Readers Write: Social Security cuts, foraging, abandoning our allies

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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I am writing to bring urgent attention to a crisis unfolding for many Minnesotans due to the recent cuts to the Social Security Administration by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE driving Social Security cuts,” front page, March 9). As of a few weeks ago, all SSA offices now require appointments — a change that sounds reasonable until you try to schedule one. For days, I’ve called the SSA multiple times daily, facing hold times exceeding four hours, only to never reach a human being. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a systemic failure.

I’m trying to help a family member secure survivor benefits they’re entitled to. They do not have an email address, lack an online account and can’t navigate the SSA’s digital scheduling system. For them — and countless others like them — these cuts have erected an impenetrable barrier to essential benefits. This is a real-world example of how the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are hurting Minnesotans, leaving vulnerable seniors stranded.

Desperate for help, I contacted my U.S. congressional representative. Their casework team told me they haven’t seen a situation this dire in 18 years. That’s a staggering indictment of how these cuts are dismantling a lifeline for Americans. We’re only beginning to see the fallout, and it’s already unacceptable.

It’s time for our representatives to stand up for what’s right. Beyond that, all politicians — regardless of party — must act to ensure Americans receive the benefits they were promised and are due by law. This isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a moral one. We cannot let DOGE strip our seniors of their dignity and support.

I urge our leaders to reverse these harmful DOGE cuts and restore the SSA’s ability to serve the public. Minnesotans deserve better.

Zach Keeton, Big Lake, Minn.

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I retired in January and applied for Social Security last month. My first payment is due to arrive in late March. Thanks to Trump’s DOGE chaos, I no longer trust that I will ever see one thin dime, much less all of the income I earned by contributing to Social Security during my decades in the workforce.

If my Social Security check were slashed or eliminated, I might have to move to a country where food, health care and housing costs are lower, like Mexico. Maybe that’s the goal of the Trump/Musk administration and their wrecking crew of tech bros: Get rid of the non-wealthy oldsters (one way or another) to free up more money for tax breaks to billionaires and multimillionaires who always seem to need more yachts, mansions and private jets.

Anne Hamre, Roseville

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The untrue accusations made about Social Security certainly do not justify firing 7,000 people. The program is nearly 90 years old, has paid benefits for 87 years, developed a $2.8 trillion dollar surplus while dispensing benefits to about 70 million people and a convicted fraudster accuses it of fraud! Social Security has not contributed one dime to the national debt and it won’t because it is funded by the FICA dedicated tax. That tax is specifically dedicated to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits. There has never been a government appropriation for Social Security benefits — that is what DOGE does not understand.

Brian Rohrenbach, Rosemount

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Perhaps DOGE could consider taking U.S. senators, representatives and Cabinet members off any government pension and health care benefits. This would pertain to current and former public officials. They could all be put on standard Social Security and Medicare. Get that chain saw cranked up!

Kathryn Burow, Minneapolis

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Tonya Allen says that “our Social Security system is underfunded because everyone isn’t contributing fairly” (“On Ponzi schemes, broken promises and reaffirming our sacred social contract,” Strib Voices, March 14). According to her, that is because “Social Security is capped for workers once their wages exceed $176,600 annually.” She wants to remove the payroll tax income cap.

The Social Security system was designed as a retirement program in which everyone participates. The more you contribute, the higher your retirement benefits. Both contributions and benefits are capped because the purpose is to ensure a minimum standard of living in retirement.

What Allen is proposing is that the payroll tax income cap be removed but the cap on benefits be retained. Under the current system, the benefits you receive are directly proportional to the payroll taxes you pay while working. With her proposed change, the ratio of benefits received to payroll taxes paid would be much less for people making more than $176,000 per year than for everyone else. That doesn’t sound fair to me.

James Brandt, New Brighton

Tony Kennedy’s story about foraging on state lands in Minnesota clearly shows the reality of the state Department of Natural Resources' actions and inactions (“Foragers want a say in rules for state lands,” March 9). Like many others, I enjoy foraging on state lands. One of the most enjoyable aspects about it is discovering all kinds of things just from being in nature, intimately, bonded in ways that are hard to describe but so deep.

Here’s the rub: While expressing concerns about foraging, DNR leadership has totally ignored the damages of ongoing ATV usage. They literally are plowing up our public lands and are given whatever they request, without listening at all to legitimate concerns brought by stakeholders and citizens. This is particularly egregious in northeast Minnesota. A suggestion for DNR leadership: Step out of your silos. You’re becoming irrelevant.

Dan Wilm, Ashby, Minn.

The writer was a state DNR forester for 34 years.

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The foragers mentioned in “Foragers want a say in rules for state lands” assert an interest in “scientifically sound, data-driven recommendations.” Yet the bill, HF 819 (as amended), contradicts this goal. The bill proposes “setting limits on foraging activities only where supported by data.” Minnesotans must work together to amend the bill to adopt the precautionary principle: “allowing foraging activities only where supported by data.”

Tom Casey, Mound

The writer is board chair of Friends of Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas.

Karen Tolkkinen is spot on when she calls out Trump as a bully for his threats towards our neighbor, Canada (“Only the friendless could attack Canada,” March 9). Trump lacks compassion and a moral compass, and doesn’t have any inkling of how to treat our friends and allies.

Another instance of this is that Trump is threatening to revoke the legal status of refugees — Ukrainians and others — who have already been granted legal status in the U.S. because they are fleeing war and other unrest in their native lands. It would be dangerous for them to return to their native countries.

Most surprising is that refugees from Afghanistan who had stood shoulder to shoulder with American troops in Afghanistan and risked their lives to help U.S. soldiers are among those being targeted in Trump’s crackdown. One former Afghan intelligence officer by the name of Rafi is already being held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. A former CIA officer who trained Rafi described him as “truly one of the most dedicated and hardworking individuals I had the honor to serve with in Afghanistan.”

America, where is our compassion, our sense of fairness, our commitment to our friends and allies?

Lisa Wersal, Vadnais Heights