Be On the Lookout

 

"It is a scandal that the Trump Administration is now allowing ICE
to set up drop boxes at 7-11s throughout the country!"


 

"Uh oh."

The Impending Disaster

     

    I’ve been on a bit of an anti-Trump jog the past few weeks.  

    While my feelings about the Orange Conman haven’t changed,           

"But, you'll get $5,000."

I decided to give it a rest this week.

    It was getting depressing, especially since I’m a Conservative.

    Don't worry, the Republicans don't have the market cornered on batshit crazy.  

    

"The Electoral College is a scam which awards advanced degrees to white people."

    This week, I decided to talk about the coming train wreck, 

"You'll never pin that train wreck on me.  We haven't laid a mile of new track."

Social Security.  Too many people opine on social media, both for and against, what was originally conceived of as a helping hand during the Great Depression. 

    Rather than limit myself to quick snippets on Threads or Twitter,

"X!"

I thought I’d give my opinion here on Blogger.  Where it’s sure to be seen by a couple.  And ignored by millions.

    Anyway...

    Social Security was established on August 14, 1935 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  A way of responding to significant economic hardships wrought by the Great Depression, the initial benefits were retirement payments to workers, unemployment insurance, and aid to dependent children, the blind, and maternal/child welfare.

    Retirement benefits started at 65 years old.  Workers paid into Social Security.  Remember this.  It will be important later.

"Well, that should cover it.  But, hey, if it doesn't?  We'll all be dead anyway."

    Payroll taxes to support this effort started in January, 1937 with the first monthly check issued in January, 1940, to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, for $22.54.

"Cheap bastards."

     The monthly benefits increased to include even more recipients.  I got tired of researching who exactly, so I’ll leave that up to you.  I can't do all the work.

     Okay, this is where I do a little cipherin’ with figgers.

"Do y'all have a sixth grade education, though?"

      I realize that the implosion is inevitable (some say sometime during the 2030s?).  Inevitable, that is, unless something is done.       

    Sadly, I don’t think the incompetent boobs in in Congress (on both sides of the aisle) have the spine to do anything about it, though.  That can will continue to be kicked down the road.

    I hope I’m wrong.

Can't put my finger on why I'm pessimistic, though.

    Life expectancy for American men in 1940:  61.4

    Life expectancy for American men in 2025:  75.8 to 76.4 (I don’t why a specific number is given, either.  Go with it).

    Okay, here are the important numbers:

    Labor Force in 1940:  53 million (it shot up to 75 million in 1945)

"Gee, thanks, World War II!"

    Labor Force in 2025:    163.5 million

    Okay, more important numbers:

    Social Security Recipients in 1940:  222,000

    Social Security Recipients in 2025:  71.5 million

    Finally, the vital numbers:

    Percentage of the labor force supporting Social Security in 1940:  .41%

    Percentage of the labor force supporting Social Security in 2025:  43.7%

    And that right there cannot be sustained without effective reform.  Especially since retirees can start collecting at 62.

    Full Disclosure:  I started collecting at 62.  My reasoning was that Social Security may no longer be around by the time I turned 67.  More importantly, there was no guarantee I’d still be around.

    I’m now 68.  So, I lost that bet.  This is a good thing.  I’d also like to never need Life Insurance, either.

But I will.

    What can be done?  Reduce the benefits paid out.  Yeah, you’d have a better chance of seeing Jesus at a nudie bar.

"So, whaddya think?"
"Forget it."

Or, raise the age at which benefits can be accessed.  Possibly.  Or, how ‘bout this, eliminate those who don’t rate Social Security?  Yeah, sign me up for that.

    At any rate, grandfathering any changes needs to be implemented.  While that sounds self-serving (perhaps it is), it at least holds out the possibility of real change.

    I’m sorry, someone still needs to pull the wagon.  Because, the way we’re going, eventually, that wagon will be full and people will wonder who’s gonna start pulling.

Exactly

    Finally (thank God, right?), to those who say that Social Security is Socialism...yeah, horseshit on that.  I’ve been paying into it since 1975.  And, to those who complain that Boomers are sucking off the teat of workers unfairly...?   I repeat, I’ve been paying into Social Security since 1975.

    In fact, I’m still paying taxes on my Social Security.

    That doesn’t make sense, but...     

then again...

Bread and Circuses

 

"Some people in fake news are accusing me of bribery when it comes to giving away $5,000 to everyone if the Republicans maintain control of the Senate and House.  Some even go so far as to call me a hypocritical Socialist.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Pinky swear.  No, I'm just admiring the concept of 'Bread and Circuses,' a system of government first pioneered by the Romans, rulers of the most tremendous empire in history.  Nothing could compare.  Even the Mongols, quite frankly.  Especially since they were from Chyna.  It's a shame the Romans were betrayed by their people in the media with their lying stone tablets and lost their beautiful empire.  Sad, really.  Although, I can guarantee that if I was born 1,600 years ago, there would have been no Goth invasion." 

Twenty-Five Years Later

 

Never Forget

Some have

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse

 

"Hey, Adams.  Did you authorize that picture on our passports?"
"Who?  Me? You're kidding right?"
"Then it must have been Jefferson."
"Excuse me, Mr. President.  Orange isn't my favorite color."
"Then...who?  Yes, Adams?"
"What's a passport?"

along comes this.  In a fit of adolescent butthurtery (not a real word) Lake "Ontario" is changed to Lake "America."

    Let's ignore the fact that legions of beleaguered schoolchildren will no longer be able to rely on the mnemonic "HOMES" to remember "Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior."

To say nothing of the fact that "...and further below, Lake America takes in what Lake Erie can send her..." sounds dumb AF.

    This is just the latest example of Trump getting all full of himself and slapping a geographical "Kick Me" sign on Canada's prime Minister.

"Hey, I could have renamed Michigan to Lake Michelle.  Now that would have been funny."

    I predict that most people will ignore this nonsense and, once The Donald is gone, things will return to normal.

Like an earlier fit of juvenile pique.

    Reminds me of a story (what doesn't?)....when I was a crewmember aboard USS George Washington, we had made several voyages to the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia.  You, and normal people, know it as the Persian Gulf.

    But, we were forbidden to refer to it as such.  Instead, we were ordered to call it the "Arabian" Gulf. 

You'd be hard pressed to find a chart that says it, but they do exist.

    Why?  Well, the Saudis call it the "Arabian" Gulf as an FU to Iran (schoolyard shenanigans not being confined to Washington, after all).  And, since we were friends with Saudi Arabia

Officially

we had to do the same.

    I refused to call it that.  To me, history is history.  If something is called Lucifer Valley, I'm going to continue to call it Lucifer Valley

"Much appreciated."

no matter what the politically correct mandate.

    Of course, there will be those who insist that Lake Ontario was once called Lake America a long, long time ago.  Yeah, okay, so?  Iran was once called "Persia," too.  After it was originally called "Iran."  Try to convince me this is nothing more than a sophomoric poke in the eye to Canada.

Who, frankly, have enough problems.

    Then again, these are probably the same people who will clamor for a pocket full of these: 

     It is just silly.

This Is Funny

     I don't care who you are.

    Most of the time, Threads and Twitter (X, whatever) are vile cesspools of unhinged hate.  Blue Sky?  Geez-a-Lou, I can only imagine.  This comes from both sides, mind you.  It makes me sad that we can't get along.  Although, to be honest, I have occasionally slipped into name-calling, but I try to avoid it.  In fact, I've reached common cause with some people and have even apologized for statements I've made.  I may not agree with them, but there's no use being an A-Hole.

"I think he means you."

    Don't get cocky.

    But, sometimes, just sometimes, a little bit of humor shines through the darkness.  And, even though I may not necessarily agree with the poster, I will tip my hat to them.  Comedy is comedy, after all.

      I just hope we can continue to laugh at each other.

Socialism

Uh oh

     If this looks vaguely familiar to those who've been with me for a while, it should.  The basic gist of this post was...uh...posted (my 'synonym' bank account is low) last year at Penwasser Place.  While I usually dislike posting reposts, 

I felt it was important to return to the well.  And, bonus for those who just joined?  This is new material.

    Socialism, especially with the younger people, seems to be increasingly in vogue lately.  When I first expressed my opinions, it was viewed as superior to capitalism (i.e., the popularity of Zohran Mamdani).  Capitalism isn't perfect, but it beats the snot of any alternative.

    Socialism still is viewed favorably by stupid people.  

"See this 'Z'?  Gonna cost ya."

    Now, with the successful nomination of Abdul el-Sayed for Michigan senator and that lunatic, Angie Nixon, for Florida senator,

"And here you thought Minnesota had all the crazy people.  Tampon?"

Socialism is becoming all the rage.  Sure, it appears that this is limited largely to the Democrats since Republicans are generally immune to batshit craziness,

Not completely, though

but it will be a factor in the Mid-Terms this November.

    How much of this is related to "Orange Man Bad"?  Unsure, but Cheeto doesn't do himself any good every time he opens his mouth.

    They cloak themselves in the mantle of "Democratic Socialist," so as not to appear too extreme.  But, have a look at the DSA platform.  You'll see that these moonbats will be the death of our country if given the keys to the government.  Tragically, impressionable young skulls full of mush are prone to being seduced by the dark side.

"I find your use of the term 'dark side' most disturbing.  You'll be hearing from my attorneys."

    Anyway, since I didn't want to go off half-cocked (that sounds dirty), I looked up the definition of "Socialism" in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  Then, just for fun, I looked up "communism."

    Socialism:

1.  Any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production or goods.

2.  A system of society or group living in which there is no private property.

3.  A system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.

  Communism:

1.  A system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.

2.  A theory advocating elimination of private property.

  To me, the two look very similar.  In fact, our good friends at Merriam-Webster state that "communism" is an advanced form of "socialism."

   As a theory, socialism is an outstanding way to go.  In fact, it would be utopia.  As children growing up, we lived in a socialist unit.  Everyone sharing with each other all that they had and taking care of the very least of us.

    Can't won't argue the basic fairness of that.

    The only problem is that socialism is not restricted to a laboratory.  Its utopian ideals will be soured by human beings.  Some, certainly not most, human beings are notoriously self-serving.  They will reason that working for others is for suckers.  Why put forth the effort if they're just going to have their every need met?

"Those who will not work shall not eat."
"Up yours!"
""Well, that seems rude."

    Then, the more hard-working people see lazy slack-asses getting something for nothing, the more they will wonder: why in the world should I keep on working? 

    After all, Uncle Sugar will provide them what they "deserve."

    There's a saying which is several decades old, but it's just as relevant today.  According to Margaret Thatcher, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

"I also said dental care is overrated.  I said what I said."

    Are there people who need a hand-up?  Unquestionably.  Are they also others who will just sit on their asses, waiting for the next government check?  Absolutely.

    These are the people who laud the Democratic Socialists of America as the saviors of America.

Related:  If you're interested in the above, you may want to (if you haven't already) read my post on the Red-Green Alliance.