President Obama and the Republicans are putting their collective brains together to figure out the best way to stick it to the American people on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. All the whining about Social Security is making me just a little bit angry. There is a constant hum of information that is being pushed at the American people through the many propaganda machines to get us ready for the big changes to come in Social Security. It’s an entitlement program which basically means that you have paid into it for many, many years and you are entitled to receive benefits from that money when you retire. You faithfully did your part and now they want to change the game!
In December there was no worry about Social Security when the politicians put through the tax cut bill that included a 2% reduction in what you and I pay into Social Security. Now if there’s a real problem with Social Security, why would anyone undercut that program even more? That just doesn’t make sense to me, but of course I’m just a middle school art teacher!
This morning on “Morning Joe” Joe Scarborough said the American people get it. In Florida Marco Rubio was voted into the Senate and he wants to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70. So what might be going on with Florida? From my perspective, it sounds more like the old people that live in Florida that already have Social Security don’t much care what the young people are going to do about Social Security in the future. As long as those old folks, that do tend to vote, get their cake, they will be happy!
More and more it seems like the young people in our country are really getting the short end of the deal. We dump everything on them. These two unfunded wars have been dumped on the future. We have a big deficit that will have to be dealt with by our future generation. The unions are dead or dying so young people have to depend on business to have a sense of honor in paying them. If you are a young person and you want to be a teacher today, expect to jump through many hoops, continue your schooling until you die, and end up with a reduced retirement package when you retire. It’s probably like this in most other areas as well.
What really troubles me with the Social Security debate is the lack of real understanding of the American people and their circumstance. President Bill Clinton used to say, “I feel your pain.” However, most politicians don’t really have a clue what the American people are feeling today because they don’t live anything like you and me.
I’ll start with President Obama. This is open information that is posted on the Whitehouse website. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/04/15/president-obama-and-vice-president-biden-s-tax-returns
If you look at President and Mrs. Obama’s tax returns for 2010, they really are not anything like the average American people. When you have an income in the 5-6 million dollar ranges, you really have lost touch with people making anything under $100,000 let alone someone making $30,000 or less! Now let’s check out the Congressmen and see what kind of money they’re sporting. I apologize as these are 2009 figures but you will get the point. http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2009/guide/-38181-1.html Please note that our Representative Fred Upton is number 31 on the list. He may sound like one of us but really is he like you? If you want to check out another of the key player’s salary, Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner’s net worth go here. http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/otherdata.php?cycle=2010&cid=N00003675&type=I
You might be thinking this isn’t relevant but really it is. We have heard for years how wonderful our government it. You know all that, by the people, for the people, stuff. We supposedly have gone beyond having to be property owners to vote and have a say in our elections. However, the truth is those that have money run this country. The rest of us just take care of those that have money. We serve them. They don’t serve us. We always hear about their years of devoted service to our country. All of us have devoted years of service to our country as well. I teach the children of the future. You may be a nurse, doctor, scientist, policeman, maid, waitress, soldier, or perform some other noble job, you serve your country. You pay your taxes, you give to charity and you pay your bills. You suck it up every time “they” want your children for war and trust me; they want your children as they sure don’t want to give their children for war!
Now they want all of us to just suck it up one more time. Take those cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid like a man. Do it for your country! We all have to pitch in you know? Many months ago I wrote a post that is worth linking back to. http://www.ksvoboda.com/?p=317
In it I asked the wealthy to step up for our country. It didn’t happen because the wealthy are doing the legislating! They aren’t going to step up. The best thing we could do is to have a revolution like Egypt and get rid of Congress and start over! The young people really should be marching because much of what is happening and will happen will be put on them for an even bigger burden. If you are a young college kid or just out of college a couple of years, you probably have a mountain of school loan debt already. Do you really need to take on the debt of the clowns working in Washington D.C. too? Every time one of them opens their mouth and moves their lips, rest assured they’re probably lying to us. I don’t trust any of them. At this rate we will continue to spend more money on the Defense Department and Homeland Security and less and less on education, or any of the “ENTITLEMENT” programs! I hope I’ve given you something to think about.