Walt Handelsman

For those of you who are complaining about social security, let me tell you a factual story.
I am supposed to be getting about $10,000 in SS and my wife would receive half of that amount.
Because I took SS at age 62, I was cut 25%(my choice).
Because I am retired civil service and had 24 good years of paying SS. I was cut an additional 30%. That was 5% for each year under 30. This cut is for civil service retirees under the CRSR system.
Now the kicker, because my wife and I have saved, invested and I worked three jobs often and have accumulated a nice amount of cash, my SS and my wife's SS is now subject to the means test for paying part B medicare. I just received notice that next year , we would pay an additional $62.80 each for our insurance and next year it will go higher.(Ultimately, we will pay 100% with no goverment payment. This year we will pay $383.60 for our medicare insurance. This leaves us with a combined amount of $641.00 in SS monthly for 2008. This is a reduction of from what should be 1500.00 monthly to 641.00 . In a few more years, we will not receive enough to may for medicare. And to top all of this off, We will pay regular tax on 85% of thethe total amount of 383.60 plus 641.00 = $1024.60 X.85= 870.91 X .28(tax bracket) =243.85. Now if you do the math, that leaves us with 641.00-243.85= $397.15 that we will receive monthly for the two of us. I know that you readers will not believe this story. But it is true and it holds true for those folks who retired at age 62, retired CSRS and who have accumulated wealth by their hard work and living below their means over the years. I am now crying in my milk and am blessed to live in this great country. But, the govt can sometime be very unfair to a group of folks and for CSRS folks this is true. Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations.

I meant to say, I am not crying in my milk. But, I am ventilating my anger. I envision a means test for social security in the coming years. Congress eased in the means test for medicare payments and no one noticed. This started last year. Your adjusted gross income is the basis and it will affect many of your readers who are on medicare. It affected my widowed sister this year and it may hit you next.

There are some really good comments here. You folks are right...we are a divided country (Republican/Democrat/Other) and that is such a shame. I, for one, get so sick and tired of all of the mud slinging commercials we all see on TV during an election year. Too bad the folks that want us to elect them to lead our country can't act like grown adults. The sadest part of it all is that they all work against one another to be loyal to a "party" rather than work together to do what's best for America as a nation!

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that realizes the media only shows us what THEY want us to see. The Iraqi War...I'm not even going to touch that one. I will say that we are getting biased views of the war from the media. Just talk to one of the men or women that have returned from over there. I know...this is just an opinion...but the news media has NO PLACE over there following our troops around. Those folks need to get out of the way and let our troops do their jobs! We as Americans should support our brave troops whether we agree with the cause or not! Okay...sorry...I said I wasn't going to touch that one.

I also agree with the comment about no person should become a "career politician". One to two terms in office should be it. Shame on the states that keep sending the same folks back for the past 10 or 20 years. Just like the state of Massachusetts. Shame on you folks! How long has Kennedy been in office now? The man doesn't know how to do anything else. That's down right shameful. I'm also tired of only lawyers and the rich getting put into office. Our government has such a bad reputation. It's time we change that! What about the "Average Joe", like myself, that would truly like to work for the best interest of the American public and is not concerned about how much money I can make for myself, but what good I can do to help the hard working Americans that keep this country going. The congress has made it to where they don't have to pay SS and they don't pay income taxes and they don't have to pay for health insurance and things such as this. The things you and I have to pay dearly for. And they're looking out for our best interest...YEAH RIGHT!

I know we have it better here in this country than most people do. Don't get me wrong...there are so many GREAT things we could say about living in the USA, but there are also many things we could improve upon as well. We just need to wake up as a nation and get the folks that are not looking out for our best interest out of Washington!

Well, I could go on and on...but I'll stop here for now. May God bless you all and may God continue to bless the USA!

Simply this,
Bring our troops back home...

and put them on the Mexican border.

If you believe it is "bad" here. I recommend you go and live abroad for a couple of years.

also, having money does not make any of us educated, intelligent persons. It only makes us a little more opinionated. Some of us just have more valid arguments because we chose to become educated. (and I don't mean just going to school) Twain once said 'never let my schooling interfere with my education.' Education does not come from being insulated from the world out there. Sitting in our offices and sipping- well whatever it is we may be sipping. Starbucks probably.

Perhaps we should all get out of our chairs and start campaigning our government, instead of just complaining.

And for those of you who didn't know, I think most people do, but we were trillions of dollars in debt before Bush, and I'm sure we are all quite aware that whomever takes the office in the next term, will receive just as much slander and bashing as this president, and every one before him has. Why, because we're Americans, and by nature we're not happy unless we're complaining about everything.

We're restless, irritable and discontent. We want everything and usually give little to nothing back. A certain party wanted big government, well you got it. Live with it.

Paul, I really, really want to agree with you on bringing our troops home and putting them on the Mexican border... My only issue with that is, if we pull out of Iraq, who will take our place? Will the Iraqi people will just figure out how to get along on their own? Or, will one of the power hungry countries like Iran (who by the way was at war with Iraq for 8 years prior to desert storm) take advantage of the void we leave. Seriously, the truth is, no matter what any of these politicians, Dem or Rep, are saying they will do when they get elected, none of them have any notions of closing our military bases there and sending the troops home. Iran is developing necular weaponry, and Russia is supporting it! This is a problem much bigger than straightening out the Iraqi situation. We need those strategic bases in Iraq & Afganistan to keep Iran, Russia, and N Korea in check. World trade requires world stability. My nephew is in Iraq, and I have friends and church members that I care about there, but the bottom line is, we must keep a presence there (a strong one) to keep the peace. I would rather bring them all home and let all those guys fight among themselves, but the fact remains, if we don't fight them there, we will eventually fight them here. Follow the news on how close Iran and Russia are becoming... Note also, pretty much all of the terrorists organizations operating in Iraq are not from Iraq. Where are they coming from? Perhaps Iran is one of the suppliers? Why would they do that? Remember what the terrorists said at the baginning of Desert Shield, "we may not have the military to defeat America, but if we can wait them out, the will of the American people will crumble, forcing their government to pull their military out, giving us the victory" It seems that is exactly what is happening. Mark my words, no matter who wins the White House in 2008, we all will find out that the troops are not leaving Iraq anytime soon. If the Rep wins, they will say they are correcting the mistakes Bush made... If the Dem wins, they will say they are stuck fixing the mistakes Bush made. What no one will say for a long time (but perhaps will one day) is that although Bush may have taken Iraq under the guise of WMD, he really hoped to gain a strong foothold in the region (an incredibly smart move strategically) where we can establish military bases in which we can operate without having to get permission from the host country (as is the case with our base in Saudia Arabia... where we have to get permission to fly over their territory to complete military missions) (also, dont forget that Turkey said NO when we asked if we could send our military through their territory). This is kinda like a huge, deadly game of chess, in which we had better play to win. If we decide not to play, don't think for a minute that Iran, N Korea, and Russia, etc... will quit also. What I am saying is, no matter how bad we would like to end this mess in Iraq, we can't!!!

As for the rest of what you said... sadly you are right... we are a greedy, self-centered, complaining country... But, I've been to several other countries, including Russia, and you know what... There is no place like home! America is pretty awesome compared to everywhere else I've been...

Cory,

It will never happen, but you have the key here when you say:

"The congress has made it to where they don't have to pay SS and they don't pay income taxes and they don't have to pay for health insurance and things such as this. The things you and I have to pay dearly for. And they're looking out for our best interest...YEAH RIGHT!"

If our representatives made the same money as the "Average Joe" and had to retire on SS, and pay medicare like most people... I bet these programs would be changed. But like you say, they don't have to endure it...

If the Congress and the Senate think that Social Security is just fine for us, I think we should offer to trade places with them. If they had to live on SS they would sure fix it in a hurry. Paying for medicare and the "new" perscription package plus a supplement to the medicare plan runs somewhere in the neighborhood of $250.00 per month for one person. They call that help? I must be missing something here. And as far as the gap in medicare for medicine between $2,400.00 and $3,850.00 is a joke. Who thought up that gap or hole as they term it. The "Gap" my friends is a store in every mall. They sell clothes!!!! I think whomever writes the new (if there is one) program should be prepared to use it. The Congress and Senate should be the first ones on the list.

Someone should learn the art of negociating. I could even come up with a plan that would be a win/win and I'm not a politician.

Cory, I agree with everything you said. Maybe you should throw your hat in the ring and run! Couldn't hurt. You'd have my vote.

I, for one am happy with the economy. I am making more (and spending more) than ever under the Republicans. If the dems take control of the White House, we will suffer a recession. Write it down. The dems want me to pay for all the children in the world born to unwed and un fit mothers. I don't want to! If they tax as they say they will the corporations will clam up and stop spending and send work over seas, as they should. Wake up people. The rich are the people who put everyone to work! Where I live we have 3.2% Unemployment. Thats pretty good! People who are not working here ,don't want to work! Be responsible for your own actions and you will make it if you want to!

Why are you so hard on Hillary! She is to me a wonderful choice for president. I for 1 , at age 53, would love to see a woman as President of the United States of America! I think she is smart enough to put the right people to surround her & help her to make the right decisions. I also believe in spite of some people that she could bring the 2 parties together, to get things done.Diplomacy, that is one of her best suits. She was married to the best President , we have ever seen. He was a bad ,nasty ,naughty boy, says a closet queer. What a hipocrit. We have seen a lot of that in this administration. All of the republicans that screw around are just getting a free pass. I know the impeachment process was because he lied about Monica, but what man would tell the world such an intimate secret & humiliate his wife , daughter & his nation? Now it is business as usual. Go Hillary!

Hillary = ego. Hillary = amoral. She is also reported to have made antisemitic slurs in the past -- several times. Her husband is a cheater (no integrity), and as much as I sympathize with the guy (having the "cold fish" as a wife), he was embarrassing to the country (in a different way than Dubya embarrasses us, but we don't need him or her back). I can't believe that this is the "best of the best" in our country! Also, why not elect someone who isn't rife w/ $$? Or, just elect someone who isn't "bought and paid for?" Oh, I forgot, dumb me. Hillary is sensational, and that's what really matters. I forgot where it was that I lived. We're all bored, so Hillary must be elected.