A letter to our Senators and Representatives. Gentlemen, I am a 64-year-old American that has worked and paid taxes since I was fifteen years old. I have never taken any type of handout from anyone, including the US government. After 49 years of working, I have decided to retire, at least partially. According to you, it’s “early  retirement”.  I don’t consider 49 years of working, “early”. Had I been a government employee I could have retired 29 years ago, or had I been a senator, I could have retired, what… 39 years ago? with full retirement pay and free healthcare for life. Because I retired before reaching my “full retirement age”; which is decided by you, I have a reduced Social Security payment, which you refer to as a “benefit”. I see it as a return of my money that I have paid in for 49 years. This reduced payment is not enough to live on. The payment at full retirement age is not enough to live on. I have to work some, to supplement my income, but low and behold I can only earn a certain amount (which is still not enough to live on) and then you start docking my Social Security. Apparently, I earned too much at some point because I just received a letter from the SSA stating that my next three SSA payments will be cut in half, and the real kicker is I still “owe” $38.00. I can’t work more to make up the difference because I will only be further penalized. It is extremely infuriating, as an American citizen, to be treated this way. Look at the amount of fraud, look at the number of people, many of whom have never paid a dime into the system, receiving free benefits from the government. Look at the billions paid to and on behalf of illegal immigrants. All I want is the money I paid in and a chance to retire in peace.