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Letter

Rich Senators Simply Don’t Get the Middle Class

It’s scary what millionaires don’t understand about “average, working class” Americans

By Pat Malone

In recent polls, 57% of Americans have said that Social Security was a “major” source of their income, and 74% of Americans said that Social Security benefits should not be reduced in any way and yet in the U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-SD, the second ranking Republican, is promoting a plan to force cuts in the federal budget including changes to Social Security and other programs. This comes after an election season in which Republicans screamed that high inflation was America’s No. 1 problem. If so, why would you slash the major source of income for nearly all senior citizens? 

Perhaps Sen. Thune’s $174,000 annual public salary plus millions in free perks creates no need for Social Security, unlike the majority of fixed income seniors in South Dakota and America. Only 4.4% of South Dakota households make his salary while the statewide average household income is $77,032. Perhaps the senator should focus more on wages if he truly cares about balancing the budget. South Dakota has a minimum wage of $9.95 while one adult with one child needs a “living” wage of $29.44 to survive. It’s scary what millionaires don’t understand about “average, working class” Americans.

Pat Malone
Columbia Falls