It is really sad and I feel for the retirees whose only income is Social Security. I got my new benefit amount recently. How sad whoever approves our benefits thought they were so wonderful allowing us a 2 percent increase this year, and I don't think they wanted to do that.

We worked hard all our life and put hard-earned money into the system for the benefit of having money at retirement to help us out in our "golden years." Every year they barely give us much of an increase.

After the increase my amount is exactly the same as it has been the last two years with the increases. They give us the increase and raise the Medicare insurance monthly fee so we never see any increases. Our expenses go up — gas, food, electric, etc. — more than our increases so we are not any better off than the year before, especially with the COLA going up.

I bet all the workers in Washington get a better increase, and they are all wealthy and don't need it as much as much we who live on Social Security. Where does all the money go from those who worked all their lives and passed away before they got their first check? I was married more than 35 years, and my husband didn't lived long enough to see his first check.

Stop using our funds to give to people who never put a dime in the system. Someone needs to take a better look at this and give us what we deserve.

Linda Hadden, Winter Haven