I have thought a lot of the recent pay raises given to our county elected officials.

The justification for these raises was to bring the pay of the sheriff, district attorney, county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds into line with what is paid their counterparts in nearby counties.

This is well and good, as they deserve just pay for their positions.

I wonder if any thoughts were given to the pay scales of the deputies, Leavenworth County Emergency Medical Service personnel and other county employees and a comparison made with their area counterparts. Did the pay scale comparison stop with only those elected to office?

Stuart Sweeney,
Rural Linwood

RETIREMENT IN DANGER

To the editor:

President Bush is endangering my retirement and the retirements of millions of Americans by taking the first step in his plan to dismantle Social Security.

Recently, White House sources revealed their plan to cut promised benefits to retirees by nearly a third. And these cuts are guaranteed — whether you opt into the Bush plan or not.

For those entering the workforce today, that means more than a 25 percent cut in the retirement benefits they’re counting on; for their children, it guarantees a 46 percent cut.

We can’t stand by and let George W. Bush and the Republicans cut our promised guaranteed retirement benefits — especially when so many of us are counting on Social Security to help us lead a happy, healthy life when we retire.

Stacey Wolfe,
Atchison