tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post8562854162651204754..comments2023-10-03T07:01:41.144-05:00Comments on Always On Watch: Semper Vigilans: Obama on June 8, 2012Always On Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-64819575937329461672012-06-29T04:27:24.876-05:002012-06-29T04:27:24.876-05:00Beamish,
"constitutionalist" entitlement...Beamish,<br /><i>"constitutionalist" entitlement junkies</i><br /><br />I won't deny the existence of those!<br /><br />My liberal neighbor, a federal retiree, is one too. So, the problem isn't limited to the Right.<br /><br />Ah, well. Whatever time I have remaining on this earth isn't going to be a pleasant time. Mr. AOW and I lived by conservative principles and <b>REFUSED</b> employment via the government teat -- specifically because we refused to violate our principles. Now, we are screwed. All that money we saved, and just look at the interest rates on savings!<br /><br />I don't expect life to be fair, Beamish. But this situation is beyond the pale! And now, I am too old to make up for the mess that the welfare state has created.<br /><br />My medical proxy has her orders from me (I am Mr. AOW's medical proxy, and it conveys to <b>MY</b> medical proxy, should I pre-decease him). My instructions are specific and along those that my father gave me. Because of existing laws, my final days may be a burden to the taxpayers -- but not for long. I do advise everyone, no matter how young, to set up a steely medical proxy! A horrific car accident is a game changer for any of us. While Mr. AOW was in the nursing home, they brought in a a car-accident victim, a young woman in her 20s; this pitiful creature was cortically stripped (Locked-in Syndrome?), and her care will be on the taxpayers' backs for decades!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-3341579575737745342012-06-28T18:33:25.006-05:002012-06-28T18:33:25.006-05:00"Why" would be because "constitutio..."Why" would be because "constitutionalist" entitlement junkies such as can be seen at Tea Party gatherings and other ubiquitous redoubts of Stalinism decidedit would be so.<br /><br />It could be worse. Teabagger extraordinaire Rick Perry could have gotten Hillarycare passed in 1993.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-12707115842335145002012-06-25T04:31:39.081-05:002012-06-25T04:31:39.081-05:00Now, I had something to add.
Why should a governm...Now, I had something to add.<br /><br />Why should a government retiree with a "good" pension be drawing Social Security at all?<br /><br />Many retirees who are living it up all around me have government pensions: federal government retirees, school system retirees, etc. And double dippers, of course. I do know some wealthy retirees who worked only in the private sector.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-53233876261269067652012-06-25T04:27:47.078-05:002012-06-25T04:27:47.078-05:00Beamish,
Duh! Yes, I have comment moderation afte...Beamish,<br />Duh! Yes, I have comment moderation after 7 days! Spam and all that. I'll leave that moderation on and check my comments notification more often. I'm overrun with Russian spam!<br /><br />Anyway, let me answer this part of your comment:<br /><br /><i>what was done with that savings from lower payroll taxes in times gone by?</i><br /><br />I can speak only for myself.<br /><br />I knew about that matter because I was working for a religious, non-profit organization at the time. Such organizations had an exemption from Social Security tax withheld from our checks. So, once the legal loophole during Reagan's first term appeared -- that is, I could contribute a maximum of $2000/year to a tax-deferred IRA; Roth IRA's didn't exist at the time, and as I was making less than $8,000/year, I couldn't have afforded even that $2000 if my parents hadn't gifted me the money. My husband could not do the same because he had a coin business and was, by default, paying Social Security SE tax. I had to swear an oath and file papers with the bank showing that my employer was indeed not withholding Social Security tax from my pitiful paychecks; the oath was somehow verified. After a time, the law was changed, and I could no longer contribute to that IRA. That change in the law occurred after 5 years. I do know that by 1991, when Mr. AOW went to work for Pep Boys, he had Social Security deducted from his paycheck <b>AND</b> something called "matching-funds retirement plan" (401k) sponsored by Pep Boys; when he lost his job at Pep Boys in October of 1993 (brain tumor surgery), he was allowed to take that fund and roll in into an IRA.<br /><br />The money is still sitting there -- half in an IRA account at the bank and half in the stock market, the latter tanking like you wouldn't believe.<br /><br />What I'm telling you is this: Baby Boomers really <b>DID</b> try to come up with <i>a reasonable imitation of preparing for retirement</i>. I know this because my household and other households working for the Christian organization did exactly that. We were blocked! So, then we relied on the value of our homes -- to sell upon retirement. Now, even the housing market is in the dumper -- and the costs of later-in-life health care have soared to the moon.<br /><br />Here's what I have favored all along:<br /><br />1. Unlimited saving for retirement along the lines of that law that Reagan helped to get through Congress.<br /><br />2. No Social Security checks for anyone with a annual retirement income (IRA or otherwise) of a certain amount ($65,000, maybe).<br /><br />Medicare is more problematic as health insurance for those over age 65 is unavailable. <b>UNAVAILABLE!</b> Medigap policies are available, but only for those on Medicare <b>AND</b> over age 65.<br /><br />In my view, Medicare deductibles should be based on an individual's annual retirement income -- I say "individual" and not "household" for a reason. Mr. AOW's Social Security Disability income is taxable because <b>I</b> make just over $24,000 a year (sometimes, that is). I may not have a job at all in September.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-81613457380035542602012-06-24T17:54:10.594-05:002012-06-24T17:54:10.594-05:00AOW,
You may have comments set to go into modera...AOW, <br /><br />You may have comments set to go into moderation after a certain amount of time. When I was blogging, I had mine set to go into comment moderation after 7 days.<br /><br />====<br /><br />I'm not certain of this time you speak of when one could not both have an IRA and pay Social Security payroll taxes. Nonetheless if such a time existed it was no doubt back when Social Security payroll tax rates were half (or less) what they are now.<br /><br />Not to be flippant, but what was done with that savings from lower payroll taxes in times gone by? Just as it is not Generation X's fault that the hopelessly worthless, despicably mendicant parasites who call themselves the Baby Boomer generation did not even approach even a reasonable imitation of preparing for retirement, it's not our fault the Boomers didn't vote to tax themselves to pay for the "entitlements" they think they deserve. <br /><br />This is a non-starter for me, at least. I refuse to consider any argument that does not fully acknowledge that Baby Boomers are complicit in the destruction of America's economic future, and deserving of absolutely not a dmaned thing from anybody. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Something must be done to recoup the losses created by the most comtemptibly pathetic generation of Americans to ever walk the Earth. I'm not opposed to Baby Boomers having their property, internal organs, and blood plasma forcibly seized to cover this shortfall.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-84344682890608550572012-06-24T09:55:17.608-05:002012-06-24T09:55:17.608-05:00Once upon a time, one could not have an IRA or the...Once upon a time, one could not have an IRA or the like if one was taxed for Social Security. In other words, no double dipping via those methods.<br /><br />I'm not sure when the law was changed so that one could have both an IRA and Social Security.<br /><br />Anyway, one reason that Mr. AOW and did not put aside into our IRAs was that very law. We did invest in the stock market; most of those investments tanked in 2007-2009. Goodbye, retirement!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-21164309578198354972012-06-24T09:49:32.490-05:002012-06-24T09:49:32.490-05:00Beamish,
I found your comment in the comment moder...Beamish,<br />I found your comment in the comment moderation section. WTH?Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-49431951245394231552012-06-24T03:22:44.977-05:002012-06-24T03:22:44.977-05:00Beamish,
I received a comment from you via email n...Beamish,<br />I received a comment from you via email notification, but don't see it here in this thread where it should be. Perhaps you deleted it?<br /><br />My browser updated, but I don't think that the browser update is the problem.<br /><br />If you see this, please respond. Thanks.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-65103738378967065822012-06-23T16:29:06.166-05:002012-06-23T16:29:06.166-05:00AOW,
It is precisely a redistribution of wealth t...AOW,<br /><br />It is precisely a redistribution of wealth to the retiring Baby Boomers when it takes the payroll taxes of 3 workers to bankroll one retiree's federal benefits (especially after their second year of retirement, when the average Boomer's lifetime contributions have been recouped because they were never taxed enough as workers). Years ago, the cost of a retiree's benefits used to be spread over 16 workers. Now, that cost is extracted from 3 workers (if they can find work...) No, the government has not become more efficient at funding retirements. Rather, the burden of keeping the "entitlements" trough full has become some 530% heavier on the average American worker than the average Baby Boomer hitting retirement now ever had to cough up. Taxed enough already? Really? Try paying 5 times as much as you ever did.<br /><br />Something always said but unheeded nonetheless is that these "entitlements" were never meant to be the sole source of income to a retiree, nor were they intended to alone keep a Boomer retiree at their level of income they had when they were paying five times as less taxes as the workers now footing the bill for them.<br /><br />So, the question really is "what do we do for retiring Baby Boomers who discover way too late that entitlements alone won't subsidize them?"<br /><br />I suggest we do the same thing for them we do for people who grab fire a second or third time to see if it burns. <br /><br />That third rail of politics has no electricity in it.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-24287214664595169702012-06-20T06:06:30.563-05:002012-06-20T06:06:30.563-05:00Beamish,
Come on. You know that I do not favor we...Beamish,<br />Come on. You know that I do not favor <i>wealth redistribution to the Baby Boomer</i>!<br /><br />And let us understand that a sizeable portion of the Baby Boomers aren't getting and won't get wealth redistribution. Yes, of course, a sizeable portion will -- there's no denying that. <br /><br />Neither should wealth redistribution go to the health insurance industry and/or -- God forbid! -- the state. As things are right now, the states are seizing property to pay for the final care of a lot of individuals. <br /><br /><b>Should we then also make the children and the grandchildren of the ailing elderly responsible financially responsible for the care of their aging relatives?</b> Those of us without progeny -- well, some provision also has to be made for us.<br /><br />Mr. AOW and I have made our wishes for our final days clear to each other and to an additional medical proxy. No dialysis, DNR (Never respected by the EMTs in the ambulance, BTW), no nursing home, etc. Whatever is legal short of prosecutable euthanisia. I made that call for my father that last 24-48 hours; I had given Dad my word, and I kept my word. The health care professionals thought I was cold. I'm not. I loved my Dad dearly and followed his instructions exactly although I had the legal power to put him on a ventilator-- with much weeping and gnashing of teeth on my part. In fact, it was all I could do to <b>PREVENT</b> the hospital from putting Dad on life support. I was as crazed as Shirley MacLaine in <i>The Terms of Endearment</i> in that scene where she had a fit a nurses' station as she demanded her daughter's pain medication (my situation in a reverse, of course).<br /><br />The American people -- pretty much all of them in every profession -- have ignored that reality of the tsunami wave bearing down on us.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-42976571554366196292012-06-19T22:25:13.302-05:002012-06-19T22:25:13.302-05:00AOW,
Seriously, WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE COMING ...AOW,<br /><br /><i>Seriously, WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE COMING WAVE, THE RETIRING AND AGING BABY BOOMERS?</i><br /><br />Invade Czechoslavakia?<br /><br />Show me the ad campaign that will sell tax increases to finance the desired wealth redistribution to the Baby Boomer. I'm just here to tell you it will fail. <br /><br />Go ahead. Try to make financing other people's retirements via increased taxation on working people sexy.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-83418254381497066762012-06-19T05:53:34.942-05:002012-06-19T05:53:34.942-05:00Oh, and one more thing....I am sure as hell not ec...Oh, and one more thing....I am sure as hell not <i>ecstatic</i> about anything now.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-6914845304841136822012-06-19T05:49:35.706-05:002012-06-19T05:49:35.706-05:00Beamish,
Seriously, WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE COMI...Beamish,<br />Seriously, <b>WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE COMING WAVE, THE RETIRING AND AGING BABY BOOMERS?</b>Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-36625267671698008092012-06-19T05:48:13.863-05:002012-06-19T05:48:13.863-05:00Beamish,
If you're lucky, caregiving won't...Beamish,<br />If you're lucky, caregiving won't be in your future.<br /><br />I was lucky with my parents, both of whom were in the hospital only a few days before dying. In essence, my caregiving for them was only to the extent of making sure that they were okay in their own home by phoning them once a day; they were driving, fixing their own meals, etc -- in other words, independent for people of their age.<br /><br />In 1978, father-in-law had a massive heart attack at age 61 and was removed from life support within a week. He was still working at the time of that heart attack, of course.<br /><br />My mother-in-law's situation is totally different. She still "lives" in the last catatonic stage of Alzheimer's. No longer could she be taken care of at home -- unless, of course, the family of one of her adult children moved in and did caregiving around the clock. Obviously, Mr. AOW and I couldn't do that; the two daughters are/were thieves, so that was out; Mr. AOW's brother is struggling financially because of various reasons -- all relating to the economic crash, plus he has a heart condition of his own. Her significant other is over 80 years old, and he couldn't physically caregive any longer.<br /><br />It is one thing to caregive one's own parents. I'll be blunt: because the end is usually in sight. For example, after a lifetime of incredibly good health, my aunt (in 2010 at age 94) died within 6 weeks of her pancreatic cancer diagnosis at her granddaughter's house, where she had been taken in a few months before she fell ill; her granddaughter could not <b>AFFORD</b> to take off from work and thereby lose her job as she carried the health insurance for family. My aunt, however, had health insurance (Medicare and FEP BlueCross BlueShield) and the necessary money to see her through those eight weeks -- at $4800 out-of-pocket, possibly more.<br /><br />Caregiving one's own spouse as I do is different! I won't go into that matter in a public forum.<br /><br />The thieves of the Baby Boomer generation? How would you remedy this problem? I'm serious. What is there to be done?<br /><br />All I can say on a personal level about Social Security and Medicare is that now that Mr. AOW has both, I can actually buy new underwear. I couldn't before (September 2009 through February 2012), and I'm not kidding. We did have quite a bit in savings (We raided that every single month), but the health insurance premium and prescription costs for the two of us were running $1069/month and about to go up to $1300/month just as Medicare finally arrived. If we had had a house payment, we'd have gone under -- with both of us on welfare. Period.<br /><br />I never dreamed that all of this horror could happen to people as young as we are. Sheesh.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-2897829877142195552012-06-19T00:08:40.564-05:002012-06-19T00:08:40.564-05:00AOW,
Sorry I'm late back to this. No, I'...AOW, <br /><br />Sorry I'm late back to this. No, I've never done any "caregiving" of the term and degree that you have and do on a daily basis. My parents are in their late 60s, so I'm sure it's probably in my future.<br /><br />I don't mean to sound snarky either, but how much caregiving must I do until I become ecstatic about the $16 Trillion nation debt given to me by the dirty, no-good, freeloading theives of the Baby Boomer generation?(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-43358184284490070802012-06-12T04:08:14.791-05:002012-06-12T04:08:14.791-05:00Beamish,
I went to a Tea Party march in 2009. At ...Beamish,<br />I went to a Tea Party march in 2009. At least, I think that's what the 9/12 march in D.C. was. Those gathered at Capitol Hill were talking about Glenn Beck. Hell, I barely knew who the guy was at that time. <br /><br />My memories of that march are pretty much wiped out as Mr. AOW had his stroke on 9/15.<br /><br />As far as I recall -- and I think that I would remember this -- I saw no signs there to the effect of "Save my Social Security."<br /><br />As for <i>Granny's gonna die</i>, I don't see the issue that way. I see the issue as this: Grandpa's illness ate up all the family assets, including the home Grandpa and Grandma were living in, so now Grandma will have to go live with her grandchildren, who will then pay for Grandma -- except that Grandma, healthy or demented, will not be taken in by any family members, who have "their own lives to live."<br /><br />I have a question for you? And I'm not being snarky as you are my friend: Have you ever done caregiving? By "caregiving," I mean changing diapers and/or trying to keep track of a demented individual or an individual who is bedfast (and cannot access any food by himself or even dial the phone correctly to summon help)? <br /><br />For months on end, I couldn't even leave Mr. AOW alone long enough for me to sit on the pot for 5 minutes without his having some kind of "crisis"? Things are better here now -- but not by most people's standards. I cannot be out of the house for more than 12 hours at a time without summoning or hiring help. Period. I don't know what I'd do if he were demented; he actually was for a period of time, but it was the kind of brain-trauma dementia that resolved over a period of 1.5 years.<br /><br />I won't get into a discussion of incontinence -- except to say that I don't have a very strong stomach for dealing with piles of stinky and liquid feces all over the place.<br /><br />Caveat: I'm not having a pity party for myself. Just telling you how it is. I haven't shared on the web or anywhere else a lot of what went on here. If I had been older when all this happened, I couldn't have managed whereas in my 30s and 40s, I easily could have.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-41018280521748644932012-06-11T23:17:58.189-05:002012-06-11T23:17:58.189-05:00BTW - I never attended a Tea Party event because p...BTW - I never attended a Tea Party event because proximity to the stench of deadbeat entitlement junkie far leftists makes my skin crawl. How did Romney stop being the Tea Party's boy (Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, Michelle Bachmann, et. al.) and become "my boy?"(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-27763465246440597972012-06-11T23:08:27.703-05:002012-06-11T23:08:27.703-05:00Joe "Conservative,"
Waah waaah! Granny&...Joe "Conservative,"<br /><br />Waah waaah! Granny's gonna die.<br /><br />You mouth-breathing Communists need to get new material.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-85832612240664405742012-06-11T05:30:33.908-05:002012-06-11T05:30:33.908-05:00Z,
If your conclusion is correct -- and it might w...Z,<br />If your conclusion is correct -- and it might well be correct -- then Obama is a very poor speaker and a very poor actor. He clearly overdid the acting. Now, had he reacted first with anger (as Black Sheep mentioned), Obama's performance might have been more believable. Maybe.<br /><br />Didn't he head off to the golf course immediately afterwards? I think so. If so, what was he in need of at the golf course or from the neighborhood surrounding the golf course?Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-84500557285876020832012-06-10T21:17:30.222-05:002012-06-10T21:17:30.222-05:00Z,
If you are correct about the true purpose of th...Z,<br />If you are correct about the true purpose of the press conference, why did Obama handle answering the question so poorly?"<br /><br />Because he couldn't come out with his usual quick and polished response or it'd look like it was planned. He HAD to know it was coming, he HAD an answer; that was it. Motivation clear, in my opinion.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-65631521588704226842012-06-10T12:17:00.318-05:002012-06-10T12:17:00.318-05:00btw - I sure hope your grandma hasn't named yo...btw - I sure hope your grandma hasn't named you as her "Executor"... cuz I've a feeling that the DNR stamps would already be stamped on her medical admission records if you were. ;)Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-47791462603327499912012-06-10T12:14:36.335-05:002012-06-10T12:14:36.335-05:00Oh, but reigning in spending over 20 years instead...<i>Oh, but reigning in spending over 20 years instead of 20 minutes is such political bravery in its own way, I'm sure.</i><br /><br />Your boy Romney's going to tackle entitlements now? Who knew that Newt was going to have such a positive effect on the Republican nominee?<br /><br />Hey, maybe he'll even get all the hospitals to shut off electricity to all the Medicare funded ICU's, too! Twenty minutes later, Medicare's problems are all SOLVED, the <i>fusion conservatism</i> way! Woo-Hoo!Joe Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02696367580635901992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-35099434089184580742012-06-10T12:07:56.983-05:002012-06-10T12:07:56.983-05:00Gather up the pitchforks and torches! Let's ma...Gather up the pitchforks and torches! Let's make Congress and the President promise to balance the budget 20 years from now!<br /><br />Tea drinking sissies.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-68593124707063920582012-06-10T11:56:42.784-05:002012-06-10T11:56:42.784-05:00Thank goodness that the fusion conservative voters...<i>Thank goodness that the fusion conservative voters and the JDL/AIPAC coalition were able to demonize and take out those vicious anti-Semitic Constitutionalists, like Ron Paul,</i><br /><br />Without removing our bunny slippers, even.<br /><br /><i>or Mitt Romney would never have been possible. Fusion Conservatism stalking horses like Newt Gingrich sure SAVED the Republican Party, eh beamish?</i><br /><br />Such harmony between those who fantasize they are a jilted shrew of an ex-wife and those that fantasize that they're a Congressman still butthurt over Newt's boot in their ass.<br /><br />Oh, but reigning in spending over 20 years instead of 20 minutes is such political bravery in its own way, I'm sure.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-49143605065367809192012-06-10T11:51:32.776-05:002012-06-10T11:51:32.776-05:00Why is it that the fringe right considers support ...<i>Why is it that the fringe right considers support of the classic welfare state to be Communist?</i><br /><br />Did you have an alternative definition for coerced wealth confiscation and redistribution?<br /><br />Maybe it's that I'm from the "taught dad how to program a coffee maker" generation, but I honestly thought the whole mathematical can't get anything from zero thing had been ratified by both the left and the right. <br /><br /><i>These must be the same sophisticated intellects who consider Geddy Lee an accomplished musician, right Beamish?</i><br /><br />I'm fairly certain they're all just misinformed about your bass playing, Ducky.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.com