Mary McGinnis posted this to another list .... this will be a serious bump in the road for many doing family history research. ============================================================ I have just discovered that the SSA is raising the price by 286% for the most valuable tool that genealogists request, the SS-5 form, Original Application for SS Number... It is going up from its present $7 to $27, effective 1 July 2001. Reference: http://www.ssa.gov/foia/foia_guide.htm#_Toc517745431 This is untenable, since many people who do genealogy are older retired folks on fixed income... and this large increase appears to be intended to discourage the public from access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act. How can it cost $27 to receive a request, then make and mail a copy of the one page document??? ...Government is not intended to be making a profit... The $7 seems high, when you actually evaluate the task...and Researching costs more...Could it be that they have some awfully high paid clerks...and/or interns...??? Since anything can be proven by statistics, I don't believe their "analysis" but you might want to make your representatives in Congress aware of this... Senate Addresses <http://www.senate.gov/ House Addresses <http://www.house.gov/ President George W. Bush: <[email protected] Vice President Dick Cheney: <[email protected] Assistant-Secretary for HHS: <[email protected] Notify all your Genealogical buddies, too??? We all need to write... Mary McG in Tennessee May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks, May your heart be light as a song. May each day bring you bright happy hours, That stay with you all year long. ======================================= Tom Cloud <[email protected]>