If you are a boomer like me who will come to rely on Social Security and Medicare in the future or a senior citizen that presently does, then this NY Times article is by far the most important read of the day: Recession Drains Social Security and Medicare.
I find this to be far more terrorizing than the war on terror or whatever name it goes by today. How we live day-to-day and how our medical needs are attended to as we age, rely heavily upon these two programs remaining solvent.
For those congress members who chide anything coming out of the Obama administration such as health care reform or nationalizing the financial industries as being socialist in nature, these two programs are the largest socialized programs that benefit we the people. You will even see in the reporting of this story: “The fragility of the two programs is a concern not just for current beneficiaries, but also for future retirees, taxpayers and politicians."
So for any politician who raises their fist in angst towards socialism, by participating in these two programs, you are benefiting from socialism. You are a darn hypocrite period! You do not like socialism, then opt out of receiving any benefits and divert any benefits you enjoy to those truly needy. I am sure that the lobbyists who have kept you comfortable all these years while supposedly serving the people can help you out in your golden years.
In reading this passage: "The labor secretary, Hilda L. Solis, noted that 5.7 million jobs had been lost since the recession began in December 2007. With fewer people working, the government collects less in payroll taxes, a major source of financing for Medicare and Social Security." The populist within me says, rip up every trade agreement such as NAFTA and CAFTA and bring those jobs back home here to put Americans back to work. I know easier written then done. H. Ross Perot was correct when he eluded to the “giant sucking sound” should NAFTA pass into law. Yes, I voted for him because he made some sense in this ever maddening world.
I know this a global economy, but a little protectionism wouldn’t hurt. Oh to touch briefly on health care reform, some of the countries who are benefiting from the jobs we sent overseas, have health care for all. What say we? Not much if you ask me.
Somehow, I feel the people will lose out in all of this as one reads: "The Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, said the only way to keep Medicare solvent was to “control runaway growth in both public and private health care expenditures.” I am not a health care expert or an economic expert, but how about we go after those who profit off of our health care system? How about we go after the lobbyists who have their dirty-little-hands in our politician's pockets? I think that is where you will find the pork-laden fat.
As most of the media continues their extensive coverage on the torture issue; water boarding to be specific, in reading this NY Times report: How many of those facing retirement or are presently retired feel as if their heads are now under water where they are now being tortured? The answer to that question is millions-upon-millions of Americans who for once would like a little protection as they live their daily lives. Who is screaming out on behalf of millions of Americans detained and yes being tortured by the economic failings of this government?
Why do I have this lingering feeling in reading this depressing news article, it was the grand design all along by the rich and the powerful? My gut tells me the grand design was to put millions of Americans out of work and offer no assistance for those hard working Americans as they face their golden years. The class system at its finest. We have and you don’t. Where is Mulder and Scully to get to the bottom of this? In the “X-Files” show, they always said, “The truth is out there”, yet it is hidden away from all 300 million Americans.
What interest me was this fact as reported by the NY Times: "Spending on Social Security and Medicare totaled more than $1 trillion last year, accounting for more than one-third of the federal budget." For all of you hawks who just love a good war, yet are facing retirement (if you can) or seniors who also love a good war: Do you really want to know how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost we the tax payers? If you go to this site: CostOfWar.com, you will clearly see that the total costs for both wars stands at $856 billion dollars and climbing by the second. Yes, it will reach $1 trillion dollars and is it really benefiting we the people as Americans go without healthcare or are terrorized how they will make it in their golden years. As it stands the ‘golden years’ should be renamed the ‘lead years’ for a broad majority of Americans.
Someone is sure getting rich fast and it is not you or me as we save our pennies.
In a fascinating article written for The Canadian, Dr. David Gagnon, wrote: "It has been well documented that the U.S. President George W. Bush administration, used the pretext of verifiably falsified intelligence on the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq. Having done that, this same Presidential administration, on behalf of elites, has continued to siphon-off vital U.S. taxpayers dollars out of the U.S. civilian economy, and then send that money many thousands of kilometres away, into Iraq, and also Afghanistan. It has been also well documented how these well connected elites have gained access to lucrative contracts as a result of War in Iraq and Afghanistan, often with extremely poor results other than generating great commercial profits."
Depressing isn't it as Americans fear their future. Wars are profitable and everyday Americans facing retirement or are in retirement are the first on the financial chopping block.
As individual segments within our country wish for their voices to be the predominant ones heard throughout the mainstream media, let us remember that we are all growing old together and we will have to face these years together. The we should come before the I. I know, sounds socialist, but who cares and tough!
This is the time where we have to be united with our collective voices and not fall victim to those who seek to divide us say, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. We as collective citizens facing our golden years must not fall victim to those at Fox News who staged that little tea-party protest, because all included above are not facing the same circumstances you and I face. They have become rich beyond their wildest dreams as we stare straight into our darkest nightmare.
Do I pretend to know the answers for how we will face this nightmare and correct it? No, I do not. I am just your average American citizen who writes column after column without being paid one-red-cent.
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