Dear family members, I was VERY pleased to hear from all of you regarding the low-down audacity of the Social Security Administration's FOIA group to increase the cost of requesting a COPY of a loved one's original Social Security Application from $7.00 to $27.00! ..This is nearly a 400% increase! Not even the US Postal service has the nerve to jump that high on postage cost for a first class letter! Some of you were [justifiably] surprised that ' I ' had JUST found out about this corruptive nerve of the US Government. I have been quite ill for a few month's during and following the advent of this rate increase, and have thus been unable to resume my research, and helping the research of others. I'm glad to announce the return of my health. With that, I fully intend to protest this flagrant act of greed which blatantly defeats the 'spirit of the law' to which the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT is supposed to address; ".. to make, at nominal processing cost, public documents available to the tax-paying citizens of the United States of America, the information to which their tax dollars have already been siphoned." Obviously, the truth of the matter is this branch of the government is corrupt and riddled with profound greed! In the letters I have since received from many of you, you too share in my utter contempt and complete awe of such insubordination of this branch of government! We are ALL in the genealogical interest of truth. Not only 'our-family's history' but also the ability to unveil to our friends and neighbors the 'world's history's via this once-affordable "wrecking-ball" which was once able to knock-down many historical "brick walls' in the pursuit of our true lineage. I am in the process of filing a formal complaint with local Senate and Congressional legislators such as: Barbara Mikulski, Steny Hoyer, Paul Sarbanes. In fact, I have filed my-own FREEDOM OF INFORMATION request, to have SOCIAL SECURITY JUSTIFY this spineless slap in the face of all taxpayers. THIS IS NOT A GOOD REFLECTION OF THIS ADMINISTRATION IN THE AREA OF FAMILY VALUES! In dedication to our common objectives, Bill Wood