SOCIAL SECURITY PART 10

WELCOME TO OPINIONS  BASED  ON  FACTS (OBOF)

          OVERVIEW                                 Published Dec. 28, 2010

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 1    Published Dec. 30, 2010

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 2    Published Jan. 10, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 3    Published Jan. 17, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 4    Published Jan. 24, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 5    Published Jan. 31, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 6    Published Feb. 07, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 7    Published Feb. 14, 2011

          SPECIAL ISSUE                         Published Feb. 18, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 8    Published Feb. 21, 2011

               SOCIAL SECURITY PART 9    Published Mar. 01, 2011

          SOCIAL SECURITY PART 10 Published  Mar. 07, 2011

SOCIAL SECURITY PART 10

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING MORE & MORE IMPORTANT

You know folks, every week when I finish one of these postings, I always wonder what I will be writing next week.  The next week never seems to let me down.  So much keeps happening, that is so important to all of us.  When I started this, I said there would be issues that effect all of us.  As you know, so far, it has almost entirely been about Social Security (SS).  This week will be a little bit different.  Social Security is still the hottest issue at the moment, but there are other things that need mentioning.

The thing that keeps getting more important is contacting our Senators & Representatives.  More about that latter. 

The following are excerpts, in part, from the March 4th, Wall Street Journal, by Naftali  Bendavid  & Janet Hook.   

WASHINGTON—House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he's determined to offer a budget this spring that curbs. Social Security and Medicare, despite the political risks, and that Republicans will try to persuade voters that sacrifices are needed.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Boehner said House Republicans would offer a budget for the next fiscal year that sets goals for bringing the programs' costs under control. But he acknowledged that Americans aren't yet ready to embrace far-reaching changes to Social Security and Medicare because they aren't aware of the magnitude of the financial problems.

Even while Republicans and Democrats wrangle over cuts to the discretionary spending that is determined by Congress every year, the question of how to tackle the government's promised Social Security and Medicare payments has loomed as a tougher challenge.

Entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid make up more than 60% of the budget. Annual outlays are expected to grow an average of 5.4% for Social Security and 6.8% for Medicare through the end of the decade.

This paragraph, is a perfect illustration of what I have been telling you, about people in Washington considering SS an entitlement program and it almost always is the first one they mention.  Think what that 60%, above, would be if they took SS out of that, as they should.  It should not be considered a budget item.

"People in Washington assume that Americans understand how big the problem is, but most Americans don't have a clue," Mr. Boehner said, speaking in his Capitol office. "I think it's incumbent on us, if we are serious about dealing with the big challenges, that we go out and help Americans understand how big the problem is that faces us."

They want Americans to understand how big the problem is.  We would like for them to come out here and let us show them how big the problem is out here without SS, Medicare & Medicaid.  Of course, Medicare & Medicaid are both a little bit different  from SS, in that they are not totally self supporting, as SS is.

Picking up on that last statement, someone might say to you, "Well if it is self supporting, then why is the Government having to supplement, what is now received from withholding premiums, in order to make the benefit payments?" 

Of course, the answer is that the Government is only giving back SS premiums that they have already stolen.  Sorry, folks, there just isn't any other way to say it.  As I have explained before, for the past 25 years and 2 Democratic and 3 Republican Presidents, the Government has simply stolen 2.6 + trillion dollars from the SS Trust Fund.  If you have read earlier posts, you know that that is illegal, in accordance with the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. 

CONTACTING YOUR SENATORS & REPRESENTATIVE

Last week I gave you a sample letter that you could use to write your Senators & Representative.  At the time, I told you that you couldn't copy it and paste it in the form that was on their web site to send comments. 

Well, I find that you can.  Just highlight the letter and hit keys Ctrl + C, (Hold the Ctrl key down and keep holding it while you hit the C key) which will copy. Then go to the Legislator's web site.  Place the curser in the proper place for comments and hit Ctrl + V, (Do the same way as you did for C.) it will paste.  Now, at this point there is one minor problem.  There will be a little more than the letter posted from OBOF.  You can either use "backspace" or highlight and "delete" to get rid of everything except the letter.  All that's left to do is put in the Legislators name, date and sign.  You're set to go.

PLEASE, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU

You can see from the above, the thinking and planning for changes in, not only SS, but in Medicare & Medicaid also, is happening now. I haven't said anything about Medicare & Medicaid, but I know that millions of us depend on them.  Cuts in them or increasing in the deduction, would almost be as devastating as it would be to SS.   It seems to me that, if they looked at SS as a self supporting program, as they should and take it off budget, as they should, they would not have to consider doing anything to Medicare & Medicaid.

It is so important to write now.  Don't put it off.  Just pull up last week's posting and everything is there to find your Senators and Representative.  Then copy & Paste, like I described above, and it's done.  It's that easy.  

Tulsa Oklahoma news

Most of my postings are related to national issues, but from time to time there are developments here in the Tulsa area that need attention.

In the past, I have told you about a national Political Action Committee (PAC) by the name of "MoveOn."  Last week I reported about a meeting that was with National Legislators all over the country.  Since then, I have learned that because it was a nation wide event Tulsa participated in the event, even before they had an opportunity to formally organize.  You may recall that there were 23 at that meeting.  Real good, in my opinion, considering the status of the MoveOn here. 

Well, now they are really getting under way.  On Saturday, March 5th, they held their Organizational meeting.  It was very well structured.  Mr. Ali Canada, the Regional Coordinator for MoveOn, opened the meeting and explained the purpose of MoveOn and the purpose of that meeting.

Audrey Ramsey, MoveOn Communications Director and Recruiter, explained the Communication Process, provided a Calendar of Events and an organizational chart.  She then had a job description for each position and the qualifications for each position.  A great deal of discussion followed in relation to upcoming events.  I won't be writing minutes of meetings, so won't get into the details of the discussions.  I just want all of you in the Tulsa area, to know about the development of the PAC and for more detail I suggest that you contact Ann Kent annk2@cox.net or Ali Canada at HTTP://POL.MOVEON.ORG . 

Don Kraycik told about another action group that was starting in the Tulsa area by the name of UsUncut.  It is an organization that started in Great Britain many years ago.  You can contact them at is http://www.usuncut.org .  One of their main goals is against Corporate tax dodgers. 

INTERESTING NOTE: I don't know that this is a FACT.  It is however, supposedly reliably reported that from 1998 to 2005 (why those years were picked I don't know, unless they provided the conclusion that they wanted to report.)  two thirds (2/3) of U.S. corporations did not pay any taxes and in 2009 Bank of America reported 4.4 billion dollars profit and paid 0 taxes.

EDITORAL

Permit me a little bit of personal thoughts.  Last year, during the campaigning, I use to hear, at rallies, the chant, "I want my freedom back."  I remember, that when I heard that I would ask myself, "What freedoms have we lost, that they are talking about."  I couldn't think of any freedoms that I had lost. 

The other evening, I was watching a TV show called "Cimarron." I think that is the way it was spelled.  Anyway, near the end of this show there is a celebration and there was a banquet.  Behind the speaker's table there was a banner on the wall.  It said, "The Truth Will Make Us Free." 

When I saw that it dawned on me that, maybe, that is the freedom they were wanting back.  Wouldn't it be nice, if we could feel that what we are told is the truth.

Also, remember, "Democracy is a very poor form of government, but I would remind you never to forget, all the others are so much worse." (TV Slatery's People show).  We must continue to improve it and we must be grateful that WE'VE GOT IT.

See you next week.

Floyd