To the editor:

How blind can our leaders be? Can they not see the hidden inflation that has been going on for years now?

Mayonnaise now comes in 30-ounce containers, instead of 32-ounce containers. A can of tuna is 5 ounces, instead of 6 ½. And crackers and cookies do not come in 16-ounce packages anymore, unless you want to pay a higher price. I could go on and on.

The last straw was when I bought a string of Christmas lights. It was more than two feet shorter than the ones I bought last year, which means I was forced to buy four strings instead of three to cover the same area. The price per box is the same, but the hidden inflation is much more than 10 percent.

When the quantity of anything is reduced, that means we have to spend more money to replace that item a lot sooner than we would have otherwise.

When I read the recent articles that suggest there is no inflation, I want to question the honesty of those researchers who are blind to the fact that we are paying more for most things, because things are not lasting as long as they once did.

As a final example, I bought a plastic storage box last year. When I stacked it up with older boxes containing the same weight, it bent, because they have reduced the thickness of the plastic.

Wake up, Washington! Face the facts. Give seniors the cost of living adjustment so that we might keep up with the hidden inflation that has reduced our purchasing power.

Give us at least a 10-percent increase to make up for two years without an increase, plus the previous years that did not keep up with widespread hidden inflation.

Richard Gowallis

Suffolk