there you go again

THERE YOU GO AGAIN
those are reagans words he said during one of his campaigns

as a watchdog for social security benefits for all of us
remember most if not all of us pay social security taxes
or
as i read recently
they should be called
social security premiums

eg
i pay long term premiums each month
so if i need long term care
i can get most of it paid for
its a lot of money over years before i will need it
but
usually it pays to pay the premiums for the eventual benefits

i pay car insurance premiums to insure my cars
so if they are wrecked i can get the car replaced
or fixed

i use to pay term life insurance premiums for years
as you can tell since i am writing this
i have never had to collect on them
now if you keep life insurance long enough
you will need it or should i say your family will need ti

i paid premiums for years and years for long term disability
i after decades of paying
was able to collect payments after my diagnosis was made
i had a rider that required i be paid if i couldnt do my job
as a practicing family doctor

so
i look at the social security that i have paid into over the years
as premiums
since my income was over the upper limits of the income taxable
my premiums were more than say someone who was
a dishwasher or cook

the amount i am paid is based on the premiums that i paid in
which was based on my income

i believe they need to increase the premiums on those who make
over the upper limit of $127,200 the upper limit in 2017
since above that the premiums dont increase

several years ago they tried to privatize social security
as i have written before
when you see the word privatize
you are going to lose and someone is going to make a lot lot of money
off you

now enter reagans words
there you go again

now there is a movement to get rid of the social security premiums
we all pay now
so there would be no deductions from your pay check
we all get a rise of 6.25 or so %
be careful of what you wish for
nothing is free when it comes to politicians

so how will the premiums be paid
the plan is to take them out of the general fund

now
if you are a libertarian
if you are a republican
if you are a democrat
if you are an independent
if you have no label at all

you should be concerned about this potential proposal

the general fund
we know how well that works now
they cant even keep the government funded all the time
our social security premiums and benefits will be at the whelm
of whatever folks are in power

so be prepared
to harass the heck out of your congressperson

this is like having a good insurance policy
but
the insurance company is allowed to just cancel it out on you
at anytime

dont let them do it

the organicgreen doctor

a dirty word

A DIRTY WORD
there are these words
that when you see them spoken by
politicians
you had better run for cover
you
by you
i mean us the common folks

it doesnt matter
if you are democratic or republican or independent or whatever
if you are one of us common folks
you are about to lose

so this week i have been seeing one of these words
being bantered about
whenever i hear it or read it
i get this chill up and down my spine
i shiver and shake all over
i reach into my pocket
grab my billfold real tight
as
i know the attack is coming
the attack
on me
and
us the common folks
on our
billfolds

so the word i hearing is
its so hard for me to write this
ill do it backwards
makes me feel better

it is
ezitavirp


for the purpose of this bog today
lets just call it the p word
no
not that one

so i am hearing from the politicians
lets p word medicare and social security

ok you heard the p word
who is going to lose
yep
us common folks

who will win
when they p word medicare and social security
lets see
for medicare that would be
insurance companies absolutely drug companies
probably lawyers to cover all
the common folks medical bills bankruptcies

now
i pay close to $450 a month for my medicare a and b
my medicare supplement f
my cheaper medicare part d

so i have my medical bills well covered
my medicare deductibles are covered
my copays are covered
my immunizations are covered
my labs and xrays are covered
as long as i and my doctor follow the rules

plus i know if i have a non approved service
im stuck with that bill
eg
if i have the amyvid pet scan for the bad beta amyloid
its a non covered service
so out comes my checkbook to pay for it

otherwise
what i have covers my care
except for my drugs
since i am all on generic drugs
i chose a higher copay deductible drug plan
to protect me if i get put on a real costly drug
like
when i stuck that dang agave thorn in my eye
ate that deductible right up in one day
or
if when the new alzheimers drug comes out one day
i will be able to use my drug plan to help with
some of the costs then

if you p word medicare
that will change
deductibles
high ones
copays
uncovered services
denials denials for care
remember now some drug company some insurance company
has to make a big profit
yes a big profit
off
us the common folks

now to social security
we
the common folks
so many of us depend on social security to survive
many
of us common folks
depend on social security for most of our funds when we retire
some
of us common folks
thats all we have

so who will gain if they p word the social security
think about it
yep
you got it
bankers investment companies wall street
im sure lawyers since they always seem to win

oh
dont forget those politicians that can line their
coffers with those lobbying donations from those
folks above
they all do it both democrats and republicans

now
i have paid 50 years into social security
i would hate to think that money was controlled by those
folks who are all for
p wording social security

i can only compare it to the school teachers
well now they the teachers always seem to get screwed in the deals

many eg here in texas lose most of their social security
eg
my wife she would make more money when she retires
if she had never ever gone into teaching
from her social security
yes she has paid in her share so have i
normally if she hadnt worked
she would get half mine since its more than what she has paid
in herself
then when i die she would get all mine
now she gets very little of it

then
at the schools they have 403 b plans and 457 plans
supposedly so teachers can add to them to cover the
social security gap
now luckily for her we were in a financial position to
dump money into those to compensate for the loss
of her social security that she paid for and i paid
for with our social security taxes for 50 years

now the choices in these 403 b plans and 457 plans
some are real real bad choices
the ones that win on these are the same ones who
will win if they pword social security
now luckily for her i knew enough to weed through
and find ones that were ok
most dont do that or cant do it

i always get sick at my stomach when i go to the benefits
meetings and hear those pitches from those who sell those
products
well
it like listening to politicians when they sell the pword idea
for
social security and medicare
i get that same sick feeling in my stomach

why
when a politician stands up to announce
they want to p word medicare and social security
why
do they always smile

well
i think we all know why
right

my warning
whether you voted for hillary or donald or whomever
dont let them do it
since
you and i
thats the common folks
are
well
we are about to get screwed like the what has happened to the
teachers

dont let them do it please

the organicgreen doctor

beware privatization

BEWARE PRIVATIZATION

that word
privatization of social security
has been gingerly thrown around this year in the preelection campaigns
they have to be careful those politicians
dont make the gray hairs mad at you

whenever i hear the politicians use the word
privatization
two things come to mind
one
their friends ie their big donors are going to get richer
two
you the taxpayer are going to get screwed


george bush pushed this once but luckily it was defeated
but its out their brewing still

you know if it happens
i can just see bad things happening to our money
you and i and your kids and parents and grandparents

think mortgage debacle
think the financial crisis of the last part of the last decade
who won out in the end
yep the ones that screwed us
the banks and the financial folks
and
the politicians
and
yep you got it we all lost
just look at your paycheck

social security is the safety net that folks have when they
get old to get them out of absolute poverty
although try to live off just social security and see how far
you can make it

now congress has to do something
proposals such as

increasing the percentage from the 6.2% we
pay now
ok we all have to pay our share
no problem there

maybe increasing the max income taxed to a higher limit
say $200,000
no problem there
nay that aint going to happen those income levels have too much
influence

changing the cola
no not the brand you drink
the percentage increase the social security is changed each year
no problem there

taxing social security more
now im sorry i never really liked this proposal much
unless you raise the threshold for taxing it to an amount
way above the poverty threshold
this year since i was paid 4 years of social security for my
disability i will have to pay close to $8000 in taxes for it
all the social security checks went to my long term disability
company but i got the tax bill


eg warren buffet should be taxed on his social security
surely he doesnt accept his anyway
while my parents if they were alive today should not
be taxed since that was their main source of income

so something has to be done for social security to survive
without social security the elderly will be poverty stricken

i propose the above changes
then if they want to
privatize something else

eg make a mandatory 1% contribution to a long term ira product
like the federal employees are able to do
do not allow the government to touch that money
no paper shuffling tricks
at retirement the taxpayer can start drawing off the money
at an annuitized rate
seem fair to me

so privatization of social security
means to me
the same as always

the rich get richer the poor get poorer
and
nothing ever changes

the organicgreen doctor