Chaining Social Security COLAs

Congress is proposing to chain COLAs (Cost Of Living Adjustments) to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) which supposedly adjusts for market basket switches (substituting a cheaper cut of meat or cutting out foods that one can't afford) when prices go up. I hear Dickens' Oliver Twist in the background now saying 'Please, sir, I want some more.' "Problem is that a lot of seniors have already switched to pork or chicken and have cut out foods that they cannot afford on a SS (Social Security) income. What can they switch to when they can't afford pork or chicken because their COLAs have been chained to an even smaller CPI calculation? I suggest that the Federal Government pay back the nearly three-trillion dollars it borrowed from the SS Trust Fund over the years to pay its bills so seniors can get a decent COLA when prices do go up. My COLA this year was $21/mo. That means I got a yearly raise of $252. We have been cutting back on many 'luxuries' (tongue-in-cheek here) since the economic downturn beginning in 2007. The increase in my medical, prescription, and supplemental insurance policies was approximately $16/mo. My policy deductibles have increased too. That leaves me with an annual COLA increase of $60. One reason we refinanced our home was to reduce the monthly payment to afford the increase in property taxes we had been advised was coming. This is the first COLA paid to SS beneficiaries in three years and it hasn't even been chained yet! I know I'm going to have to save up for a long time before I can afford to buy that 'filet mignon' for dinner!