GOVERNMENT GOES BOTH WAYS!

Seniors and those in need of assistance were recently informed that the annual Cost Of Living Adjustment, COLA will not go into effect this year. That means that anyone collecting Social Security will not get the tiny raise in benefits they have been getting at the start of next year.

The reason COLA will not take effect according to the government is, simply put there has been no inflation and therefore no need to for increased payments.

But at the same time Medicare premiums paid monthly by many of the same people not getting a COLA on their Social Security will rise by as much as 53% next year or from $104 to $159.30!

The reason given by the Republican controlled House of Representatives (remind me just exactly who do they represent?) is rising healthcare costs.

Those two statements are obviously at odds with each other but neither the first time nor the last time anomalies such as these will be used against the middle class.

On Long Island the energy industry friend Long Island Power Authority, LIPA is allowing and about to implement a rate hike of 9% over the next three years.

They claim this is necessary due to a shortfall in the budget caused by a drop in sales tax revenue.

By the way the reason the sales tax revenue is down is because Long Islanders cannot afford to buy as much as in previous years due to lower incomes and rising costs.

The American Association of Retired Persons, AARP says LIPA is using ‘fuzzy math’ to make their case.

All the arguments used by those in power sound legitimate when taken by themselves but when put together start to smell of lies, greed and corruption.

In college logic courses they teach syllogisms which are generally two or three statements put together that sound logical but will cause the listener or reader to pause and think, wait what?

For example:

The American buffalo is a vanishing animal.

That animal is an American buffalo.

Therefore it is vanishing!

Or one of my favorites:

News of Russian aggression is no news.

And since No News is Good News,

News of Russian aggression is good news!

Business owners started using the double standard tactic a while ago too.

They claim no raises will be given because business is down and the economy is terrible.  They also moan about the increased costs in health care as reasons for dumping more of the costs on the individual.

So the worker gets less money in his/her paycheck but has to use the less money to pay for higher healthcare costs etc.

But what costs are going up?  Surely they’re not salary related since no business is giving raises so what is causing this?

Could it just be general inflation?

No, that cannot be because inflation is so low that those on Social Security will not be getting a COLA!

The bottom line is if you can figure out two sides to any financial story and you want to feed the information to the public use them both but make sure the middle class gets the short straw!

Republicans’ Favorite Things

All together now:
2-4-6-8 who does our group
really hate?
HUMANS, HUMANS
SCREW HUMANS!

Men killed at lynchings

Or gang-bangers gunned down

Things that make liberals’

Smiles turn to big frowns

Anything we do that thins out the crowd

These I will praise with my words sung out loud

Dinner at clubs with the upper elite crust

Watching old unions go down and then go bust

Laws hurting middle class make me so proud

These I will praise with my words sung out loud

When we vote no

Millions do go

Without food or drink

I simply remember rich corporate friends

And of my great bribes I think

Homeless who just die

Or criminals we fry

Aliens kicked out

Minorities; bye bye

When with complete power we are endowed

Then I will praise with my words sung out loud

When we vote no

Millions do go

Without food or drink

I simply remember rich corporate friends

And of those great bribes I think!

My heartfelt sincerest apologies to
the wonderful Von Trapp Family &
the entire cast of The Sound of Music
for associating them with this song
and the awful anti-human political
party it purports to represent.

Worthy of Annie Sullivan

While the selfishness of our elected officials continues to muddy the flood waters of America there are still pockets of truly great yet simple people performing beautiful selfless acts.

The things these people do they do out of love and respect for others. And their acts are made all the more wonderful by their obscurity on the National stage and against the backdrop of our government.

That government and the political world in which it resides has turned into a fight between two opposing views. Like the proverbial angel and devil occupying shoulders on either side of the country’s head each has an ear into which they whisper their agenda.

Sadly those whispers have become shouts and they tend to drown out all other thoughts. And we can look forward to continuing this non productive cacophony straight through to next November and beyond.

People’s lives are being adversely affected by the childish political and rhetorical ‘one up man ship’ of the DC buffoons. We are being asked to choose our future leaders from among that group of undeserving egoists.

What could be sadder than that?

And yet amidst the rubble of what used to be the best run country in the world there exist real people who go about their daily business without bothering to listen to CNN, MSNBC or Fox.

They understand what is important at least to themselves and their family.

And more importantly they want to make their corner of the sky a better place in which to live. And they do so without the help of our dysfunctional government.

They expect nothing from Congress nor will they get anything.

In fact what they can look forward to is continued attacks especially from one of the political parties who view their kind as a threat to the American way of life.

I am speaking of teachers and more specifically “Special Ed” teachers.

The leaders of the Republican Party view anyone who wishes to help others as weak. They think of unions as evil entities out to steal money from employers.

But I digress!

On my morning commute into Manhattan I often sit next to a young lady on her way to work. In order to keep her identity a secret for now let me call her Anne.

Anne teaches a class of 8 special needs children with various learning disabilities such as but not limited to autism.

Her ‘students’ call her Anne, at least the ones who can speak.

During a recent ride into work Anne told me about one of her children who had never spoken before but after working with him now recognizes 5 words!

This hard fought breakthrough brought her tremendous pride as well it should.

This past week Anne was carrying two huge shopping bags with her and I jokingly asked if she was leaving town.

“No, silly, I found these things in a store and my kids will love them.”

The bag was filled with toys and items such as portable stick-up lights that glow when squeezed. Some were in the shape of animals and Anne was going to use them to teach and reward correct answers.

She paid for them herself without even thinking about reimbursement.

That shows she is smart as well since the program through which Anne works is federally funded so it will surely come under attack as soon as our politicians get around to it.

But in the meantime she and many of her co-workers continue to enrich the lives of the most innocent and needy of New York.

And who knows, maybe with hard work and continued dedication one of her students or the many others being helped by living saints such as Anne will be able to live unfettered productive lives. And who’s to say one of them won’t be instrumental in finding a cure to their own disability.

To the Anne’s of the World and on behalf of all of us I thank and salute you.

Balance the Budget!

Balance the Budget or ‘BtB’ sounds like the acronym for Business to Business, a term used when one going concern sells its wares to another for eventual final mark-up and sale to the end consumer.

But this BtB leaves out all the middle men and silly end product or service thingies and makes the consumer PAY FOR NOTHING!

Literally!

You will get nothing but you will pay!

Let’s face it when politicians, and especially the so-called fiscally responsible yet hypocritically phony Republicans say they wish to balance the budget what they are really saying is screw the poor and middle classes.

Now some may feel that I am merely using hyperbole (I use words like hyperbole to confuse the likes of Sarah Palin and her friends who’ve never seen the inside of a book.)

But when I say the Republicans are out to get the middle class just look at the facts.

Tax cuts for people who do not need tax cuts, aka the filthy rich is about to cause a record and unsustainable increase in the deficit.

If the deficit rises too far in order to keep the Nation afloat we will have to float loans at dangerously high interest levels and borrow money from wonderfully friendly places like China.

And this will merely kick the can down the road to our children and their children.

As a result of this strategy cuts in services become necessary.

And on whose backs will those cuts fall?

Well we've just given the wealthy a tax gift or rather continued the gift from 'W' so they won’t be involved.  And that leaves, uh, er, um who exactly?

Well by process of elimination we’re about to eliminate the middle class.

But first we must appease that group of eunuchs with a ‘Trojan Horse’ type of gift in the form of a tiny tax cut of their own.

When you are making $50,000 per year a 3% tax cut is nice but it won’t get you a new car.

However 3% for one of those wonderful hedge fund managers who took in over one billion dollars last year and add so much to society allows them to buy a dealership and have enough left over for a nice year long vacation.

Of course the extra walking around money for these pillars of mankind might allow them to hire one or two workers but at minimum wage only and possibly just part time.  After all there is always that ‘uncertainty’ thing hanging around in the future somewhere.

Next we lower the Social Security payroll deduction from 6.2 % to 4.2%.  This means the average worker, assuming he or she is still employed will receive an extra pittance in their post deduction take home pay pocket.

But before you go out and book the Plaza for your next affair you should know that our leaders have just removed millions of dollars from an already hurting fund meant to cushion our ‘golden years.’

In other words they are starting to chip away at that most socialistic program of all, Social Security.

And who will be hurt most when Social Security is gone, the wealthy?

Give me a break!

I happen to love the guy but does anyone think Warren Buffet will be relying on his Social Security payments to get him through his retirement?

Next on the agenda for the new majority in the House but thankfully not the Senate will be the dismantling of another program meant to help the eunuchs in the middle class, health care reform.

Why should the wealthy corporations have to take care of the little guy?  After all the more money they spend on those ragamuffins the less bribe dollars there are to go around from “K Street.”

So what’s the solution?

Should we just forget about the budget?

No indeed!

Balancing the budget is a good thing.  And it’s been done before, under Democratic Presidents with the help of a Congress that had the greater good in mind.

Unfortunately these days the only thing these hypocrites have on their minds is who will be in charge after the next election and then the one after that.

The heat of summer had not yet passed and all we heard on the news was who is running for President in 2012!

So as far as our government is concerned damn the middle class, full speed ahead.

Perhaps it is time for the little people to understand what is going on in DC and the board rooms of the corporations that own that town.

Perhaps WE should start threatening second amendment rights!

Of course that's just as absurd a notion now as it was when that idiot from Nevada first said it but...

When the government does not listen or worse, does not care about WE THE PEOPLE it may be time for WE THE PEOPLE to speak a little louder!

V - O - T - E

A single droplet of water will most likely go unnoticed by all.  But when millions of droplets fall at the same time and in the same place you could easily have a dangerous flood on your hands.
I just did something that in and of itself seems quite fruitless and as insignificant as a droplet of water, I voted.
I did so for three reasons;
One: It's an honor to be able to vote;
Two: It's the duty of every citizen to be involved in elections to decide who will be in our government;

Scan This New York!

Three: New York just instituted a new method of voting that involves paper ballots and scanning machines to count them.
I expected to have a little trouble since it is something new but found the experience to be pleasant and quick and hopefully accurate.  I now believe it will work fine come the regular election in November.
The voting place, a local school with regular classes still in session was basically empty with workers outnumbering voters, well 30 to 2 (my wife voted with me.)
I guess that is understandable since today's voting was only a primary election but still I wish there had been a larger turn out.
Given the passion that has been seen on television and cable shows and the partisan funded rallies across the nation it was a shock to walk in, vote, and walk out within two minutes. (It would have been quicker but I stopped to talk with the workers for a minute or so.)
In my district I only had choices in 3 elections.
That's because I am a registered humane individual who still believes we are all entitled to a fair shake and must all pull together for the greatness of this country by making sure that our poor and needy are taken care of and the few greedy wealthy corporations and business owners do not drown out the 'little' voices and our leaders do not lose sight of why they were elected and what their role in government truly is.  In other words a proud registered Democrat.
I cannot say who voted for whom but I can tell you that after being open for 9 hours my district had recorded only 36 votes!  28 proud Democrats voted while only 8 sadly misguided Republicans filled in their ballots.
I don't know what the final numbers will be in my area but with such a low tally and only 6 hours left I can assure you there will not be a flood of votes to count.
One can only hope that more people will actually take the time to shout with their ballots what their individual voices only seem to whisper:
We need a responsive working government.
We need all leaders to actually lead.
We need debates to be fair and truth based so that the electorate can make an informed decision.
We need to return to a time when the super rich did not control the government and the masses only thought they were being represented.
Wait, that last one is no longer possible.
We need to be more involved in our government so that we can start the road back to the time when 'We The People' all actually had an equal say in government and that government of, by and for us really cared about us.
And we can only do that by voting.
Each vote, like a droplet of water is a small thing but together we can roar like the ocean.

The Big Picture - A Primer for the Tax Payer

I work for a living. The company I work for makes a product that while it is not essential to life it is nonetheless useful and desirable. My company makes a profit selling this product and therefore I receive a salary. That salary is taxed at a high rate and every penny of what is left over is then taxed again when it is used to purchase something. And the company from which I purchase that something is also taxed for making their profit. If that money is used to buy a winning lottery ticket the winnings are taxed at an unbelievably high rate.
Senators and other government officials also work for a living. But their company does not produce a product or a profit from which to draw a salary. They are paid in part by my taxes. They are also paid by friends called lobbyists and special interest groups.
In return what they do produce causes more taxes so that they can make more money for themselves and their friends.
Every couple of years these officials must run for re-election. During this time each and every one of them states that they never raise taxes. Many of them say that they never voted for a tax or a tax increase and yet we are being taxed at ridiculously high rates.
There is even an Alternative Minimum Tax or AMT which was started years ago to make sure the very wealthy pay at least some taxes. But many of the wealthy people also have friends who are lobbyists or belong to those special interest groups. Therefore rather than make the wealthy pay their fair share the officials in DC allow the AMT to affect lower and lower income families. This shift downward has passed along a greater burden of the tax code to the middle and lower middle class.
Congress enacts laws. They also amend current laws and decide on government spending. But what they spend is not their money since they produce nothing. The money they spend is OPM or other people’s money, our money.
Therefore it is our money that sent thousands of our children to war and their death against the wrong target. It is our money that funds the oil companies to unheard of record profits. It is our money that pays for illegal wire tapping of American citizens.
Our money even funds the travels and safety expenses of politician’s mistresses as well as their friends and family. It would appear that these wealthy people cannot afford to pay for their own transportation but we all know that is not the case.
Our money helps big business and multi-national corporations send our once better paying jobs overseas to cheaper markets in search of higher profits which are then taxed at lower rates.
Our money helps keep HMOs, who produce an even less desirable product than does our congress make record profits.
And all the while our money is being used by our leaders to decide how we are allowed to live our lives and love our loved ones even down to deciding whether or not some of us are allowed to marry.
What our officials are not using our money for are mundane things such as stopping global warming which may make the world uninhabitable in a few years; finding ways to feed the tremendous number of hungry people in our country, let alone the world; helping our homeless people, many of whom are veterans of the military. Our officials refuse to fund medical research into various ways to heal the sick or stop certain diseases at all, especially if their church tells them not to. These officials have obviously never heard of the separation of church and state.
America has fallen behind the rest of the world in medical research and education. We will continue to fall behind as long as these idiots are in charge.
However we still lead the world in celebrity sightings. Our press rejoices in the reporting of panty-less supposed celebrities or brainless billionaire bimbos. We can rest assured that we will be well informed when a blonde goes missing in the Caribbean. We will also know all the details of the child custody hearings when a wealthy buxom woman dies.
We only have ourselves to blame for allowing our money to be used and abused by a small group of people known as senators and representatives or Presidents and their friends. We work for a living, what the hell do they do?