(11AM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)
It’s over for me, not you, Senator Dick. I am sure your star will rise when you join one of the neoliberal think tanks or perhaps work for Peter Peterson. Surely you will be paid for your latest statement and the fact that you have shamed the old ladies in the United States for their selfish nature and crybaby attitude:
From Bloomberg.com
If we want to come up with something bipartisan to work on together, Social Security is a good candidate.
Not wars, not income disparity, not people out of work, unable to feed their children, keep a roof over their heads – not sending jobs anywhere but here. But SS, and older women will be most impacted by that and those that depend on them.
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Me, I’m looking around for new structures. Old ladies should band together, perhaps into loose communes, living together, gardening together for food, keeping each other strong physically and mentally. Also, I will be looking for underground medical personnel who believe in euthanasia rather than a slow, painful death for an old person without any social net. You will be fine, of course, Senator Dick. And – by the way – I know you don’t read these letters. They are actually for my mental health.
Little old ladies will be fine if we stick together. After all, there are children and grandchildren to help, animals and gardens to tend to. Although we will be considered a drain – I suppose that is inevitable as the country swirls into soft violence at first – then a full throttle fall from grace (God has shed his grace on us but we have turned it over to the monied elites.)
Firearms are problematic. There will be young children, adolescents in these communal homes. Children come first. We have to be healthy for them and the houses must be safe. Police will be cut and desperate people will be roaming about. Little old ladies are an easy target. It is a melancholy thought, I agree but we have many people depending on us. And we cannot depend on anyone but ourselves. We are resiliant, smart and tough and although our bodies are aging, we can be wily and nimble together. It may be we must have besides seamstresses, cooks, gardeners, knitters (bitter or not), retired military and policewomen. Also, we must learn how to hide our meager savings – and how to live frugally. Normally, that is not a problem for my generation but I hope to entice some Boomers into our living arrangements. They must be as scared as we are.
My first order of business is to put my older animals to sleep. It is the best gift I can give them now. I can’t afford vet bills and won’t send them to shelters to die. I have the money now and it must be done.
Second order – learn how to hide money for me and my companions and our children, many of whom will be unemployed or underemployed for the foreseeable future. They will depend on the little old ladies more than they know.
Third order – turn off the television. It’s viral, sucking the life out of us.
Fourth order – eat less. We all eat too much really. I think 2 meals a day should suffice. and eat properly – but children and working young people must have more food than we do. That is a given.
Fifth order – I have to get out of this climate – it’s too brutal. (I live in Chicago area) I don’t know where to move yet but it must be done.
I believe SS will be privatized. the president of the united states of sadness is probably making deals with someone like Ryan now. There’s not much we can do about it – as I said it’s over for us in the conventional, traditional sense. We can do for ourselves and each other only if we walk away from the government as much as we can. They are not interested in us – we must also give what wisdom and strength we have to younger women with children. That is a necessity – and should keep us going. Although the propaganda being pushed by ciphers like that slithering assemblage of slime Simpson that little old ladies are driving Lexus convertibles and sucking the life blood of children – we will in fact have to save them the way we have done all our lives. The way my grandparents did for me and my cousins.
Wars will continue – it’s madness but the usofs is in a state of madness now. We have to create our own space of sanity and peace. Defense spending will never be cut – we throw money around like chimps throw bannanas – and we are less and less respected in the world. Financially – the usofs is over – no matter that the tough guys will steal the little old ladies’ retirement funds.
The president is irrelevant to us. The congress is irrelevant to us. We must scheme now for ourselves and ours. Anyone have a brilliant niece who would join us and is a computer whiz. We will need her.
Okay – goodbye. I didn’t go to your website. I know you have made no sacrifices, nor will you. Some think tanks who study these matters say the usofs will have a soft fall around 2025 – others that it will be ten years or so and it won’t be “soft.” What a legacy, Senator Dick. Your mother must be proud of you.
and Dick, the day we turn our grandchildren and great grandchildren over to the likes of Peter Peterson, simpson and you – that ain’t gonna happen.
Nancy Altman has a good diary at Firedoglake : The End of Social Security. Go there, she spells out the basics.
Also I should have cited to that wonderful site TomDispatch.com and an article by Alfred McCoy: The Decline and Fall of the American Empire, 4 scenarios for the end of the American Century in 2025.
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but its people don’t have to.
I only went to the Cambodian Pagoda a few times, back in the early ’90’s when I had that job with refugees, but it was very interesting. I was fortunate to have a wonderful (Cambodian) co-worker who invited me and explained a few things to me. Hardly anyone there spoke English, not even the monks.
A few things were obvious to me right up front. Yani had told me that I, as an American, and her guest, was not expected to know or adhere to their traditions or whatever and that it was okay even if I didnt want to wear a dress, b/c after all, we’ll all be sitting on the floor. Well Im not that stupid, I wore a damn dress, a very flowy Pier One hippie-girl dress, lol. Removed my shoes at the door of course, and made sure not to sit cross legged but rather feet over to the side. She smiled approvingly at me.
The Pagoda here, back then, was not what you might visualize, it was kind of just an old house converted, but on a few acres of land. The Buddha was still huge though, heh.
While I sat there, mostly listening to all the chanting and some singing, and just being quiet and respectful, I was aware of various little sideline things going on. It was a long time ago, so Ive forgotten much, but I know that many many younger children just played outside, or wandered in and out. Several young men, ages 14 or so up to maybe 25 or even 30, were, dont know what its called, assistants. In my culture, they’d be called “Altar Boys”, lol. Some of them lived there and attended college.
There was a busy cluster of Little Old Ladies in the Kitchen.
(*Ive wanted to write about some of my experiences and impressions, and lessons, from that time, but just havent gotten around to it. Maybe when “Thadius & Friends” new blog appears, I will do that.)
Anyway, the Little Old Ladies cooked and cooked all day. The most immediate thing that hits you, after you remove your shoes and enter the space, is the overwhelming and luxurious combination of smells.. the jasmine rice, the nag champa incense, the garlic…
Yani explained to me later that their little community here (Houston) tended to continue the old ways of the old country, and that the Pagoda was the hub of everything. The monks are not permitted to lift a finger in labor but their needs are provided for by the community, offerings, but at the same time, the community (and the monks) cared for their elderly, their ‘orphans’, the education of the youngsters, and any ‘social service’ type needs of any member. There was no SS, CPS, MHMRA, AFDC, etc. No Old Folks Homes. There were no lengthy application forms or documents to prepare or submit. No one was left out in the cold, hungry or lonely.
All this comes at a very high price of course. But it’s food for thought nonetheless.
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are you preparing yourself for your new life?
I read this yesterday, just had no time and really, it’s very hard to respond to — your expressions are so well said — despair hurts!
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The total deficit that would be created over the next two years by this new bill would be $900 billion (to be added to the total deficit).
Here’s the facts on wage earners’ breaks!
What a crock? There is no benefit whatsoever for wage earners, it means the employers will pay 2% less — a break for them. But employees would still be liable on total income for tax purposes (if I’m not mistaken), plus by reducing SS by 2% for two years, they would not be gaining long run, since SS is based on an individual’s lifetime earnings!
The entire bill is a “poubelle!”
The bill, is being met with near ferocious vehemence against it — you can’t get through to any of the reps. And there are a sufficient number of Dems totally against it. Senator Sanders has taken a stand, as has Rep. Welch, who has a letter to the President, which is being signed onto by other Reps. A glint of light?
I was a little surprised, in a sense, to see that you mentioned the article by Alfred W. McCoy (Tomdispatch.com), as I had printed that same article out on Sunday, which I’ve perused (not read thoroughly) sufficiently enough to lean in agreement with the author!
Thanks you, Xanthe!
here is a link to a sequence of comments on this site about that very article yesterday.
It’s very frightening to contemplate that one or a combination of the four scenarios (the latter more likely) could actually occur, and much sooner than we might have imagined.