In the month of December President Barack Obama conceded to Republican demands and extended the Bush tax cuts.

In this compromise there was also an extension of unemployment benefits and a “payroll tax holiday.” But what few know however, is that this holiday was made possible by decreasing the Social Security income tax from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.

Even though this cut will pump money into a starving economy, we are taking one more step down a dangerous road to privatizing Social Security.

This is something that Republicans have been trying to accomplish since the Reagan Administration; letting the wellbeing of and support for our seniors be put into the hands of Wall Street. Haven’t we given them enough?

Perhaps our need to bail them out did not convince Republicans that you cannot trust the markets to be kind, nor provide the desired returns.

People with 401Ks during the financial collapse in 2008 saw their savings dwindle many percentage points. Their hard earned dollars were taken by mutual funds and “too big to fail” banks, and many had to postpone their retirement.

That is why we cannot trust the future for our seniors to private corporations and dangerous practices.

When Social Security was first enacted by Franklin Roosevelt the Republican opposition was waving the red flag of job loss and cost (sound familiar?). At this time if you were elderly and were not being supported by your family or didn’t have family, you were basically on your own.

The quality of life was meager and your chances of survival were low.

And even though still today there are rallies about how we cannot afford this program, the trust fund has a surplus of $2 trillion and will be solvent for many years to come.

Social Security is the most decent and humane program that has yet to be devised by man. It is an example of our commitment to all of our citizens, and our ability to act together to improve the lot of others.

But this program is under attack and it will be up to you, the reader, to contact your representatives and senators.

It will be up to you to make sure that our politicians know that though we understand the need to get our financial house in order we refuse to make scapegoats of our most vulnerable citizens.

Tony M. Burge, Jr.

Pedro