Will You Vote?

[bassin_bug]

I had an e-mail from a neighbor in AL. She said that the elderly and disabled will NOT be getting a Social Security raise again this year for the third or fourth year in a row. She also said that Senators and Congressmen had voted themselves a hefty raise and passed a bill for millions of $$ to keep up with their medical records.

A senator from VA said he "made a mistake" by voting against giving SS recipients a raise, that he didn't read the bill. Most of the Senators didn't read the ObamaCare bill before voting on it either, and now lots of doctors are saying they will not accept Medicare patients under the new healthcare plan. If Senators are doing things like that on such important issues, I think it's time we "don't make a mistake" and vote them out of office in the next election.

I know that SS was never meant to be the sole support base for the elderly, but there are people in the system who paid into it when it was impossible for them to save money. Their salaries were at or below minimum wage and it took every dollar, plus a big garden, a milk cow, a hog and some chickens, just to survive.

Nothing breaks my heart more than to see the elderly hobbling through the grocery store looking for food they can afford to buy. I actually witnessed an old lady push her shopping cart up to the cashier with a few groceries and some cat food in it. The cashier said, "Mrs. Ella, I didn't know you had a cat; I have never seen one at your house." Mrs. Ella said, "I don't have a cat, I wanted some fish to eat and this is all I can afford. If it won't kill a cat, it won't kill me." That was when I completely lost it and left the store with tears dripping off my chin.

The cost of living and utilities continues to rise and the very people who need money the most are the ones lost in the system. I hope someone in Washington will wake up and realize that we have citizens in America who are suffering and they need to take care of their own first before sending billions of dollars to other countries to take care of those people.

Just my 2-cents worth.

[Grumpy]

Bug, first off I always vote and will as long as I am able.

However, if it is true that that Senator from VA thought that he voted against a raise in COLA for SS recipients, he really needs to be voted out but not for what you said but because he does not what is is doing which is true for many of them.

I have received numberous emails over the last two years about there not being a Cost of Living Allowence increase for SS and blaming it on Congress, usaully also stating that they voted themselves a hefty pay raise and that they do not contribute to SS and need to have their "golden retirement plan" yanked out from under them.

As much as I hate having to stand up for politicians, most of these emails, including the one you got, are HOAXES.

First off, Congressmen and Senators do not vote for SS pay raises and they do not vote for their own raise. Both provisions are covered by laws. Congress gets automatic pay raises each year UNLESS THEY VOTE TO NOT GET THEM. SS COLAs are deternined by the Consumer Price Index each year and if there is no increase in the CPI (no or little inflation) there is no COLA increase. This happened last year and will again in 2010.

From the SS website: "By law, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the last year to the corresponding period of the current year. This year there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009."

Second, Congressmen, Senators, the President, cabinet appointees and all Federal workers are enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System and have been if they were elected or hired after 1983. The main parts of FERS are Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (a form of 401K) and ALL OF THEM DO CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL SECURITY.

The bottom line is, although most people don't understand it or agree, it is good when there is no SS COLA because that means there has been little or no inflation over the last year. You can argue that anyway you want to, but according to the system in place we won't get a pay raise this year but by the same token our Medicare premiums won't go up either because, by law, they can't raise the premiums unless the COLA is paid and is larger then the Medicare increase.

BTW, I have voted in EVERY General Election since I turned 21 and several of those were cast by Absentee Ballot while I was in the Army. I have also written letters, on one more more subjects, to EVERY President since and including Dwight D. Eisenhower. i have also written to most of my Senators and Congressmen over that period also.

Grumpy

[MsgMills]

I'll be voting again and so will my oldest son now...He's already seen the Light and knows that to vote for A "Democrat" means the end of his future.

I have not missed voting in an election since 1980 and still don't intend to ever miss one....

Tears me up everytime I see one of them Commercials on tv, askin people for money to feed the starving kids in all these other countries. When in fact there are just as many kids and adults who could use the money here in the USA for food.

Sickens me everytime i also see someone adopt a kid from another Country when indeed there are kids here that need adopting in the USA b 4 kids from another Country could be brought into this Country. If i could aford to adopt another child, I would in a heart beat for sure......

[bassin_bug]

I have never had to deal with Social Security problems or Medicare so I admit that I don't know much about it. As for the Senator from VA, I did read something about his voting record in our local newspaper. With politics heating up in preparation for the November elections, it's hard to tell what is truth and what is mud slinging. There doesn't seem to be much truth in politics anymore. jmo

[DJD]

Man it ticks me off to see organizations asking for money and then putting some little kid on camera to pull at my heart strings. I'm ticked because they have to go to another country to do this when just an hour or so from Lexington you can find some terrible areas of poverty. I guess since their not inner city youths or third world countries they won't get the face time on tv.

When I was active in the church I voiced this opinion to the folks who needed to hear it. I was so against going to South America (Mission Trips) to some village to dig wells or plant crops when we have terrible problems in Eastern KY. To many folks it was a working vacation going on these trips...they just wanted to see the world under the disguise of helping.

I say take care of America first and then if we can help others or at the very least take care of us a little more than we get now.

[Tyme2fish]

You're darn tootin' I'll be voting. Early and often!!

Mrs. Tyme often asks my advice on which candidate to vote for. I tell her, if they're in, vote 'em out.

I'm often confused when at the polling booth and read the ballot.

"Should District Judge Cornwall Thumper be retained? I often have no idea who the person is or what his record is. I just rely on my own advice, if they're in,vote 'em out. Sorry that I am one of the uneducated voters, but there is no news or notification that I am aware of that would lead me to investigate and therefor educate myself to wiser choice in such matters. I guess I should visit the courthouse and peruse the sample ballot.

[Tom523]

I'll vote in all 5 precincts that I'm registered in and all three states. I'm also a registered voter in mexico, el salvador, ecuador, and Iran (but that don't help much). Just kidding, I'm not a democrat! **** right, I'm gonna vote

[HURRICANEBOB]

Yep will vote. Always do. Agree on SS concerns, and think similarly there needs be better price of living compensation for vets.

Want to see state and federal government giving hiring preference for state and fed jobs to folks on unemployment. Still have to be qualified, and if equally qualified, I think hiring someone on unemplyment kills several birds with one stone. Reduces unemplyment compensation cost, increases government staffing to get the jobs done, decreases unemployment rate, and puts money in a jobless persons pocket he's likely to spend and put back in play in the economy.

The day we pull out of Afghanistan, I want to see 25% of those now available forces head for the Mexican border. If immigrants can sneak in, so can terrorists.

And last, I want Obama re-elected so Geo won't suffer from LOW blood pressure for another 4 years. Besides, 2 ways to unite a country are behind a leader we all support or one we all love to hate.

[Tom523]

Yep will vote. Always do. Agree on SS concerns, and think similarly there needs be better price of living compensation for vets.

Want to see state and federal government giving hiring preference for state and fed jobs to folks on unemployment. Still have to be qualified, and if equally qualified, I think hiring someone on unemplyment kills several birds with one stone. Reduces unemplyment compensation cost, increases government staffing to get the jobs done, decreases unemployment rate, and puts money in a jobless persons pocket he's likely to spend and put back in play in the economy.

The day we pull out of Afghanistan, I want to see 25% of those now available forces head for the Mexican border. If immigrants can sneak in, so can terrorists.

And last, I want Obama re-elected so Geo won't suffer from LOW blood pressure for another 4 years. Besides, 2 ways to unite a country are behind a leader we all support or one we all love to hate.

The problem is we can't find a leader anywhere!

[kygorski]

I'm on SS and no we didn't get a raise last year, and antone who thinks the cost of living has not gone up, needs to do a little grocery shopping.My private health care price went up, my deductible3 went up, my auto insurance went up. Its cheaper for me to use walmart and buy my prescriptions out of pocket than use our required 90 day supply for maintenance drugs.Since my private health care cost comes out of my pension, that has also gone down.In the mean time we finance a corrupt government that sends tons of heroin to this country, we open our borders to truck traffic that also lets tons of cocaine and marijuana come through. We let employers hire illegal workers who contribute little to theit health care, and billions trying to promote democracy into a culture that has never known it, and probably dosn't want it.Congress was afronted by a comedian?. they are the biggest joke in america. There are four turds in the ointment, nancy, bahner mitch and obahma, and none are up for re-election. Sure I'm going to vote, havn't missed one since 1957. But the idiots are not in danger this term, and we don't remember well when we vote. I'm looking for 2 more years of gridlock.

[Catfish Bob]

I'll be voting for one Republican--RP. The rest of my votes will be for Independents.

We have a mayor race here and the 1 Dem and 1 Pub candidates are a freaking joke, IMO. We have one guy that seems to have the cities best interest in mind running as independent. Latest CJ poll only gives him 3%. The Pub wants to take more farm land for development and the Dem is so far out in left field I can't even imagine him running a Mac Dees let a lone a city with a population over 500k.

[ElectricSLT]

YOU BETCHA I"M VOTING.

Personally I believe too many politicians are too comfortable in their jobs - I won't vote against anyone that is doing a good job - but when I read the paper or watch or listen to the news there doesn't seem to be many in office now that are doing a good job!

Time for some new faces - if that doesn't work - there will be other elections . . .