Thursday, June 30, 2005
Social Security quick fix
Here's an e-mail floating around the Internet that made it into my in-box. I don't know who the author is. Do we ever know who the author is of these kinds of e-mails. Sounds like a good idea, though.
"SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments..
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH....
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into,-every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer)-we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator! Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to:
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us.
then sit back.....
and watch how fast they would fix it."
"SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments..
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH....
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into,-every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer)-we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator! Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to:
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us.
then sit back.....
and watch how fast they would fix it."
CAFTA: Sugar bust
The Senate approved CAFTA, which benefits rice farmers in Louweezieanna because our friends south of the border don't grow rice, but hurts the many family run sugar cane farms because there's a lot of sweet gold in Central America. Both Landrieu and Vitter voted against CAFTA. Now it goes to the House in August, where our Reps will vote against it also, and where it has a slim chance of getting defeated. But in the end, cheaper imports ultimately means better prices for consumers, but the eventual loss of family farms in the Pelican State. Seems like the sugar lobby ain't what it use to be. Maybe we should put tolls up in Lake Charles to collect a fee on all of the imports that will be flowing east on I-10 to Yankee land.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
"We're making progress," Bush says
Ok, President Bush, we know we're making progress in building schools, health clinics, supplying water and electricity to homes and all of the other infrastructure things that can happen if taxpayer money is poured onto a dirt road. The troops coming home tell us this is happening.
But if we are making progress in stopping the insurgency, which is what you implied over and over again in your speech tonight, stop lying. As of this moment in history, the insurgency is killing more people than ever, though not Americans but Iraqis.
We (Americans) believe in your call for freedom for Iraqis, Mr. President, but don't lie to us. That's how we got into this in the first place. Because the lies are building up, the trust by Americans in your call to action is falling.
But if we are making progress in stopping the insurgency, which is what you implied over and over again in your speech tonight, stop lying. As of this moment in history, the insurgency is killing more people than ever, though not Americans but Iraqis.
We (Americans) believe in your call for freedom for Iraqis, Mr. President, but don't lie to us. That's how we got into this in the first place. Because the lies are building up, the trust by Americans in your call to action is falling.
War on terrorism
Where are these bombs coming from that the terrorist use in Iraq and Afganistan? Seems to me that we are trying to fight individual insurgents instead of the source of the insurgency, which is the maker and suppliers of the bombs. Are these bombs from Syria, Iran, Palestine? And who is getting rich from making these bomb parts. American forces, in our declaration of war against terrorism anywhere in the world, should follow the money and go after the makers of the bombs.
