Social Security Promises Made by Obama

I rely on Social Security Disability Insurance just to survive. I paid a large portion of my earnings into the system all through my life. I served 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard with an honorable discharge, I've worked in the healthcare system, and my last job before becoming disabled was working as an Emergency Medical Technician for the local 911 system. I've done my share of volunteer and pro-bono work. I've spent most of my life trying to help others.

There are many people who take advantage of the Social Security system. Some take advantage because it is easier than working. Some take advantage simply because they can. But there are far more people who depend on it for their day to day survival. Barak Obama made some significant promises related to Social Security, which he now seems poised to renege on. I understand politics. It sometimes becomes necessary to make concessions. But this issue is too big and the probable ramifications are being ignored. So here are my suggestions, based on my own first hand experiences.

1. Drastically cut the administrative costs of running the system. The bureaucracy is insane and often contributes negatively to the well being of the people they are supposed to be serving.

2. Do more to be proactive about getting disabled workers back to work instead of being an impediment to any attempts. Hire the disabled to work the front windows at the SSA. The people I have encountered are often rude, ignorant about their own job, and have no ability to actually do anything. Any deaf or blind person could do an equally good job, if not better.

3. Stop focusing on AGE as a qualifying factor. Some people, like myself, will probably never be able to work for wages again. I am only 50 years old. Other people, by choice and good fortune, will choose to work their entire lives without retiring. Social Security, whether needed by the disabled like myself, or by the retired like my mother, should be a "need based" benefit. In my mind, those who are wealthy or were fortunate enough to stack pension plans have no need for Social Security retirement benefits and should not receive them.

4. Revisit the COLA (cost of living allowance) and the reasons they were put in place. I haven't received an increase in years because there was "no inflation." The funny thing is, the price for everything has been going up steeply all this time. Now they tell me that any COLA increase coming for 2012 will probably be eaten up by increased Medicare premiums. How does this help people on fixed incomes live a worthwhile life? I'm already making decisions about my healthcare based on what medications and treatments I can afford.

5. I think the pay, perks, and benefits received by politicians is an outrage. Reform in that area will most likely never happen in my lifetime. But here is one place they could start. Put all federal employees, from soldiers to statesmen, on Medicare. Do away with concierge healthcare and on-site medical staff for the "privileged." If We the People have to sit for hours in overcrowded Emergency Rooms, then so should everyone that works for the government that created this situation.

6. Stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of the unfortunate and needy! Cut useless bureaucracy wherever it is found. Equalize social programs and provide them to U.S. Citizens and withhold them from illegal aliens. Cut back significantly on military and intelligence gathering costs and expenditures. Cut back on foreign aid. Put an end to special interests and lobbyists, and make behind the door agreements against the law. Then enforce the law and penalize those who break it.

Opt Out of Statism

Why Do Rich People Hoard Their Money?

SETI only needs $5 million - otherwise it will shut down for lack of funding. With all the multi-millionaires and billionaires out there, none of them were willing to step up and fund this? I don't understand why rich people seem to hoard and protect their fortunes in these "modern" days. There are people so rich, they will never ever be able to spend it in their life times. Yet still, they hoard.

Budget Cuts Shutdown SETI's Alien-Seeking Telescopes : The Two-Way : NPR

GeoHot gives leftover legal funds to EFF, mocks Sony | Crave - CNET

I find it interesting that someone deemed a "hacker" with all the negative connotations used by much of our society - also happens to be a rare person of character and style. Not only did he stand up to Sony mega-corp, but he donates the remainder of his funds to the EFF, a non-profit organization I just happen to support.

I've never met GeoHot, but I tip my hat to him all the same.

GeoHot gives leftover legal funds to EFF, mocks Sony | Crave - CNET

How Did Social Media Become Our New Religion?

I have found myself buried in the digital world. I have accounts on most of the currently popular "social media" websites, and many others with more narrow focuses. I use news readers, always-on email, and a fast internet connection. I get tons of interesting, yet ultimately useless information coming at me from all sides. I waste far too much time trying to keep up with it all!

There is a positive side. I've gotten back in touch with long lost friends going back over 35 years. I'm in much better contact with friends and family than I used to be. I've gained access to a world of information at my fingertips. I'm more knowledgeable and better informed than I have ever been. It is quite addicting.

So I decided I need to take a closer look at my social networking and start pruning. Has anyone noticed how their logos are everywhere you look now? It seems that every advertisement, marketing piece, video clip - has at least one of their logos included somewhere? It used to be website URLs - but now they want more. I'm not going to go into specific details about which ones I left and which ones I kept. I think that is an individual decision a person needs to make on their own without interference. The point I want to make is that we all need to pay more attention to what we are paying attention to.

The first thing I realized was that they all make it extremely easy to sign up for their services. But when is the last time anyone talked about how difficult they make it to leave once they have you? OMG! Not only did it take much longer, but I've had to confirm, verify, and justify why I wanted to leave. I've been hounded by email asking me to stay or come back. I should be able to click one button, get a confirmation message, click okay, and be done with it.

Do you know what it feels like? Not that I have any direct experience, but it feels like I have joined some kind of cult, and now that I'm no longer willing to blindly support the cult, they are making it extremely difficult for me to leave. They simply don't want me to make that choice.

I chose to leave some of my social networking behind. They made it difficult. I still don't know the effect of "linked" accounts when a link no longer exists. At least in the old days you could simply stop visiting a website if it no longer interested you. Do you want to leave a "network"? It isn't as simple as deleting a bookmark or clicking "unsubscribe" - now you have to answer to someone.

So a friendly warning to anyone who reads this. If you are interested in social networking and have not yet gotten involved, then I warn you to use extreme caution and be very selective. If you are already embedded with social media, then my warning to you is to open your eyes and make your own decisions! It is not necessary, nor is it possible, to keep up with every social networking group, company, website, (or whatever wrapper they wish to use) that you might find interesting. If you are doing it for the purpose of marketing, you are wasting even more of your time and resources.

I'm breaking the bonds!


Image courtesy of Matt Hamm.

If Cats and Dolphins Can Get Along, Why Can't Humans Get Along With Each Other?

A cat and a dolphin are about as far apart as two mammals can be. Yet this great video shows that they can get along with each other. Why is it that we humans can't do the same with each other?


YouTube - Cat and Dolphins playing together: ""

When Doomsday Arrives, Survive in Style - If You Can

When the Aliens Touch Down, Make for This Missile Base

This great article from Wired.com talks about a guy who bought a decommissioned missile silo and is converting it into a doomsday bunker for rich people. But two things occur to me that weren't addressed in the article.

(1) How will they control who does or doesn't "belong" there? Will there be an automated entry system, armed security? A secret password? It isn't likely that people who paid for their spot are going to calmly show up and wait in line, while those who didn't pay are going to shrug at the missed opportunity and go somewhere else.

(2) Little pig! Little pig! Let me in!
Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!
Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and...

Or to turn the perspective around, if rich people do figure out a way to keep the rest of us out, what is to keep us from locking them IN? I've been inside secure military underground bunkers. They all have small doors and low profiles. Block that little door, and perhaps a few ventilation access points - and anyone who is inside will never be able to get themselves out again. If you wanted to be really thorough and there is time, a couple truckloads of concrete would provide a permanent solution. Heck, we could build a shrine or make a time capsule for future archaeologists.

"Before I Die ..." in Journal - RedBubble - RedBubble.com

Before I die I want to.... see the day extraterrestrials expose the truth!


"Before I Die ..." in Journal - RedBubble - RedBubble.com

Changes Are Coming to How We Socially Network

Something has been bothering me about the direction of Social Networking, and I haven't been successful at identifying or verbalizing exactly what that "something" is. Today I read this post on the Electronic Frontier Foundation blog (www.eff.org) written by Richard Esguerra. His article literally opened my eyes and very succinctly explains what is wrong with Social Networking, and the direction that he thinks we are headed. There's hope!

An Introduction to the Federated Social Network | Electronic Frontier Foundation