Re: “Inflation, Social Security and Colorado’s minimum wage,” Jan. 8 letter to the editor.
The federal method for determining inflation for Social Security cost-of-living adjustments has varied over the last six or seven years. Back when gasoline was $3 to $4 per gallon, food and energy were excluded from the “core” consumer price index (CPI) because of their volatility — food because of transient weather conditions, and energy because of speculation and Middle East conflicts. Now the feds are using cheap gasoline as the excuse for no increase despite the fact that most seniors don’t commute.
Food prices are up because of persistent weather conditions, housing/rent is up because of the recovery from the recession, and medical costs are up because of our fractured way of dealing with health care.
Itap time for the feds to come up with an honest way of determining inflation for seniors.
Robert Green, Westminster
This letter was published in the Jan. 14 edition.
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