"Where's My Money?"

Pay As You Go

     Entitlement is a word designed to characterize beneficiaries as a drain on the Nation's treasury and her taxpaying citizens. We paid into Social Security, some of us, starting in childhood. People, we are being subjected to a storm of falsehood regarding Social Security. And it is shameful to call it an "entitlement program." 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
     
    We must make it clear to elected officials we understand the myth(s) involved here and demand the term 'entitlement' cease to be used, particularly with regard to Social Security.
     Let us dispel the notion Social Security is doomed because people are living longer, and there are too few workers, to support those who have retired. Here is the plain truth. Social Security was established, during the 1930s as a "pay as you go" program. During Franklin Roosevelt's administration, it seemed reasonable.
      Had benefits been guaranteed by the federal government, beneficiaries would have been paid, if necessary, out of the General Fund, irrespective of the ratio between active workers and retirees. In other words, Social Security would have remained secure. To make Social Security secure we'd have to have demanded the federal government guarantee all retirees, present and future, receive the federal benefits they earned. (The same applies to Medicare.) 

     As to the impending crisis in Social Security, the $2.7 trillion dollar reserve in the Social Security Trust gives us pause. What happened to our money, i.e., our cash payroll tax contri-butions? The contributions have been exchanged for non-negotiable Treasury IOUs. They are in are in the Social Security Trust Fund, but they can't be sold or redeemed. What is the result? Should there be a deficit in the Trust Fund, the U.S. government would have to sell bonds to the private sector, increasing government debt by $2.7 trillion. It is extremely unlikely to happen, however. 

     Had the Trust Fund monies been invested, it could have generated income, to be added to the cash in the fund. Government officials cover themselves by saying they traded payroll tax-generated monies for treasury bonds. -Sound good? Sure, there are treasury bonds but, again, they are bonds, which cannot be sold to generate cash. If they do generate cash returns, these are also taken from the fund, like the payroll tax cash. Should a true deficit occur in the Trust Fund, there will be no cash and no way to cash in the treasury bonds. Some experts believe this could come as soon as 2016 (sooner, if payroll tax cuts continue.) The crisis would mean the issuance of new bonds, increasing the federal deficit by at least another $250 billion a year over ten years ... a highly unlikely outcome. This is why we are unilaterally offered benefit cuts as the only alternative to avoid crisis. 
     The anticipated effects will will come first to those with five years to go before retirement and earlier. Those of us already retired, of course, are affected now by cuts in cost of living adjustments, which may be cut altogether, or which may be tied to the Chained Consumer Price Index, which will cause a cascade of negative results to beneficiaries. Last, but by no means least, social security disability is on the chopping block. -Seems to me, we have to get busy!

   
          

No Benediction for You!

The Face of Goodness, of Infallibility?

      The Pope has come out. Yep. That's right. He's announced, for the season of peace, I presume, in the name of The Prince of Peace, an alliance of many religions. My God, it's a new Ecumenical Council! He's going the extra distance to unite those who would ban the marriage of homosexual couples.

      -"Where's the surprise," you ask. Clearly the Roman Catholic Church has never indicated even a remote un-derstanding of the separation of church and state. American Catholics seeking civil union, who wish to enjoy the same civil rights as others, repent now, or, not. If you live in a state that honors the United States Constitution and your civil rights, marry before a judge. On the other hand, marriage may not appeal.

One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry. 

Oscar Wilde

      According to my gay neighbors, Pope Benedict may be offering a gift. One neighbor said he'd never considered marrying, anyway ... he's enjoying his partnership, enjoying their life free from marriage. Other gay couples may not share this, because they need the secure knowledge that their domestic partnerships and partners are honored, protected by law, in the event of  calamity. Gays and lesbians seeking for their unions, the blessings of the Church have been shown the exit, along with those who cherish notions of acceptance by their churches, even, progressive churches and temples ... need we continue?

      I'd submit a symbolic withdrawal from the Catholic Church, or the Christian faith, in light of this Christmas message, but cannot. I think there would be nothing more refreshing, just now, than self-excommunication. - It is a missed opportunity. I blew it decades ago, when my former spouse was granted permission by the Catholic Church, to declare our marriage invalid and our children, illegitimate ... another story for another place and time.

      We see Benedict XVI confirming his arcane role in spiritual leadership in a Catholic Church that has lost even its elder congregants. He has descended from his ivory tower in Vatican City, to offer the least timely, least  apropos message of Christmas 2012.

Slammed

The three coins of the ancient Chinese book of Changes.

How we older people do love to reminisce, and how we humans do love the status quo. By now our Christmas nostalgia is drowning in the wake of the Newton, Connecticut, shootings. The commentary, political and otherwise, is widespread and deafening. This post is about the only constant, change ... for, it is not exclusively the realm of the young to be in the present. Two of the most concerning messages I have encountered in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have come from older celebrities, actors whose work I regard highly. Morgan Freeman expressed the ever-popular, media exploitation and fifteen-minutes of fame, arguments. Next Samuel Jackson rang in with teaching the value of life. With respect, these good ideas are partial solutions, at best.

We are not merely confronted with change; we're being slammed into reality. We must respond with clear-headed views of present realities. In an increasingly crowded world, quality of life and mental health issues are magnified. Regardless of what good, sincere parents teach children, there are parents in our communities who cannot get themselves and their children early, effective, mental health services.

Regardless of how we feel about excessive press coverage and giving instant notoriety to perpetrators of horrific crimes, journalists will chronicle events, and they will name names. Not all this information is superfluous, and, by no mean should all of it be suppressed, even were it lawful to do so. At some point do we need to re-examine our national conscience about media overkill? Absolutely. Right now, however, we are responding poorly, as a nation, to the needs of the mentally ill, regardless of age. 

It matters not what part of the country you are from or whether you grew up with hunters imbued with profound reverence for life. Weapons, accessories and ammunition have become incrementally more sophisticated over a few decades. I am talking about guns designed to kill as many people as possible, with as much destructive force as possible, from a maximal distance, in the shortest possible length of time. 

I believe in the concept of the perfect storm. The question is, will we cling to the past, or acknowledge and address the present? Will we fail to implement security measures in our schools, reform our mental health systems, ban assault weapons? If we fail, it will not matter whether we implement background checks and waiting periods for gun sales. It will not matter whether we put a stop to media exploitation and curb our rapacious national appetite for violence, because we will not have done what we must do first. Here's another thought, from Bill Maher.

"Maybe every other American movie shouldn't be based on a comic book. Other countries will think Americans live in an infantile fantasy land where reality is whatever we say it is and every problem can be solved with violence."

Something Sweet

Would we not love to recapture the sweetness, the sweet dreams of childhood? Some of my own sweet dreams were prompted by The Sugar Plumb Fairy from the Nutcracker Ballet. Sugar plumbs, it seems, weren't plumbs, after all; they were Christmas candies. While I looked for the story of the famous fairy and a recipe for the confections, I ran across the most delightful children's poem by Eugene Field. Here it is. I offer it as an antidote to the cares of the season.
This illustration is on a precious old scrap of linen, origin unknown. (The gingerbread dog and chocolate cat cannot be seen, but it is a lovely little vignette.


THE SUGAR-PLUM TREE by: Eugene Field (1850-1895)

AVE you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?

'T is a marvel of great renown!

It blooms on the shore of the Lollipop sea

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;

The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet

(As those who have tasted it say)

That good little children have only to eat

Of that fruit to be happy next day.

 

When you 've got to the tree, you would have a hard time

To capture the fruit which I sing;

The tree is so tall that no person could climb

To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!

But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,

And a gingerbread dog prowls below--

And this is the way you contrive to get at

Those sugar-plums tempting you so:

 

You say but the word to that gingerbread dog

And he barks with such terrible zest

That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,

As her swelling proportions attest.

And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around

From this leafy limb unto that,

And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground--

Hurrah for that chocolate cat!

 

There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,

With stripings of scarlet or gold,

And you carry away of the treasure that rains

As much as your apron can hold!

So come, little child, cuddle closer to me

In your dainty white nightcap and gown,

And I 'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.

Twelve Days ... Phew!

The neighbors began to decorate for Christmas. Harriet got out her gun.


Here's an updated version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, age appropriate. I'll start with the final verse, for the sake of brevity, as is appropriate for those with ADD ... or the senior singalong.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Twelve Zanacs Numbing,
On the Eleventh Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Eleven kiddies griping,
On the Tenth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Ten nodes a' seeping,
On the Ninth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Nine brokers romancing,
On the Eighth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Eight charities milking,
On the Seventh Day of Christmas,
My True Love Gave to me,
Seven aches beginning,
On the Sixth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Six pundits braying,
On the Fifth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Five hemorrhoid cremes,
On the Fourth Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Four unkind words,
On the Third Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Three EpiPens,
On the Second Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
Two latex gloves,
On the First Day of Christmas,
My True Love gave to me,
One Ace Bandage for my knee

-Sounds better, if you sing it. By now, you're laughing or crying. We'll get through it all, I promise!

'Tis the Season

Now I'm an old Christmas tree, the roots of which have died. They just come along and while the little needles fall off me replace them with medallions.  Orson Welles

For the elderly, or those of us who are getting there, this has to be the toughest season. Some of us will have suffered great loss in 2012; the loss of friends and loved ones is accelerated, reminiscent of a fifty-year or one hundred year storm. Many will find ourselves more vulnerable to the elements, crowds, traffic, pleas from charities, scams and rips offs. That's before the obligatory family celebration. It is a given. Someone will choose the family celebration to go on a political rant, evangelize, pick a bone or just behave like a prat. 

      

      Elder veterans of family events are not all jaded, but we are often mis-understood. I've personally been chastened for seeming 'manic' at festive family gatherings. It resulted in, not so much an explanation from me, as a retort. So, without further ado, here are tips for the family, and for you.

  

        First, ask, rather than tell. (If you aren't genuine in your concern, don't ask, either.) Offer some comfort and reassurance without hovering. Maybe Dad or Mom would just like a sit down with a couple of fingers of good brandy. Maybe it took all the stamina (emotionally and physically) your elder had, just to get to the party. Once the coffee or pain killer, or both, wears out, there may be a bit of a downswing. -Don't give it more weight than it deserves.

      Second, if an elder family member suffers from a degenerative disease, chronic or acute pain, this wouldn't be the time to talk about why or how the condition developed or how it is devolving. "Your Aunt Georgia had a toe amputation in September. I think it would help you." Or, another of my favorites, "Maybe, if you'd taken better care of yourself (your teeth, your feet, your nutrition, your cuticles) this would not have happened." How could this be relevant? With regard to my arthritic joints, I'll gladly pledge to faithfully drink my milk and lose my fear of the dentist's chair, but it'll have to wait for another incarnation. In that incarnation I also pledge not to beat the hell out of my knees competing in a sport.

   

    Look, this is also a good rule to apply to younger people with chronic ailments. Condemnation is almost as bad as fawning over someone. Ninety-nine percent of the time it is medically erroneous, as well. It's a little like saying, "Oh, no, you stepped on a crack, and, now, your mother has spondylosis."

      Please, if you are entertaining an elder on an occasion, this isn't the time to issue reminders about diet, drinking, smoking ... just let it be. You're probably not speeding the grandparent along toward the grave. Don't reminisce, either, about the Christmas the dog died and Grandmother was found sitting in the living room stark naked. Face it. There must be better topics, and, maybe a quiet reading from a beloved book would be better than a walk down memory lane.

       Is one of your parents or grandparents a perfect curmudgeon? Try kindness, not the saccharine kind. Try, "I'm glad you're here, Dad, but you may not play "pull my finger" with the kids again."

       Yep, family is family.

Cost of Living

       Alone and Elderly

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

Have you been to the grocery store yet this week? While we're hearing the news of the GOP's latest submission concerning the Fiscal Cliff, it costs us the farm to live day-to-day. My timing is always just perfect, so I got the news of GOP's latest proposal to cut cost of living adjustments for Social Security beneficiaries, just as I returned from a trip to the supermarket.

My grocery shopping trip was eye-popping! The cheery weekly brochure and ubiquitous sale tags did not fulfill their promise. Everything, from the coffee creamer, formerly $2.49, on sale this week for $3.49, seemed to have gone up a dollar.  Some familiar products have, simply, shrunk by a third or a fourth and are priced the same.

It is a wondrous place the grocery store, many new products, some of them better and healthier ... albeit incrementally pricey. Gluten free products galore, marketed, if one can believe the medical statistics, to to the 1% of the population who must have them, priced for the 1%, who can afford them (not necessarily the same people.) Meanwhile we use every strategy in the book, from coupons to the weekly brochure, to sticking with a list, never shopping, while hungry.

So ... in a time of (already) record lows in cost of living increases, here comes the GOP, to save the day. Here's a link to the Social Security Administration's figures for years, from 1975 to 2013:  http://www.ssa.gov/cola/automatic-cola.htm



Of course cuts to Social Security affect women (not to mention ethnic minorities and the disabled) disproportionately, because our earnings have been lower than those of men doing the same jobs. Many have pursued careers in fields dominated by women and earned less, as a result. My friends, many of whom were teachers or nurses, are in this group. Consider, too,the job of wife and mother many held without compensation, for most, if not all, our peak earning years.

What is it the GOP so despises about American elders? -Have we not contributed to the strength and substance of a nation? Are we not still doing so, in volunteer capacities and, for that matter, in jobs to which many have had to return?  I am hard-pressed to understand, but, say I were to accept my role as a drain on the system. Then how do I justify my children and grandchildren or local charities backing me up, when I fail financially. The sacrifices are real. Somebody else loses, when I fail.

Will Shakespeare spoke of revenge in the Merchant of Venice -- that's not happenin', but, every senior citizen in this country should be outraged. Our families should be screaming, right along with us! I like a non-profit, Bread for the World, which has stood up to Republican legislators, who insist churches should see to it impoverished people in their communities be fed.

Turdogin'

Oh, no! -Not you, again!

 "Too much of a good thing can be taxing!" Mae West

Last week, in preparation for that sometimes lonely day after Turkey Day, my neighbor, Maureen, who knew she wouldn't be with family, wanted to buy a small turkey and trimmings for a day-after celebration. Thus began what I'll call the Turdogin' Episode.

We walked to Whole Foods on Sunday, to buy the bird, about a mile round trip (good exercise for the dogs, we figured.) It was a sunny morning in Denver, so we sat outside the store and enjoyed coffee. We toured the store, window shopping and buying side dishes. We walked back home, satisfied, if broke, with turkey, trimmings and dogs in custody.

Next day Maureen called, to say our captive bird was already quite defrosted, an unexpected, possibly dangerous, development. Walked back to Whole Foods (with dogs in tow, even though, by this time, they were getting tired of these excursions.) -Exchanged the less frozen turkey for a rock solid bird. Walked home with said critters, dogs and bird in, tow. Thus ended our very own annual Turkey Trot.

Next thing on my agenda was a perfectly lovely dinner with my family -- I ate a lot of turkey. Just after I returned home, another neighbor, Ross, came over bearing ... guess what? Oh yeah, piles of turkey (I still loved turkey, at that point, so, all good.)
Early the following day Maureen baked the New Turkey. We had planned to have dinner later in the afternoon. My cell phone rang at around 3:00 -- Maureen had struggled all day, to get the turkey baked, but her oven wasn't heating sufficiently! -Ran upstairs, wrapped the turkey in foil, brought it downstairs to finish cooking, while we watched, ironically, The Jazzy Vegetarian. -Ran to my apartment, to wrestle and fetch the wretched turkey upstairs. 

Got back upstairs to dinner, but, mysteriously, could not eat. (Plus I had my first taste of green bean casserole, which I can truly say is an experience I do not care to repeat.) I guess the dog ate too much turkey, too, because she had a tummy upset. You know who is in charge of taking care of that!

Last night Maureen showed up with, yep, piles of left over turkey. I don't think she meant it to be a cruel gesture, exactly. Thank you, God, for my freezer. -Spaghetti and meatballs, anyone?

My Thanks

We define and redefine gratitude throughout our lives. From the sleepy contentment of a child with a full tummy, to a mother's relief, when the paycheck covers a little extra something for her babies, to a grandparent's prayer for self-sufficiency, gratitude evolves. Sufficiency evolves continually, as well. We are moving so fast just we don't see the changes in our expectations. What is sufficient depends on so many factors, doesn't it? On a hundred-degree day it can be a sip of cool water.

Maybe during this season of obligations, stacked one on top of another, you're most grateful for the remains of the day. From this perspective, shoes off, feet up, even the kitchen clutter has a happy feel. It is the deep breath of peace, the afterglow. 

     
Elderly men and women living alone, may seek solace reflecting on holidays past. Or we're praying, just like our younger counterparts pray, we can stretch the food budget a little for a celebratory meal. This is my year of small rebellions. I thought, rather than bake breads and rolls on Thanksgiving morning for the family feast, I'd order brioche from a bakery down the street. The owner, Clarke, bakes classic French rolls and pastries -- they are superb! So the temptations of a luxurious sleep-in, leisurely bath and a buttered brioche Thanksgiving morning became irresistible. Reality hit in the cashier's line at the grocery store -- everything, from the dog's food to the ingredients for cranberry relish, was more expensive than I'd anticipated. 

To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings,

     and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more 

     about it than you do.   Victor Hugo

This morning, I walked the dogs past the bakery, to pay my tab and cancel my holiday order. I swallowed my pride and apologized to Clarke, saying my budget hadn't quite stretched to include rolls. As we walked home, I resigned myself to the tasks of the week ahead, including the bread baking. Within an hour or so, a phone call came from the bakery -- the order was paid, and would be ready to pick up as arranged! I couldn't recall paying. Either my memory is shot, or somebody picked up the tab for the bread of Thanksgiving. 

Another shop in my neighborhood, a boutique for cats and dogs, has hired me to work all four weekends in December, so Christmas will be a time of plenty, rather than worry. I'm so grateful for the people in my life, for my family and extended family, who support me wholeheartedly. I wish each of you, my readers, a lasting ahhhhhhhh!

Joie de Vivre

Oooooh, Mr. Napoleon, Madame Josephine, I think I love you!

I ask you dear readers, where is this world headed? In today's news the famous (now, probably, infamous) Hostess people want to close down. What was your favorite Hostess confection? Before I wax nostalgic, today's news simultaneously brought us the Death of Twinkie and word of the French government's tax (maybe already enacted) on Nutella, a product of Italy. So the 'O' word is being used a great deal today. No, sillies, O for Obesity, not that other word, the one you use to describe satisfaction approaching sexual satiation. Hmmm, mmm.

Remember the book from years ago, "French Women Don't Get Fat"? If you'd traveled to only the chic places in Europe, you might have bought it. Otherwise, not so much. Ah, but, before you judge (or flat out guffaw,) the author, Mireille Guillano, made an excellent case for enjoying life, and doing so, comfortable in one's own skin. I'm overweight, according to all the physicians' charts in Europe and America, and I happen to be an exceptional cook, having mastered many French techniques and classic dishes. So, of course, I was delighted with the book, if not so thrilled in the fitting room at Bloomingdale's.

I've worked my entire life toward greater and greater self-control, making good choices, and the difference between being regulated and being smart. Today I'm thinking this man, Hollande, is trying to rob the French of their national heritage, Joie de Vivre. In my experience, you either have it, or you do not. I'm not certain Socialists have it; it would be considered decadent.

Don't let the mere issue of Nutella and it's contents (mostly palm oil and sugar) divert your attention, though, from all that Mr. Hollande is bringing to the governance of France. He is now begging the French not to leave France. If it were me, he'd have to do better than appeal to abstracts, especially at dinner time.  My point here, however, is, if you think our government isn't looking at his plan, you're dead wrong. Here's a link, which may give you an idea of what's on the table in France (no pun intended):
http://beforeitsnews.com/economy/2012/09/france-unveils-combat-budget-2453642.

So, what we're talking about, people, is regulation. What aspects of my life am I willing to have regulated and under what circumstances, for what "reasons." I think the government always has its reasons, which have little to do with you or me.

The Unkindest Cut of All

It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age. Margaret Mead

This lovely lady and her dog, no matter how one feels about the elderly driving, are out and about ... together. The pup looks appropriately alarmed. Where are their peeps? Who knows?

     When I lived among much older residents of Miami Beach, so many were so alone; if the time had come to stop driving, nobody was going to accompany them, take them out for a coffee, see they got home safely. One of my neighbors became disoriented, while driving. She and her car ended up in the swimming pool. 

     Later in Denver's senior housing, I saw more than simple abandonment. I played ball with my little dog out on the lawn, while families dropped their elderly into the laps of people who neglected and exploited them. A daughter or son in middle age, would arrive, unload an elder and his/her furniture and possessions, help to buy the first round of groceries for the new apartment, pull away from the curb, rarely, if ever, return.  

     One woman's daughter kept getting pulled back by the police, who were tired of talking her lost mother into their cars and taking her home. One man stopped to see his mother, after she'd started a fire in her apartment with an old toaster oven. The toaster oven vanished, and the lady began to eat her meals out of her freezer. The manager and the lady's neighbors waited patiently, until she had to transfer to assisted care, then, stole her china, silver flatware, crystal and picture frames. Oh, and, of course, the remains of her groceries.

     Elders don't need anyone to hover, not even if we are in extremis! We don't need sympathy, even when we are hurt or hurting. A phone call once in a while,  just to say hello, a cup of coffee or lunch out, a movie once a month ... would be terrific! Better yet, empower an elder to learn new things, to explore or to work at a paid or volunteer job. By all means, if an elder family member or friend helps with a project, house sitting, child or dog sitting, or shares expertise, offer to pay. One of the worst assumptions is that, because we are older, we don't need to be compensated in cash, or in kind for work we do.

     One of my neighbors calls me, when she's going shopping. She doesn't ask whether I need this or that. She asks, wouldn't I like to go shopping. I love that she thinks it's fun to have me along. The smallest things make seniors happy ... an elderly neighbor of mine at Higgins Plaza was thrilled, when I brought her an extra sandwich, fruit and chips from an event I'd attended. It cost me nothing, nada, zip, zilch. 

     I have a friend, who has taken a position with an organization dedicated help people stay independent, well and in their homes. What about the money, did you ask? Yes, the service costs money, but, maybe it can serve as a model for what non-profit organizations can do to improve the quality of life of elders, and how to go about helping people achieve more and more, not less and less, independence. Of course, there are limits, but even someone suffering from dementia needs the right kind of help at the right time. We all need dignity and unconditional loving.

Show some love, but know that it isn't the same thing as charity. 

How Now?

How did you weather it all ... the hurricane, the Nor'easter, the general election? Or, perhaps, I should ask how are you weathering it all? Reasonably well, I hope. With the ink barely dry on U.S. ballots, the minions of doom are pointing to the fiscal sword of Damocles hanging overhead. One critic decries, among other things, the promotion of government "largess" over private industry. Government largess ... let's think about this term for a moment. It sounds good, but is that what American voters were really choosing, and were we choosing largess, i.e., extreme generosity, not an enlightened approach to human needs? And, why would that be contrary to the interests of private enterprise?

I've never found it very comforting, when people have said, "You're not alone." My thought is always, "I never, for a moment, thought I was alone, and it's not a cheery thought!" In the global economic scheme of things, we are not alone. Perhaps there are lessons we can learn from other nations struggling with the same issues. Some people are committed to the belief that only a tremendous private industry growth spurt will save us from impending disaster. Many are still committed to imposing austerity programs on the struggling remainder of the society ... the young, elderly, disabled, immigrants, un- and under-employed. We've come to use terms like entitlement, which mis-characterize programs such as Social Security.

The next siren's song encourages private sector growth and promoting America's energy exploration and independence over environmental concerns. That's a toughie, especially while Americans take the brunt of widespread natural disasters and consider the implications of oil extraction methods such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking.)

France has Gallois, a former CEO in the European aerospace industry, who has developed a plan to increase that country's competitive standing in industry.  With a ten percent national unemployment rate, even France's socialist government may have little choice but to listen and concede. But one journalist's suggestion that the U.S. have a serious look at Gallois' twenty-two step program are missing a couple of facts, we do not have what he terms competitive stagnation, nor do we have a national ten per cent unemployment rate.

We have Simpson-Bowles. I'm certain of one thing. The Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan would, in the words of Senator Harry Reid, "mess with Social Security." It is easier to see in a graphic form, but, using the Chained CPI would lower social security benefits for all Social Security beneficiaries now and in the future. The cuts become deeper, as beneficiaries age. This represents a triple-whammy for women, who are generally less well-off than men, and are, therefore, more reliant upon Social Security benefits, and who live longer than their male counterparts.

Men won't be unaffected by any means, and Social Security retirement won't be the only program affected. Ah, but, wait for it! The planners tout an increase in revenues. Unfortunately it will not come close to offsetting the effects of the cuts. President Obama fades from view, when looming fiscal crisis rears its ugly head, something he can no longer afford -- no pun intended. He started his first term, almost right out of the box, using social security retirement and disability recipients, along with active duty military, as bargaining chips. Here we all are, back to Debt 101 with nasty, some would say, unacceptable decisions looming.

While I was thinking how to close a post about the election and impending fiscal doom, a friend offered this:  "After the words, In God We Trust, we should add We'd Better."  It seemed better than "You move your own cheese." and "You pack your own chute."  The cheese reeks, we're in fiscal free fall, and the time to pack the parachute is long past.



  

Deer in The Headlights

    Surrender? I don't think so.

Aren't we deer in the headlights, my friends? We've been saturated with months of political campaigning on all sides, lies, half-truths, obfuscation flying at us, like a storm of locusts or fruit bats. I prefer bats on the wing as an analogy, because of the level of batty posturing on all sides. At a certain point I considered voting for Satchel, a bull terrier, who was making a good deal of sense in some of his media postings.

Today's online baloney sandwich includes a layer of nonsense from the "Christian Science Monitor" about civility. I'll call it the cheese layer. Next is the nitrite, and preservative-laden baloney layer, which a media giant is touting as "every bit as nutritious" as it's organic equivalent. Of course, it isn't about nutrients and there is no equivalent product. Okay, so they're not lying, merely pandering, like pundits and politicians.

If you run on civility, do the civil thing, vote. If, like me, you do not always behave in a politically correct, mannerly, way, do the uncivil thing -- VOTE!
Feeling disenfranchised? Don't. You don't have the luxury! Nor does any one of us have the luxury of throwing away our vote on other than one of two parties. It is a two-party system, people, like it or not.

Mail it, go early, go often ... I don't care. Just know, when we think things for the elderly could not get worse, we find out they certainly can. Get out of your comfort zone. Let Mr. Obama know, just a surely as you let Mr. Romney know, the Boomers and their elders are here, we're in force, and we aren't surrendering.

Revolting

"What a revoltin'development dis is!" Jimmy Durante
 I admit to having been asleep at the switch yesterday, at least, in terms of the news. I missed the uproar, wait, wait ... don't tell me there was none! This just in. The National Women's Law Center reports the proposed 2013 cost of living increase for Social Security retirement beneficiaries is a walloping 1.7%. Disgusting, yes, but this is only the tip of an iceberg, waiting to crush retirement dreams and retirees in this country, while so many families and their elderly members are drowning in icy waters, as it is.
     One of the first blunders of the Obama Administration, of the President himself, was to use seniors, the disabled and active military members, as rhetorical pawns in the budget crisis. Oh, but that was years ago, so focusing on the now, we learned this morning from NWLC, on the table are cuts to Social Security benefits, very subtly designed to look far less devastating than they would actually be. The article on the NWLC site this morning explains that the Cost of Living increase has been based upon the CPI, the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers. Proposed and under consideration is to base the COLA on a new CPI, the "Chained CPI."
     The NWLC concerns itself with the welfare of American women, because of the disproportionate number of elderly women, who live below the poverty line. However, of course, the proposal would affect elderly men, particularly those who are already struggling. Here is a link to the graphic, which shows the progression of cuts over years:

https://www.facebook.com/nationalwomenslawcenter

Read it and weep. This was, by the way, part of the Bowles-Simpson plan, to reduce the federal deficit, promoted by our Senate's beloved Gang of Six. 

     Why on earth would the Administration engage in considering this? Before you answer, please do not allude to how Social Security is or will be broke! That is a myth and a lie. Please, also, call the term entitlement program, as it relates to Social Security, a misrepresentation and a travesty. We paid into Social Security. The only reason Social Security was on the table, during the budget crisis was the federal government's "right" to borrow from the Social Security Trust. This is an election year, and President Obama wants to avoid the appearance of being characterized by the opposition as a spendthrift at a Macy's sale.
      What is the correct answer to the eventuality of a "broke" Social Security Trust (which wouldn't happen, in any case, until thirty years down the line.) There is an answer, a clean, straightforward, effective answer: Lift the current cap on the payroll tax. Why not, you may ask? It is simple. The power structure of think tankers, politicians, lobbyists and media pundits, whom I will refuse to call journalists are working and aging, just as are we, so this would affect them.
     Legislators who speak of increasing the retirement age won't be affected by
the increase, either, as they are among the few privileged to work, if they wish, in their highly salaried positions or in private law practices ... way beyond the time, when any of them can keep up a pretense of competence. So, in fact, this is the ultimate coward's answer.
      Well, I think were done here, except to ask, where are the big organizations like AARP in all of this? We know the President isn't going to stand up; we also know, by now, by voting for him, we are voting for the lesser of two evils. The entire nation needs to be involved in this dialogue. My children reach out to help me, when I stumble or fall financially. One daughter is over 50; the other children are pushing 50 and pushing 40. The grandchildren are entering, have entered, the workplace.
      I know I've violated Jimmy's rule ... I haven't left you laughin'. I hope I've left you mad enough to voice your objections.

Yours, from the Financial Ragged Edge,
Kathleen

Get Her a Shredder 
If you are an elder, or concerned with the well being of an elder, the importance of identity protection is not confined to the younger, nor more prosperous! A delay with an entity like Social Security or Medicare slams a girl into a recurrent bureaucratic nightmare. Have you bought your Mother a paper shredder?

Personally, although I can be excruciatingly detail-oriented, I've never been vigilant about my money, nor focused on the tons of paper on my desk. It is just not in my nature to check stuff, regardless of how many times life thumps me on the head for my failing.

To my astonishment, a letter arrived in the mail recently, stating the State Department of Labor and Employment had reported over $5500 in wages I'd allegedly earned, as the employee of a certain Limited Liability Company. As a result my state shut off my assistance with Medicare Part B premiums.

As I'd never heard of the company and did not earn the wages. I set about to find the employer -- not a chance, no listings in phone directories, no Internet presence. Next I contacted the people in my state, who help me pay my Medicare Part B premiums. I'm cut off, and must file a police report for "possible" identity theft, and send the state a copy. Trying to throw logic into the black hole of Human Services, I said I'd rather not involve the police, as I have not been harmed in any other way. "Besides, this could just be a clerical error." The Gong Show Gong (now I really am dating myself) is still deafening!

Now it appears Labor and Employment may be able to help, but, of course, with the speed of a fly trapped in syrup, pitching me back into calling the police department. I know some disgruntled cop will be delighted to spend his time talking about this. The idea of paying Social Security two months of Medicare premiums and losing my medical plan just stinks, so I'll be talking with those who protect and serve, sooner, rather than later.

Here's the thing. As unappealing a gift as a confetti paper shredder may be, it's a practical help, as is the cleaning out and shredding of all the stuff in all the bottom drawers and attic archives. If the task is daunting, hire the job done, but do it!

A Damnable Slow Death

Welcome, readers, to my new blog and the e-zine within. The look is the same, but I hope the content will be relevant, and will offer insights into issues of aging and the rights of elders.

We have seniors in our lives, who end each day and greet the dawn, grateful for life. Others soldier on, managing in spite of ... in spite of the pain, in spite of poverty, in spite of the neglect of loved ones. Still others have stopped living; these are people counting time.

One neighbor of mine in a senior high rise apartment complex said, "My friends and I came here to die." When I asked her how long she had lived there, she said, "Oh, I've been here, since the place opened twenty years ago!" "That's a damnable, slow death," I replied.

Neither group, the thrilled to be alive, nor the treading water 'til death, vary according to income or privilege. My hope is to walk in beauty. Here is part of a Native American prayer:

Let me walk in beauty

and let my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made

and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise, so that I may understand the things

you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lesson you have hidden

in every leaf and rock.