded by hearing politicians and pundits confidently stating that Social Security is the main cause of the federal deficit. Well, no matter how they twist the facts into pretzels, Social Security is no part of U.S. debt.

Social Security, unlike the defense department, transportation department, etc., which are dependent on appropriations, is completely self-funded. Workers and employers contribute monies, which are awarded to retirees, severely handicapped people, and dependents. To simplify, when outgo exceeds income, in the worst case payments will have to be reduced accordingly. This will not affect the deficit.

Why the Chainsaw Man is blindly hacking at the administrative structure of Social Security, which has run more efficiently than most businesses, begs for an answer. In any event, this thinly disguised effort to destroy Social Security by closing offices, indiscriminately firing an already reduced and exhausted workforce, and my personal favorite, claiming living people are dead and fraud-motivated dead people are living, will make it impossible for Social Security to function. Social Security will die, not because of a lack of funds, but because checks won’t be sent out, and there will be no place to get them.

More than 30% of Pacific County is over 65, so a lot of us, Republican and Democrat, have a dog in this fight. Please join me and make some noise. Call, write, or email politicians and news organizations. Demonstrate, join town halls, enlist neighbors. Do whatever you can, because, since most of our elected representatives are either in denial or in a coma, we’ll have to do this ourselves.

MARILYN KELLY

Ocean Park