That Was Then ...

   

Signing Social Security Act

     Unlike a certain Supreme Court Justice, before discussing the pros and cons of any legislation, I like to read it. I want to know, not only the verbiage, but the spirit of the legislation. It is always a good idea to know the opposition's arguments ... so here goes. I'll revisit Social Security and the Roosevelt Administration's intentions, to begin yet another discussion about "fixing" Social Security.
     What could Franklin Delano Roosevelt have been thinking? To say he was a fiscal conservative does not go quite far enough. Roosevelt was a complicated man; as the Nation's President in 1935, he was faced with a hornet's nest of socio-economic issues. The citizenry was still recovering from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years, with millions of Americans dispossessed and/or unemployed. Anyone running for the highest office in the land would have to offer creative solutions for the immediate present and for the future. Here is a partial quote from President Roosevelt, upon signing the Social Security Act:

...This social security measure gives at least some protection to thirty millions of our citizens who will reap direct benefits through unemployment compensation, through old-age pensions and through increased services for the protection of children and the prevention of ill health.
   We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.

     In looking at the numbered photo of those present at the signing of the Act, it is important to note that some of these legislators were fiscal conservatives, who had voiced opposition to the legislation. They stepped up and did the right thing; they compromised. I believe they showed the courage of their convictions (and of FDR's conviction,) something exceedingly rare in today's political climate. (See the Social Security Administration's history site, to see who was who at the signing: http://www.ssa.gov/history/)
     While the vicissitudes of life remain unchanged, the landscape has changed, as has the legislation. To suggest Social Security cannot or should not change again, is to deny history and avoid reality. One reality check came to millions of Americans in the form of what I call the Big Lies; 1) the Social Security Trust is backed by worthless securities and 2) the Trust is broke. The Social Security Trust is funded by United States Treasury Bonds; the bonds are not liquefiable, true; however, they are, by no means, worthless. The reason for funding the trust with treasury bonds is the same as the reason many Americans choose to invest in them. Interest on the bonds has remained reliable. More myths abound in the political rhetoric concerning Social Security, never mind generalities that do nothing to accurately spell out the issues. However one problem looms large on the horizon. It pertains to disabled Social Security beneficiaries (SSI recipients,) as discussed in the 2014 Social Security Trustees' Report: "Social Security’s Disability Insurance (DI) program satisfies neither the Trustees’ long-range test of close actuarial balance nor their short-range test of financial adequacy and faces the most immediate financing shortfall of any of the separate trust funds." Should you feel the need for a translation, the effect will be reductions in benefits to SSI beneficiaries and prospective beneficiaries by 2016. May I say that again? Substantial cuts in disability benefits will take effect in 2016, failing action on the part of Congress and the Senate. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. Am I screaming?
     What can be done to "fix" Social Security, if we have legislators who will act on behalf of both beneficiaries taxpayers? (Keep in mind, a certain amount of courage and a number of compromises will be required. Neither the courage of conviction to do what is right, nor the ability to compromise and garner bipartisan support is easily found in Washington D.C. these days.) Here is some of the change experts recommend:

• Incorporate all of Social Security into the disability insurance (SSI.) That would combine the funds, changing the window of insolvency for SSI to 2033 (per the 2013 Trustees.) This would ensure benefits for something over eleven million disabled workers.
• Lift or eliminate the payroll tax cap, now fixed at $117,000. This change packs a large dollar wallop for the fund.
• Increase the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare, incorporating contributions of employees with those of employers and a modest (approximately) 3 percent for most taxpayers.
• Raise the retirement age for collecting full Social Security benefits. The retirement age is currently set at 67 for Americans born in 1960 and beyond. 
• Means test Social Security. This would reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for people who have other incomes above a certain amount. 

Meanwhile it is important to know other measures actually have worked in certain parts of the country. I'll try to tackle this topic in subsequent posts.

Hysteria Over Ebola

Rainforest Development

The world of worriers has a new face. It is the face of the Ebola virus, and, yes, Ebola evolved long ago into an airborne disease, right here in the U.S. Certain primates in a federal lab and holding facility in Reston, Virginia, died of what was found to be Ebola. Workers in the facility became infected, but with a less deadly form of Ebola. Researchers believed the virus was spread to the workers by means of the building's ventilation system, but had mutated into a flu-like illness, Ebola Reston. The discovery of Ebola Reston dates back a quarter century. 

      There are five known strains of Ebola, including Reston, and outbreaks of the more serious strains have historically been confined to rainforest areas of Africa. The original host species is the fruit bat. Imagine, for a moment, the numbers of African fruit bats!  In it's deadlier forms Ebola is greatly to be feared, because, aside from nasty, painful, symptoms and 90% fatality,  Ebola has a long incubation period (21 days.) 

     Fear, as opposed to outright hysteria, is a natural reaction. Does anyone else, though, find it remarkable that people worldwide have been so rapid to spread hysteria regarding a potential Ebola outbreak on American soil?  On the other hand, we have been less than slow to react to the effects of Earth's load of toxic waste caused by overpopulation (not to mention obscene levels of  consumption in the developed world.)                                

     Understanding viral disease may help to dispel, if not the fear of Ebola, some of the nonsense we hear promulgated by ignorant politicians and in various media. Viruses are the natural world's supreme opportunists, so, yes, a virus infects rapidly, reproducing in overwhelming numbers; this allows a viral disease to skip from one species and one victim to the next with ferocious efficiency. We know the spread of Ebola to humans in West Africa has been assisted by the development of roads and places of human habitation; workers in remote areas were exposed by animal species, such as primates. Human to human transmission was exacerbated by traditional African burial and by lack of knowledge and consequent lack of precautions in medical facilities.

Here is link to Ebola facts from WHO (the World Health Organization:)

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

      
...the chief cause for the impending collapse of the world - the cause sufficient in and by itself - is the enormous growth of the human population: the human flood. The worst enemy of life is too much life: the excess of human life. ― Pentti Linkola,  Can Life Prevail - A Radical Approach to the Environmental Crisis     
  

     As to whether Ebola was originally developed as a biological weapon by the United States, or is now part of our weapons arsenal, I'd be hesitant to speculate. More likely I would be very concerned about the CDC, which undoubtedly  possesses sample strains of deadly Ebola. The fear is whether the CDC is worthy of implicit trust, given recent discoveries of neglected Anthrax samples, to mention just one messy incident.

      Preventing Ebola from entering the United States is a non-issue. The possibility of global pandemic is more to be feared. Among other aspects of the problem is International air travel. Travelers are not screened for viral diseases. I have to wonder whether it would even be possible, to do so. In any event, it would be preposterous to suggest a country might seal itself off from emerging infectious disease ... even an exceedingly virulent disease with high mortality. 

      What is there to take away from all this? In discussing a potential pandemic we are discussing human overpopulation and the exploitation of remote, wild places. Immigrants entering the U.S. by means of the southern border aren't likely to bring us Ebola (not unless they are bringing African monkeys in tow.) 

      This is really an issue of an immutable rule of nature; life will find a way. Humans, my friends, are a very badly behaved species, spreading like cancer. The concept that mankind can and, possibly, will be sloughed off the planet, like so many bad cells, offends the sensibilities. After all so many religions proclaim the supremacy of humankind. Believe me, religion aside, the issues are  worthy of humility of thought and a factual, not to say, mindful, approach.

Not Because I Am A Conservative

The Junior League Ball

     The oldest argument in the world promulgates the notion that "the poor will always be among us," and the poor, somehow, deserve poverty. It is a singularly American view, one that issues from our protestant roots. As Mother would say, "What did you do to deserve this?" As for the offspring of impoverished people, they inherit a legacy of misery ... an unfortunate, but immutable reality. The argument goes on to characterize the poor as incapable of self-sufficiency, mature judgment and accountability (i.e., they are not adults.) In a post yesterday by a conservative rag, a well-heeled woman pronounces herself fiscally responsible. I'll call her Ms. Right. She should provide, she declares, her own necessities, including contraceptives. It is not because she is a conservative, she proclaims. Rather it is because she is an adult. In other words, vulnerable populations are to be treated as children; however, deserve neither public assistance, nor  empowerment.
     Looking closely at her portrait, Ms. Right is neither very young, nor middle-aged. Ms. Right is a marketable employment commodity (translation: youngish, attractive, presentable, white, skilled, manageable ... in somewhat this order.) She is either married or marriageable. If she is married and a mother, Ms. Right is confident she will always have the means to provide for the kiddies. I can say this stuff, because I am white, educated, from an upper middle class military officer's family. There are one or two differences, however. Ms. Right may or may not have traveled to third world countries, but has certainly never ventured outside her (at least) 4 star hotel compound. She's definitely never soiled her pristine attire in a refugee center or camp. She volunteers alright, but I guarantee she's never touched a crack baby or mopped up after an AIDS patient.

"But then it is easy, too easy, to sermonize about the dangers of paternalism and the need to take responsibility for our own lives, from the comfort of our couch in our safe and sanitary home. Aren't we, those who live in the rich world, the constant beneficiaries of a paternalism now so thoroughly embedded into the system that we hardly notice it?"―Abhijit V. Banerjee, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty  
 
     Here at home Ms. Right chooses to ignore the suffering of other women and their children, although their plight is right under her nose. She does not see herself exhausted on a daily basis, holding two or three jobs. After all she has made judicious choices, and cannot envision being abandoned by a husband. Ms. right does not anticipate ever paying a hefty mortgage and bills, while feeding hungry children. In her wildest imagination she would never have to run from an abuser or a mentally ill relative, especially not with her little ones in tow. Equally myopic concerning the future, she cannot conceive of retirement without Mr. Right's earnings, living on Social Security benefits. 
     Here's the thing. It would take a lifetime to fill the gaps in Ms. Right's understanding. She may never awaken to her first thought, until it is too late. There is no hatred or judgment in me, especially not for Ms. Right. Hell, I lived next-door to her, belonged to Junior League with her, volunteered to be her charity's publicity chair. We did not chat over the back fence, don't get me wrong. But, we were civil, even, cordial. That is what we were raised to be. 
     Never mind that Mr. Right may suddenly, one day, become bored with marriage, may need to explore his sexuality, although we would have thought he'd already done so. He is equally unlikely, in her mind, to suddenly drop dead, leaving insufficient arrangements for his wife and children. Like Scarlet O'Hara, we shall worry about that another day. In any case, had I remained married and living in the suburbs of Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A., we'd be peers.
     At this point in my life, having been abused, abandoned, displaced, poor and distressed for myself and my children, I see Ms. Right as merely a dupe. Why on earth would Mrs. Right not stay invested in her comfortable life? Why would she not wish to protect her privileged status and that of her peers. Happy life, happy wife, isn't that the expression? 
     All I ask is an end to Ms. Right permitting the use of her image and words, to hold women like herself above women whose realities they cannot begin to grasp. Ah, but, perhaps you will think me childish in this naive quest.

Organic Panache

   

I do not live in one of Denver's toney neighborhoods, but visit upscale Cherry Creek occasionally, to shop. I like the Whole Foods store there. People like me do not  provide Whole Foods with its captive, well-to-do, customer base. Ordinarily I wouldn't give momentary notice to the price the wealthy pay for the panache of organic, gluten-free, grass fed baloney. 
     I shop at Whole Foods despite the "Whole Paycheck" reputation, not because my lifestyle must set me apart from elders shuffling down the aisles of Walmart. It is because Whole Foods spread itself all over Boulder, Colorado, like cage-free eggs on a frat house. Whole Foods promised, at the time, it would bring a more competitive marketplace for organics. In fact, like the invasion of Starbucks, it left virtually no alternatives for consumers.
     Change is upon us, people, and I am ready! Never a hard- core Whole Foods shopper, I welcome Trader Joe to Denver.  As for Whole Foods, its corporate management is determined to disenchant. Now the chain has been fined for cheating California consumers, and some of the price inflating methods have a familiar ring. Here's a link to the Reuters/CNBC coverage:  http://www.cnbc.com/id/101787636#.
     A fine of $80,000 is teensy for Whole Foods, but this incident adds itself to the revelation that Whole Foods uses producers in China for it's 365 Organic brand. Corporate protestations that Whole Foods carefully monitors its Chinese producers weren't comforting. 
       The days of organic exclusivity are numbered. Established companies are trying a new business model resulting in widespread availability of organics. Discount outlets will be carrying organic and some gluten-free cookies. Even better, these rise above the Sawdust Special of bygone years!
   

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. Alan Watts

The Governor, Some Kids and Gun Control

 

     Colorado Governor Hickenlooper has dipped his big toe in pretty hot water. His vacillation and outright lying concerning gun control legislation do not elicit amazement on my part. I'll explain. Though unrelated to Colorado gun violence, this is not the first time I've been aware of the man's lack of integrity.
     How we do rely on image in electing public officials, and what boyishness John Hickenlooper exudes! He fits right into what I'd characterize as The Boulder Scene, geeky, bland, overly sincere, firmly planted on moral high ground.  
     Nonetheless our Gov can certainly astonish people. His decision to grant a reprieve in the case of Nathan Dunlap, the Chucky Cheese murderer, smarted. In one swell foop, as the saying goes, he snatched closure (not to mention justice for their dead) from families, friends and a community. Mr. Hickenlooper took the high ground, characterizing the death penalty as inherently flawed. Righto, Sir, and I'd characterize Nathan Dunlap as craven and deliberate. Although the Nathan Dunlap matter drew national attention, the uproar soon died down.

 A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal. -Oscar Wilde    

     A minor scandal, while Hickenlooper was the Mayor of Denver, drew brief local attention. The mini-scandal did not involve the Mayor directly, 'though it did offer me a brief look into his character. Denver's Channel 7 aired a report in early 2005 concerning juvenile offenders in Denver County. It seemed the youngsters were being removed from school to perform community service projects. The projects, however, served no educational purpose. Conflict of interest came into play. The juvenile work crew cleaned up after a party, presumably a drunken affair, at an Elk's Club. Oooops, two Sheriff's deputies belonged to the Club. Although the Order of Elks is a non-profit, its members could easily have cleaned the club after themselves or afforded to have the work done.  
     A former Juvenile Probation Supervisor, I'd managed work crews in actual community service projects. Our clients were assigned, as a third-strike measure (i.e., each client had been convicted of two prior offenses. None was in school, because all had been suspended indefinitely, expelled or had dropped out of school.) Clients were paid to work. Pay not used for restitution went directly into individual trust accounts for future educational needs. Every assignment was dedicated to preparing clients to complete probation, and return to community. The program attempted to ready clients for work and further education, or both. It was, by no means, a perfect program, but considerably ahead of its time.
     When I wrote Mayor Hickenlooper, asking him to comment on the educational and remedial values of Denver's juvenile offender work crews, he couldn't be bothered. His reply was non-responsive. In any event the uproar was short-lived, although the Denver Sheriff took some flak. In spite of his indifference, the Mayor publicly sounded sincere in his desire to see the right thing done, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 
     Since Mr. Sincerity has become our Governor, I've written more than once to his Consumer Affairs people, and to the Governor himself, to no avail. Colorado and federal taxpayers continue to pay for the Department of Human Services computer system, which has been seriously flawed since its inception. Backdoor fixes do not work; the experts all agree. That fact has not staunched the money hemorrhage, nor has it improved the lives of Colorado's low income households.
     In recent years CDHS erroneously denied 68.7 per cent of applicant households food assistance, terminating or suspending them from benefits. People, that is nearly 70 per cent. Yet the funding requests keep rollin' in, unchecked, and Director Bicha is keeping his job. 
     Meanwhile no DDHS client initiates a call to a technician. One phone number is available to clients, that of the Customer Service Call Center. Wait times are outlandish, sometimes hours long (as are wait times for personal interviews.) People re-certifying for benefits or reporting changes to their households are routinely booted. Clients who receive "snail mail" from the Department, do not get notices timely, often finding the window for appeal expired, before the notice arrived. Worse yet, DDHS appears to use its processes to lighten client and budgetary loads. Whether this is true or not, Colorado has been aptly termed, draconian by struggling citizens.      
     Every one of these instances should have drawn a rapid response from the Mayor-turned-Governor and his staff. Doesn't it seem a bit late in the game for Colorado voters to catch on? 

No Bananas Today

For so many of America's elders, hunger already looms large. The fact is, the Cost of Living Indices, fail to accurately reflect rises in the cost of necessities, such as food. According to national news this morning, long-predicted spikes in the cost of food are real, and they are here. Nor is the high price of groceries restricted to luxury items like coffee, butter, steak and the like. Now for the double whammy. Low-income households throughout the country, have also seen SNAP benefits slashed, often, to less than half last year's allotment. Sooooo I would ask legislators, in light of the "spike" at check stands across America, "What is the plan?"

The Social Security Administration actually has a "public policy" branch. Who knew? Here is a link to the policy arguments surrounding the (so-called) annual Cost of Living Increase; do not be surprised, however, to find the dialogue unrealistic, in terms of what you are  experiencing in real time. http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v67n3/v67n3p73.html 

As we stagger to the grocery store check out lane along with other income-challenged folks, weeping as we pay, all "arguments" become irrelevant. Over the years of the economic downturn, our bunch of bananas shrank, until it would just feed a spider monkey. Imagine day-dreaming about banana pudding, reducing it to banana pudding without bananas, and you almost have it. Of course, there are no vanilla wafers or eggs, so you're stuck with powdered milk. So, now, envision a half-glass of powdered milk with one slice of banana floating, et voila, Chef!

The day hunger is eradicated from the earth there will be the greatest spiritual explosion the world has ever known. Humanity cannot imagine the joy that will burst into the world.- Federico Garcia Lorca

One only need glance at the history of Social Security COLA increases, to observe how bitter partisan politics and false priorities affect us all. Prior to 1975, COLA increases for Social Security recipients were legislated, so recent history begins in 1975. However, the decade beginning in the early 90s saw dramatic decreases in distributions. The most recent decade brought us to years of tiny and zero percentages in distributions. Call me crazy, but I would love to see policy-makers deal with shrinking budgets, enormous bills and greatly lowered government benefits, as do vulnerable citizens. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaseries.html

One hears a great deal in social media about hunger abroad and childhood hunger here in the United States. No less tragic is the plight of older Americans, particularly, minorities, women and disabled or "frail" elderly. I want to ask the President of the United States why our government continues to give short shrift, wholesale, to older Americans. The presumption that charities are feeding elders nourishing food is hogwash. 

I can attest to the fact that Charity meals at senior centers are a nightmare, nutritionally, aesthetically, socially ... in every way. Food bank handouts, while they can save lives, are still severely impacted by the economic downturn in this country. (Not to mention, they were never meant to provide adequate nutrition.) Churches, hard-pressed hard-pressed to meet the needs of their own congregations, cannot pick up the slack. Any elder, who has received a monthly box of government commodities, can tell you, a box of powdered and steri-pack milk, canned pears and potatoes, a can of the world's worst chili or "beef stew," a bag of pinto beans, a bag of white rice and some variety of cold cereal, brings as little nutrition as it does joy. Meals on Wheels ... I won't even go there, except to say, school lunches, before reforms were imposed, weren't the only ugly lunches in America. 

Rachel Ray is one of the few celebrities I have ever heard mention hunger as an increasing specter for senior citizens, and I'd like to acknowledge her for paying attention. Often, if we have families, they help pick up the slack, but to the detriment of our self-esteem and their budgets. When families must see after the basic needs of their elder members, they put their, their children's and grandchildren's futures on the line. How can this be right for America? If you agree, please put your money, literally, where your mouth is. 

Speak up, create and join the dialog, contact your legislators directly, and vote, vote, vote! Don't just click on a petition (that's like just standing with your mouth open.) Get doing!

Speaking of Pain

Fibromyalgia is, by all accounts, a punishing disorder. Here, though, is a dilemma. To doubt a another woman who suffers from fibromyalgia, is not merely unkind; it has become politically incorrect. You may well wonder why anyone would doubt or minimize another woman's painful disorder. I admit it is an attitude toward fibromyalgia that stems from recent experience. I have become acquainted with two women, who say they suffer from the ailment. It has not been a pleasant acquaintance. One woman, 50, has been ill with fibromyalgia for a decade. I'll call her Becky. An individual whose illness is her life, Becky is self-involved, entitled and demanding. She's a devout church goer, however, having turned to religion to ease her psychological pain. It is extremely difficult to have a conversation with Becky; although she appears to be a bright woman, her 'fibro' and her church are her sole interests.

The second woman is Becky's friend and my neighbor, Mona. The two have become fast friends. Mona loves to discuss ill health, hers and others'. If you are in pain, however, do not enter the fray. Your drama will never earn the spotlight. If another person has an ingrown toenail, Mona has gas gangrene, and will have to have her foot amputated. Unlike Becky, Mona has interests other than  fibromyalgia. A food fanatic, Mona always has nutritional advice to offer. She is an organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, high fiber, low salt, no sugar, low fat kinda gal. Once Mona befriended Becky, fibromyalgia seemed inevitable.

So, what is the truth, is this shared ailing psychosomatic or sympathetic, or both? I neither choose to speculate, nor to share their pain dialog. I'm not the best at empathizing with these women, but will try to offer kindness, rather than judgement. Others in these women's lives have to stay the course and try to keep sane themselves, but, not me (at least, not me all the time.) In the interests of better understanding of fibromyalgia, however, here is a link to the May Clinic I found helpful:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/basics/definition/con-20019243

Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself. -Walter AndersonWe have talked about chronic pain and stress management in prior posts, and, in the case of fibromyalgia, it seems particularly important to find and maintain both emotional and physical support. If you suffer the widespread pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, make a conscious effort not to speak your pain, not in body language, facial expression and not in your conversation. At least try not to speak your pain constantly. The first benefit will be perspective; pain tends to recede with the importance we give it. The second will be a change in our ownership of pain; we can decline to own our pain, in favor of creativity, for example. Relationships will bloom with others who seek, speak and manifest wellness. A pain journal may help; it will not only help you to manage your chronic pain, but, also for care providers, family and friends who need greater understanding: http://pain.about.com/od/livingwithchronicpain/f/pain_journal.htm

Finally I offer a link to a site with practical advice and support for sufferers of fibromyalgia: http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org