Who's Responsible?

     Cutsbacks in Social Security field office hours, some Social Security field offices closing, poorer telephone service, longer waits for determinations on Social Security disability claims, no more mailings of annual Social Security statements. What's going on? Michael Hiltzik at the Chicago Tribune has an explanation:

Who's responsible for this steady erosion of service? Conservatives in Congress, who have been merrily hacking away at the program's administrative budget. Make no mistake -- this is their stealth attack on the program itself. They haven't been able to cut benefits, so they're doing the next best thing: making it hard for you to know what you're due, and harder to get it when it comes due. The bottom line is that Social Security starts to look less relevant to Americans' lives, even as it really becomes more important.