LETTER TO EDITOR:

I read Bob A. Daniel, Jr.'s letter with wonder and dismay. Could he and I have been at the same Town Hall meeting in Athens listening to Congressman Hensarling about how the federal government would continue to fund programs such as social security, medicare, etc. in the future? Surely not!

It doesn't take an economist to know that unless something is done these programs, as they are now constituted, will in the not too distant future bankrupt our country. How Mr. Daniel's life and labor has made Congressman Hensarling rich escapes me. One point that Mr. Daniel is correct on is the Democrat controlled Congress has stolen from the social security funds for over 50 years and continues to resist any reform in the system.

There was nothing in Jeb's talk that would indicate anything but sympathy for those who are retired, disabled, or about to be eligible for the above programs. What he did point out was that those who now are paying into these federally mandated programs may not have them to rely on when they become eligible to draw these benefits in a few years.

Certainly everyone has the right to vote, if they are registered, and from what I can see the majority in the area have voted for the policies that Congressman Hensarling espouses. I happen to be one of those who backs reform.

To equate private contractors and the Iraq war with the mismanagement of social security and medicare by Congress is naive at best and political at worst. The "Pork," commonly called earmarks, that Congress routinely attaches to bills was specifically addressed by Congressman Hensarling as one of the things he fights constantly. In fact, he has submitted legislation to stop this practice, but has been unsuccessful at this point in getting the bill passed. I am not sure which building Mr. Daniel is referring to next to the capital, but if it has been under construction for eight years, I am sure that it was begun long before Jeb was in Washington.

Those of us who are older and wiser know there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Orville R. Bevel, Jr. Chandler, Texas