Amen! I don't much care for being stigmatized in this way either. On the other hand, I feel that $27 is a bit steep for some fellow genealogists to pay. SO, since genealogists are some of the most giving and generous people around - we'll circumvent this problem! --- Art Morgan <artmorg@wt.net> wrote: > It seems to me that it would have been much more to the > point to ask Mr. > Thompson to give us an honest and straight forward > explanation for why his > department found it necessary to raise the fees for these > services. It's > possible you know that due to the increased number of > people involved in the > genealogy process that the demands upon his office for > this information > justifies the fee increases. If it's possible for him to > explain these > increases I believe that he might be more than justified > in charging more > money for this service. I would hope that those of us > that depend upon this > information would be more than willing to pay a fair > price for this service > rather than poor mouth the government on the basis that > most of us are > disabled, or on fixed incomes and have to depend on the > government for > another handout. I personally don't like being included > in a category that > says most of us are in this position and that these > increases put these > services out of our reach. I don't think this is true > and I believe it > mars our collective position. If Mr. Davis wants to make > this plea on the > basis of his own position then that's fine but don't put > us all in that > class. I believe when one takes this position with one > of our appointed > officials the result is that we are all painted with an > unjustified negative > position and we do more harm than good. > > Art Morgan > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bobbye Davis" <bobbye@microsped.com> > To: <MISSISSIPPI-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 9:13 AM > Subject: [MISSISSIPPI] Letter to Tommy Thompson on SS-5 > > > > For those of you who would like to protest the > increases in rates copy > this > > letter I sent to Sec. Tommy Thompson and sign your name > to it.Maybe with > > enough protest we can get something done. > > Secretary Tommy G. Thompson > > U.S. Department of Health and Human Services > > 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 639-G > > Washington, DC 20201 > > > > > > > > Dear Mr. Thompson, > > > > As an avid Genealogist it has come to the attention of > my self and > hundreds > > of thousand of others that we have literally been > struck down by the > > increase in the price of the SS-5 form. > > This has been one of the most valuable lower priced > tools we have had. > They > > have been $7.00 up until July 1,2001. Now the cost is > $27.00 for just less > > than a half of a page of information. We usually have > the correct SS > number > > written on the letter that is generated from the > Ancestry.com web site. > So > > it is not hard for them to be found. > > Most people like me doing research are disabled and on > fixed incomes. So > > the raise in fees puts us out of reach on this. A lot > of us cannot > travel > > to look up records so we have to depend on > volunteers,archives and on > line > > records. With these SS-5 records we can find missing > birth dates, > parents > > names and ect. that may not be available elsewhere. > > Isn't there something that can be done to get this fee > lowered to a > > reasonable level? > > > > Cordially, > > > > > > > > > > ==== MISSISSIPPI Mailing List ==== > > Visit the Mississippi-L Website at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mississi > > where you can both SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE with a > click of the mouse. > > > > ============================== > > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 > > > > > ==== MISSISSIPPI Mailing List ==== > To subscribe and Unsubscribe with ease, visit > http://www.rootsweb.com/mississi and scroll down and > click the appropriate link for the list you want, then > click on Send > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy > access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

Perhaps, since you all don't want to be "stigmatized" in this way, you all should write your own letter and paste a copy of it onto the list so that others of your persuasion could use it. :o) Otherwise, why say anything at all?? Complaining about the letter is a waste of time. Do something about it!!! :o) Edye Higgins wrote: > Amen! I don't much care for being stigmatized in this way > either. On the other hand, I feel that $27 is a bit steep > for some fellow genealogists to pay. SO, since > genealogists are some of the most giving and generous > people around - we'll circumvent this problem! > > > --- Art Morgan <artmorg@wt.net> wrote: > > It seems to me that it would have been much more to the > > point to ask Mr. > > Thompson to give us an honest and straight forward > > explanation for why his > > department found it necessary to raise the fees for these > > services. It's > > possible you know that due to the increased number of > > people involved in the > > genealogy process that the demands upon his office for > > this information > > justifies the fee increases. If it's possible for him to > > explain these > > increases I believe that he might be more than justified > > in charging more > > money for this service. I would hope that those of us > > that depend upon this > > information would be more than willing to pay a fair > > price for this service > > rather than poor mouth the government on the basis that > > most of us are > > disabled, or on fixed incomes and have to depend on the > > government for > > another handout. I personally don't like being included > > in a category that > > says most of us are in this position and that these > > increases put these > > services out of our reach. I don't think this is true > > and I believe it > > mars our collective position. If Mr. Davis wants to make > > this plea on the > > basis of his own position then that's fine but don't put > > us all in that > > class. I believe when one takes this position with one > > of our appointed > > officials the result is that we are all painted with an > > unjustified negative > > position and we do more harm than good. > > > > Art Morgan > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Bobbye Davis" <bobbye@microsped.com> > > To: <MISSISSIPPI-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 9:13 AM > > Subject: [MISSISSIPPI] Letter to Tommy Thompson on SS-5 > > > > > > > For those of you who would like to protest the > > increases in rates copy > > this > > > letter I sent to Sec. Tommy Thompson and sign your name > > to it.Maybe with > > > enough protest we can get something done. > > > Secretary Tommy G. Thompson > > > U.S. Department of Health and Human Services > > > 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 639-G > > > Washington, DC 20201 > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear Mr. Thompson, > > > > > > As an avid Genealogist it has come to the attention of > > my self and > > hundreds > > > of thousand of others that we have literally been > > struck down by the > > > increase in the price of the SS-5 form. > > > This has been one of the most valuable lower priced > > tools we have had. > > They > > > have been $7.00 up until July 1,2001. Now the cost is > > $27.00 for just less > > > than a half of a page of information. We usually have > > the correct SS > > number > > > written on the letter that is generated from the > > Ancestry.com web site. > > So > > > it is not hard for them to be found. > > > Most people like me doing research are disabled and on > > fixed incomes. So > > > the raise in fees puts us out of reach on this. A lot > > of us cannot > > travel > > > to look up records so we have to depend on > > volunteers,archives and on > > line > > > records. With these SS-5 records we can find missing > > birth dates, > > parents > > > names and ect. that may not be available elsewhere. > > > Isn't there something that can be done to get this fee > > lowered to a > > > reasonable level? > > > > > > Cordially, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MISSISSIPPI Mailing List ==== > > > Visit the Mississippi-L Website at > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mississi > > > where you can both SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE with a > > click of the mouse. > > > > > > ============================== > > > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > > > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 > > > > > > > > > ==== MISSISSIPPI Mailing List ==== > > To subscribe and Unsubscribe with ease, visit > > http://www.rootsweb.com/mississi and scroll down and > > click the appropriate link for the list you want, then > > click on Send > > > > ============================== > > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy > > access to the #1 > > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > > > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger > http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ > > ==== MISSISSIPPI Mailing List ==== > To subscribe and Unsubscribe with ease, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/mississi and scroll down and click the appropriate link for the list you want, then click on Send > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com