December 30, 2012

So correct me if I am wrong - but Social Security recipients have already

Taken more hits than anyone can imagine.

By allowing the age of recipients to be 67, rather than 65, the older person who needs to retire at the age of 65 will find they have eliminated fourteen percent of their annual payments FOR LIFE, by making that early retirement.

Then there is the little matter of the nation's economic collapse, which wiped out many Americans' retirement monies. There is the fact that many people thought that their pension monies were handled wisely, only to find out that the monies were tied into one or two major financial policies. Often, the financial managers threw the pension monies of a union or state pension plan into stocks involved with only one or two major industries. The reason for that was these managers had estimated that the high returns of the stock they chose was so valuable that considerations of any risk went right out the window.

Now, when the Economic Collapse hit, the value in people's homes was destroyed, and also their pension monies. They might have also taken a lost on any retirement monies they were controlling themselves.

Meanwhile, under the Paulson/Bernnanke/Geithner strategy of helping their friends on Wall Street, we find that some 15 to 16 trillions of dollars went to the Biggest players in the Financial World, some of whom were bankers and financial people not even in this country. I know that many of us here totally understand what is very wrong with this picture, don't we?

Experts tell us that some 4.7 trillions of dollars that these "loans" made by Paulson and Bernanke will never be repaid. So why can't someone in Congress create legislation that captures these monies from these Big Financial People?

Or why can't the President enact an Executive Order such that these monies are captured?

I personally think the Banking Cabal that apparently is ruling this country is equivalent in evil to any 'terrorists" that we spend money having our drones attack. If the nation's officials can see to it that the bank accounts of such rogue and terrorist states as Libya and Iran, and those of the Bin Laden family, are "re-captured" - then why can't we recapture these monies as well?

That 4.7 trillion is actually about .7 trillions dollars more than is being sought as cuts for the nation's budget and deficit situation over the next ten years.

I also am so sick of important matters being done in the wake of lame duck Congressional sessions. Few of the "Fiscal cliff" issues were discussed during the weeks leading up to the presidential, and congressional elections. All we got from Democratic leadership in the weeks leading up to this past election was the usual "the Democrats are for the middle class." Of course, anyone who realized the words "middle class" were very rarely mentioned, in any of the campaigns, got a strong clue as to what the leadership in both parties is about. And it sure is true that the leadership in both parties is far more concerned about people in the 200K and up class than those who are struggling.

If Congress can allow some weird person who is elected to Congress and serves less than five years a perpetual pension based on those few years, than Congress should damn well be able to allow Social security recipients to get the same things that our fathers and mothers got. And that means benefits that start at age 65, not 67 or older.

December 27, 2012

Sorry to ask such a basic question - but how to copy?

I want to transfer some files from my computer used for business over to a friend's computer.

I plan on making a series of CD's - and now I have the first CD filled almost totally to capacity.

But there is a little notice that the Files are waiting to be copied to the CD. What do I do to make the files actually become written to the CD?

PS I am using a Windows XP Sony. Since installing the Terra Bakup system, (Memeo) a while back, I haven't done copying in over eighteen months and don't remember a thing about it.

December 23, 2012

A very decent discussion of Social Security over at DailyKos

I was surprised to find out, by reading among the comments, that those who are saying there is a massive crisis ahead for Social Security are not taking into account the interest the Fund is supposedly receiving annually! (I myself have no idea how much interest that Fund should be getting.)

And one other thing that struck me - the "experts" are now, of course, using the fact that revenue to Social Security is down (Due of course, to the middle class "payroll deduction cuts" that Obama has branded as our middle class "tax cut) and how that all figures into the hoopla of how much trouble the fund is in. And revenue is also down due to the fact that the job market is offering only one new job for every three people seeking work - and often that job doesn't pay anything!

Read it for yourself and see if you don't learn something:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/23/1173338/-The-Thing-About-Social-Security

December 20, 2012

The thing is, we love our kids, and while

We deplore gun related violence, the fact remains that a child or family member is far, far more likely to be killed while some idiot on the road is texting, or phoning or checking their PDA and GPS.

Here is a site that relates what the dangers are. The average time, this site points out, to focus on information on any device is five seconds. And during that time, if you are driving some 55 mph, you have gone the distance of an entire football field with out looking at the road!

http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/

December 14, 2012

Can somebody explain a few thngs about gravity -

I found myself bombarded with questions after looking at this science article that "The Straight Story" posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1002&pid=1975319

If you read what is in that OP, there is a sentence that says that after a lot of mass is moved around, there is more gravity in some places, and less in others. (or at least, that is how my brain interpreted the sentence.)

I am not sure I follow that. I though that gravity is uniform. I mean, it is, isn' t it?

December 13, 2012

A confession from former head of IMF

We have gone from a world with one and then two billion people, with some twenty percent owning the world's wealth, to today's situation with less than half a billion people have the wealth, while the world's population is at seven billion!
Two thirds of those having wealth will be over in China and India - not here in the USA.

This was first put up on YouTube in May 2011.

December 13, 2012

Chris Rock explains "Minimum Wage"

His explanation - "Minimum wage means they would pay you less if they could."

I realize some will think that his remark should go in the "Lounge"

But I often think our comedians understand politics and societal realities more than any other group. (Or at least they are allowed to actually speak the truth, when no one else can do that.

December 10, 2012

One trillion a year means that

around six percent of the GDP is in the hole. If only most Americans had such a situation with their personal budgets!

But let's forget that for a moment. Let's instead say that it is indeed a good idea to get rid of some 4+ trillions of dollars being spent by the Federal Government over the next ten years.

Then let's remind ourselves and our law makers that MOST IMPORTANTLY - Social Security is its own damn fund! And currently is supposed to be showing some 2.1 Trillions of dollars as surplus. (The fact remains that perhaps this money has been "borrowed" for any of a number of projects, going all the way back to the Vietnam War.)

But in any case, if Congress borrowed against it, they should admit it and replenish the Social Security fund - and quit pretending, like my Blue Dog Congressman does, that Social Security is contributing to the deficit. it isn't.

Here are two separate ways to reduce the deficit by 2.1 trillion apiece, while leaving the Social Security fund untampered with.

One - immediately end the wars. Period. Savings= 2.1 trillions of dollars.

Two: end the Bush era Tax cuts that Obama extended. Immediate savings= 2.1 trillions of dollars.

Total savings of above: 4.2 trillions of dollars!

Now to accomplish number two - the President and Dems in Congress don't need to do a damn thing.
Pete DeFazio, Democrat Congressman from Oregon, already pointed this out last week. If nothing is done, the Bush era, Obama-extended tax cuts for the Upper Two Percent END on Dec 31st. So we don't even have to worry that the President's "negotiating" skills will be needed.

If those two ideas aren't good enough - here is my final offer. The Bernie Sanders-insisted upon Audit of the Federal Reserve showed that the man Obama re-appointed to the Federal Reserve, one Ben Bernanke, has "loaned out" some 15 to 16 trillions of dollars to his buddies in Big Financial Companies around the world. These monies aren't even considered in the Deficit Discussions, because the way the Fed is handled is very simple - Bernanke can do what he wants to do, and it isn't supposed to affect anyone at all. Bernanke even told the public this during one of the interviews that "Sixty Minutes" undertook a year or two back.

But experts now say that of these 15 to 16 trillions of dollars, some 4.7 trillions will never ever be repaid. So how about the president sitting down in his cozy Oval Office and signing an Executive Order that simply captures these monies from the bank accounts where they are nestled. Our government officials have done this to various other bank accounts, such as Bin Laden's. And even to some national bank accounts. (I believe we have even impounded monies from the state of Iran. And Libya.) So there is precedent.

I doubt that Obama would have the cajones to do this. But it really is most unfair that it come out of the Social Security funds, as those are monies that we and our employers have paid in. In my case, I have been paying into the fund for some 40 years.

December 10, 2012

Support Colorado legislators in the New "States' Right Drug Bill"

A bill presented in Congress re: Marijuana for the States


Here is an email I recently received. I don’t know the in’s and out’s of “Bill Language” so smarter people than me will have to inform us on what the bill(s) actually means.

1:38 AM
FROM: Jasmine Tyler, DPA
To: TrueDelphi
SUBJECT: New Bill in Congress to Protect Marijuana Legalization

Drug Policy Alliance email to TrueDelphi

Urge your representative to support a new bill that would protect marijuana legalization!
Take Action. Be sure and contact your representative today.

Even as the drug policy reform movement celebrates our historic victories legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington, and also letting citizens in Massachusetts have medical marijuana, we still have to ensure that the states can implement their laws without federal interference.

Several U.S. representatives from Colorado recently introduced a bipartisan bill to help protect our victories by giving the states room to implement the new laws. Tell your U.S. representative to support the bill that would enable the states to make their own marijuana laws.

The Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Act would affirm the ability for states to establish their own marijuana laws free from federal interference.

This bill’s primary sponsor, Democratic Congresswoman Diana Degette from Denver, was joined by her fellow Colorado Republican Congressman Mike Coffman — who voted against Amendment 64 but still wants to ensure that the federal government respects the will of voters.

Although Colorado and Washington voted to regulate and tax marijuana, these ballot initiatives are not going to implement themselves. We need to do everything we can to ensure the federal government plays a constructive — rather than destructive — role.

This is just the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition. We still have our work cut out for us. And we need your help!

Urge your representative to support the new bill in Congress that would enable the states to implement their own marijuana laws free from federal interference.

Sincerely,

Jasmine Tyler
Acting Director, Office of National Affairs
comment on this6 Comments Recommend Edit

December 8, 2012

I am so pleased that Michelle Leonhart, Obama's DEA Admin, knows so much of the science

about drugs and drug use.

Really refreshing to see that she doesn't merely rely on the pablum that she was taught back when she was a police officer.

Except, wait a minute - maybe that's not the case:

http://my.firedoglake.com/edwardteller/2012/12/08/as-obama-prepares-to-do-battle-against-washington-and-colorado-heres-the-pointy-end-of-his-spear/