A Tale of two druggies..

This from my good friend 1LT Cappy Robertson, some perspective on the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong:

"I  think it is just terrible and disgusting how everyone has 
treated Lance Armstrong, especially after what he achieved, winning 
seven Tour de France races while on drugs. 
 
When  I was on drugs, I couldn't even find my bike." 
 
-Willie Nelson

To which I remarked:

"..at last, some humor on this subject. One wearies of those 
self-righteous, smug types with their sphincters puckered down to 
f/16 at the mention of drugs and the tour. As a former USCF Cat 
III racer, I gotta tell you that even at THAT amateur level, 
folks were doing P. E. drugs and stuff just to win primes such as 
$4 tires and $2 water bottles. 
 
Don't condone what Armstrong did and cannot tolerate his 
prevarication, but what really chafes is that his final downfall 
was brought on by a U. S. governmental agency adjudicating one's 
involvement in a foreign activity. Talk about governmental, 
nanny-state over-reach. 

Solution: turn professional bicycle racing into a free-market 
affair. Essentially allow 163 little chemistry experiments loose 
on the roads and hills of France for the month of July. Whatever 
those bastages can cram into their veins is fair game. 

When a couple of these guys vapor lock on the last kilometer of 
L'Alpe d'Huez or take down the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées 
then the participants will rethink altering their own body 
chemistry for a yellow shirt. 

..and the U. S. Gummint can stay the f**k out of it. 
 
Thanks, 
 
WP, '64

I mean, really.

-30-

Afterburner == Blowtorch

Bill Whittle is a very calm, logical person. He editorializes over on Pajamas Media (you Google it) and publishes a regular editorial he calls "Afterburner". It is delivered in a very calm, logical style that strips hypocrisy and faithlessness to the bone. The subject of his editorials -- more appropriately, the objects thereof -- are left bleeding and broken in their wake.

I enjoy these pieces because, as you can see from my previous  post, I like goo and gore..

(..NOT! Things just lined up that way.)

Anyway, here is Mr Whittle on the subject of the "Trayvon is a little angel" mantra that the left and the media ("What's the difference?) were laying down.

..someone call an ambulance.

-30-

"What difference does it make?"

Well, old Helen Thomas has started her dirt nap and I cannot say that I am the least bit sad. In fact, I am not anywhere as close to being as despondent as I was when Ted "The Chappaquiddick Breast Stroker" Kennedy began pushing up daisies. And, I can assure you, ladies and gents, there was not a wet eye in the War Planner manse.

War Planner overcome by grief at the news of Ted Kennedy's passing.

So instead of seeing pictures of old Helen wafting around the internet like the one below:

..we'll have to get a pick and a spade, trudge out to Forest Lawn or somewheres, bust a sweat and see something like this:

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure which image is more startling. Either way, I am just wonderfully happy that the old bag has cashed it in and -- as a result of her hateful, ugly feelings bubbling to the surface causing her to dwell in ignominy in last years -- pleased as punch she's not around anymore.

Oh, and if your some lib wandering by here and want to make a comment on what an evil person I seem to be, this is for you:

-30-

All[ah] is well..

An Emergency Call Centre worker in London has been dismissed from her job, much to the dismay of colleagues who are reportedly unhappy with her treatment. It seems a male caller dialed 911 from a mobile phone, stating,"I am depressed and lying here on a railway track. I am waiting for the train to come so I can finally meet Allah."

Apparently "remain calm and stay on the line" was not considered to be an appropriate or correct response.

-30-

Surprise, surprise!

"Surprise, surprise!"

A recent incident in my daily activities reminded me of the old 60s staple, the Arlo Guthrie ballad of Alice's Restaurant. In researching this, I made an incredible discovery: Arlo Guthrie deserted the ranks of the Democrat party and became a registered Republican! In fact, he endorsed Ron Paul in the last presidential

Politics
In earlier years, at least from the 1960s to the 1980s, Guthrie had taken a decidedly leftist approach to American politics. In his often lengthy comments during concerts his expressed positions were consistently anti-war, anti-Nixon, pro-drugs and in favor of making nuclear power illegal. However, he apparently regarded himself as more an individualist than the major youth culture spokesperson he had been regarded as by the media, as evidenced by the lyrics in his 1979 song "Prologue": "I can remember all of your smiles during the demonstrations, ... and together we sang our victory songs though we were worlds apart."

In 1984, he was the featured celebrity in George McGovern's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Guthrie's home state of Massachusetts, performing at rallies and receptions.

More recently he became a registered Republican; Guthrie endorsed Texas Congressman Ron Paul for the 2008 Republican Party nomination. He said, "I love this guy. Dr. Paul is the only candidate I know of who would have signed the Constitution of the United States had he been there. I'm with him, because he seems to be the only candidate who actually believes it has as much relevance today as it did a couple of hundred years ago. I look forward to the day when we can work out the differences we have with the same revolutionary vision and enthusiasm that is our American legacy."[13] He told The New York Times Magazine that he is a Republican because, "We had enough good Democrats. We needed a few more good Republicans. We needed a loyal opposition."

About once a month, Guthrie posts short writings to the Announcements area of www.arlo.net, often sounding libertarian themes. However, on February 1, 2011, his post was to promote the cause of the public employee unions being opposed by Wisconsin Republicans, and to favor the cause of labor unions in general. Previously Guthrie had made comments in public disparaging musicians' unions and stating that he had refused to join one.

..well, on that last paragraph, you can't win 'em all, I suppose. But the way Mr Guthrie is going, I fear that his politics and mine will merge sooner than most Democraps what with Marco Rubio going all weak-kneed and joining that drooler John McCain and Limp-dick Lindsay and John Boner and the rest of the spineless GOP currently selling out conservative principles to the highest bidder in D. C. -- the dirty, rotten bastages.

By the way, here are a couple of riffs from some comedians who have passed into the great beyond that you might find interesting. The common theme, of course, is pointing out what a Charley Foxtrot good ol' liberal causes really are:

And another more timely, but no less piquant:

And, for those wanting to re-live their drug-fogged 60s, here is Arlo's Thanksgiving tour de force for the sake of old times:

And, finally, one final taste of those wonderful forgotten years:

(Sure brings back memories, don't it Odie?)

-30-

What's in store..

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There a re six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs

She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

-30-

The Jooooooooooooz..

It's all their fault!

Here is a wonderful preview video of the roots of the IAF:

..when this vid hits the public, I'm there. These folks are good people and they got huge stones. Can you imagine us holding off the combined aggressor forces of the Chi-Coms, USSR, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Saddam Hussein, Iran, the Ottoman empire, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots (whom I despise) with our current military? That's about what it was like for these guys in 1948.

Not only that, but the four pilots that volunteered had to evade OUR OWN FBI and a blockade to get to Israel. AND they ended up flying war surplus German Messerschmidts in old Luftwaffe flying togs. What immense irony.

And they still kicked the crap out of all of those camel-turd-sucking towel heads.

When I grow up, that's the team I want to play for.

-30-

Return engagement..

Lain fallow for a time as my life has become a living nightmare. I am, nonetheless, celebrating the fact that I don't have to carry a 9 mm. I mean that tutu you have to wear when you do is all scratchy in the crotch 'n stuff.

 

..and then there's this:

-30-

Rick again..

My friend the cop, Rick, sent me this one with the query, "Anyone have a vacation pic that can top this one?"

(..actually, I've often wondered.)

-72-

Greenhouse Effect..

..just sayin'.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, in related news from Mary Katherine Ham over on Hot Air:

-30-

End of perp..

Shooting took place in March. Middlefield, OH. Female MOS lost left index finger (had a month on that Dept). Male MOS slight injuries to thigh (back on the job). Perp fired 37 rounds from AK. DOA. Guy pulled over for running Stop sign. Had another 8 mags for AK with 40 rounds each, books, DVD's on improvised explosives, etc. No criminal record.

(Thanks, Rick.)

I escaped..do NOT pay the ransom..

O.K., Odie, before you get all hot and bothered, remember it's NOT Friday, it's NOT 1955, and it's NOT a Vargas. But the picture of the babe above is certainly interesting, innit? I mean, right down to the old-fashioned shirred bathing suit with the bullet bra top.

So anyway, this picture of the hot number in the service bay of a gas station is making the rounds with the advisory that this is a shot of NANCY PELOSI in her yute. (That's youth for those who have not seen My Cousin Vinnie.) And I guess that leaves a lot of us semi-older guys with decidedly mixed feelings.

However, a little research reveals that this is a fake. Well, if you believe Snopes and the other sources, maybe it's not so then you can turn the lust dial back up to "11". Or?

In any event, thanks to Rick D. for the moment of distraction. Now back to work.

Miss Lube Rack, indeed!

-72-

Now this takes real BALLS!

Courtesy of Lieutenant Rick:

-72-

File this under "Shorts in a knot.."

Over on my hyper-geek blog, Right Hand of Zod, I posted this about some clown who has taken my money and basically started playing dead. It is chock full of amateur radio, but maybe of modest enjoyment for some. I thought I'd make my point to a somewhat larger audience..

I would love to review the Idiom Press SCAF-1 but...
..I placed an order a little over two weeks ago and have not received it nor have I heard a peep out of this guy. Moreover, three e-mails and a phone call have gone unreturned. All I am looking for, fer crissakes, is some acknowledgement that the tool has received my money and will be shipping the kit -- whenever.

I mean, Midway, U.S.A. back ordered my turret-press reloader but at least have the courtesy to inform me of the status, etc.

The Idiom Press K-3 keyer is the best around but I don't remember there being any such delay with that. Oh yeah, that's because I bought it off-the-shelf at Ham Radio Outlet in Orange County, California.

You'd do well to heed this and read the eHam Net reviews on this product, particularly ones like this:

 
Caveat emptor, as they like to say.

UPDATE: Still nothing on this front. However, I put up a "me too" review on eHam.net echoing that K3JLS's experiences were my own. Basically one month after K3JLS came up dry, I was too.

I went over to eHam.net today (04-17-2013) and found that both our reviews had been scrubbed. Another review was leading the list by some guy who bought the kit several years ago and experienced a delay in receiving his order but got an e-mail saying that he was dgetting the built product for the kit price.

With respect to eHam.net pulling K3JLS's and my reviews and, at the risk of sounding like I do not have a life, I cry BULLSHIT! Firstly, the eHam review editor may be on firm ground in redacting our reviews because, technically, neither of us had the product delivered and -- by some tortured logic -- relating our experiences to POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS of Idiom Press might be misleading.

Whatevs.

But, were I a potential customer (who else reads reviews?), I would want to know if there was problems with the supply and availability of a product. Since -- at latest inspection -- there are no caveats on the Idiom Press site about delays or "we're running behind" then the guy is setting up customers for a big disappointment and certainly not creating any good will.

All this said, I want to be clear on one point: I am not one of those piss-and-moan types who gets mad and demands legal recourse because a kit maker has my precious $80-100. Some time ago, Steve, K1EL, was producing a follow-on edition to his K-40 CW keyboard device -- the K-42 -- and my order was not filled for a longish time. I e-mailed Steve and he said he was running behind because he had been in a terrible car crash and was recovering but I could have my money back if I wanted.

I would hear nothing of the sort! I told him not to sweat the small stuff, get better, and when the K-42 was ready to ship, it was ready to ship. PERIOD. I even offered to help him test/debug some of the firmware and/or a prototype device. Point here was that the man was honest and responsive and was in a real bind. Having the unit on the market was far more important to me that having my grubby loot returned. It is even the case with Idiom Press. I am looking forward -- someday -- to receiving and building the kit.

And, as for Idiom Press, I have spoken with the gentleman before several years ago when I was contemplating the purchase of a new version of his K-3 keyer. He was pleasant and accommodating and, I believe, he is still so.

It's just that we -- K3JLS and I -- would appreciate hearing something -- anything -- about our orders.

As for eHam.net, well, I am buying a built SCAF-1 from my good bud, Dick, WB6JDH. (He has two of everything.) After I get it, I will post a review of it on Eham.net and relate that the reason I bought a unit was because I got bupkis out of Idiom Press.

Let's see if that review sticks. 

-72-

Out of town..

..for CAP's Region Staff College held at Nellis AFB near Las Vegas. It was a week of interesting programs, tours of the Red Flag facility (with concomitant demos and briefing), and, of course, a tour of the Thunderbirds home there.
 

While an exhilarating display of one of the USAF's finer installations and the service's capabilities, some of the lectures nonetheless were "Death by Powerpoint" as narrated below.

-30-

Not the last dime, however..

From Rick, this delicious morsel:

-30-

The Last Nickel

A father walks into a restaurant with his young son. He gives the young boy 3 nickels to play with to keep him occupied.

Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face. The father realizes the boy has swallowed the nickels and starts slapping him on the back. The boy coughs up 2 of the nickels, but keeps choking. Looking at his son, the father is panicking, shouting for help.

A well-dressed, attractive, and serious looking woman in a blue business suit is sitting at the coffee bar reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her coffee cup down, neatly folds the newspaper and places it on it on the counter, gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurried, across the restaurant.

Reaching the boy, the woman carefully drops his pants; takes hold of the boy's testicles and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly. After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and coughs up the last nickel, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand.

Releasing the boy's testicles, the woman hands the nickel to the father and walks back to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word.

As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no ill effects, the father rushes over to the woman and starts thanking her saying, "I've never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic. Are you a doctor? "

"No," the woman replied, "I'm with the Internal Revenue Service."

(Hat tip to my X. O.)

-30-

Road Trip!

The USAF has seen fit to detail me to Nellis AFB for a week for the Pacific Region Staff College. Gots to drive and -- most importantly -- I will be without the company of the beloved Mrs War Planner. I shall miss her Saturday Night Chicken and her company. So, this melody comes incessantly to my fevered mind. Particularly the last lines:

Well my rig's a little old,
But that don't mean she's slow.
There's a flame from her stack,
And the smoke's rolling black as coal.
My hometown's coming in sight,
If you think I'm happy your right.
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight.

Enjoy.

-30-

Good money after bad II?

"Well! Isn't that special!"

Yes. Here is a response to a solicitation from Huge Hew-Witless's insipid show. (My apologies to Christians and Catholics, but I find his incessant shows on this topic stultifying and boring. But, then that's repetitively redundant, innit?)

Dear "Hughniverse Team":

HahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahaha......HahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahaha....HahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahaha....HahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahahaHahahaha..

..relationship? RELATIONSHIP? It was the same as a relationship between a hooker and a client. I paid you money and I got..

Tell you what:

(0) Stop with the absolutely OPPRESSIVE commercial load on the show (and on your station in general). More spots than on Lady Macbeth's hands. It's like a litter of Dalmatians.

(1) Stop with all the All-Catholic/all-Religion All The Time. Even as a Christian, I find this off-putting and boring. So there's a new pontiff? When he quits/croaks there will be YET ANOTHER new pontiff. What's the big deal? It's been working like that for over 2,003 years.

(2) Stop patronizing people. Stop soliciting for drone GOP campaign funds when the GOP raised two billion and blew it out it's ass in attempting to un-elect the WORST POTUS in history and an egregious, grasping, commie congress.

(3) Tell John Campbell that his job is AS AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE OF CONGRESS and NOT a talk show host. He needs to work for his constituents NOT Hugh Hewitt.

(4) Stop with the tedious, lame, and un-hip OSU/Cleveland pro teams sports stuff. Who cares? That's Ohio and the Midwest, fer crissakes.

(5) Stop with the beyond-tedious USC bashing. (This from a 1968 UCLA grad).

(6) MOST IMPORTANT: stop with the gratuitous Generalissimo bashing. That guy is the best thing that show's got.

..better yet: fire Hewitt and hire Duane. He is 1,000% sharper when it comes to politics, 2,000% funnier, and 3,000% more listenable. See if you can get Duane and Ed Morrissey to do the show.

In the mean time, if you want me, I'll be over at 790 KHz listening to your competition.

[The War Planner]
Fountain Valley, California

---- Hughniverse wrote:

Come Back To Hughniverse

Hello ,
Don't want to miss out on another minute of the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show? Then read
below...
We noticed that your Hughniverse subscription expired and has not been renewed.
We sincerely value your membership and would love to have you back. Remember, a
subscription to Hugh Hewitt's premium site gives you access to exclusive features
including:
- Daily, commercial-free podcasts of the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show
- An archive of the show
- Audio of Hugh's greatest hits and special interviews
- Duane's World and Duane FM
- Members-only blogs
- Chat live with Duane and other Hughniverse members
- Hughnivision: A live video stream of the Hugh Hewitt Show
- Plus more...
Renew your Hughniverse membership today! If you would like to renew your subscription and stay in the loop of all things
Hugh Hewitt, please go to here.Your username is: warplanner Have any questions? Feel free to email us here.
If you already have a current/active membership to Hughniverse, we apologize for
this email and you may ignore it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Regards,

The Hughniverse Team
http://www.hughniverse.com.

Maybe Huge-wit could liven up his show by having a Barbed wire steel cage match slap fest with Pat Caddell.

..this confirms it, I am becoming a bitter old man!

Screw it! We want Duane! We want Duane! We want Duane!

-30-

Good money after bad?

I am, more and more, receiving solicitations from Rinse Pree-bus and the crowd as to why we should NOW rally 'round the flag and throw more of our hard-earned green into the pot. This is particularly galling since it was revealed that Mr Cheese-head BETA TESTED their vaunted GOTV software on election night and it failed ~~ as did they.

Consequently, there solicitations to me are receiving responses like the following:

Well, Mike, I donated and walked and phone-banked all last year for Romney here in California. The more than $1,000 I contributed to this effort was very precious to me since I make less than $100,000 per year ~~ and I am not about to do it again on a whim. You all had your chance to oust one of the WORST presidents in history along with members of the most egregiously leftist and grasping congress ever. You all collectively received over TWO BILLION to do this and you failed. So, I am sure you will understand why I am not about to invest any more of my money and time until I see a worthwhile effort.
Why don't you guys take back the Senate, for example, and maybe then I'll consider cutting loose with some Benjamins.

Love and kisses,

The war Planner

---- Mike Shields wrote:
Dear William,

We are currently gearing up for the largest voter outreach program the Republican party has ever seen, and we need your help.

This summer we will begin this process of putting hundreds of boots on the ground in communities across this nation. No one individual, demographic, or state will be overlooked, or taken for granted.

This expansive program is going to change the way we do business, reshaping and rebuilding our party from the ground up.

These plans are going to cost money, but we truly believe that this is going to change the face of our party, and in time our nation.

That is why we need your help TODAY!

The work we do this year is critical for laying the foundation for many years and elections to come. We can't afford to wait.

Contribute today and help us spread our party's message of prosperity to every single American.

Thanks,

Mike Shields
RNC Chief of Staff
------------------------------------------------------
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
p: 202.863.8500
f: 202.863.8820
e: info@gop.com
Paid for by the Republican National Committee.

-30-

Daily Piss-Off #1..

..so I walk into a watch shop and ask if they'll replace the battery in my old Casio sports watch (that I have owned since 1999) and this bitch running the store (of SEA extraction) breaks away from a seemingly interminable cell phone conversation and rattles on about how they won't guarantee the the waterproof seal if they REPLACE THE BATTERY. I said, that's o.k., just replace the battery.

So I get the watch back and the lady rattles on about how the digital window time cannot be set because the buttons "were broken when we opened up the watch".

"Bullshit!," I said, "I just set that watch two days ago! They were working then!"

Then she and her husband get in defensive mode and start blathering bout how it was already broken. I slam down my ATM card and say, "Just charge me the fucking ten dollars and I'll be on my way."

They still protest so I repeat my request. I add that they must be piss poor craftsmen because NO PLACE on the face of the fucking globe have I ever been given a caveat like that when I have asked to have my watch battery changed. I sign the receipt and, as I disappear out the door, I tell them, "The next time I or any of my friends need to get charged $10 to have a watch broken, we'll stop in and see you!"

Some times life sucks  dog turds, don't it?

-30-

Just sayin..

..ka-chuck! Boom!

-30-

Mr VPOTUS..

..looks strangely like Bill Whittle. don't he?

Again, thanks Rick!

-30-

Proper Pistol Grip Procedure for "Outer City" Denizens

Hey, deprived, disadvantage white guys, here's something to help you with the life, so you can hang with the homies in the hood...

...knowwhatI'msayin?

..and now for how our fathers and grandfathers were trained to do this sort of thing. In one case there's the bleccched out inner-city drug dealer technique and then there's this:

-30-

Death to all Camel Shaggers!

DON CHERRY, Canadian Hockey Commentator for CBC Television, was asked on a local live radio talk show, what he thought about the allegations of torture of suspected terrorists. His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous applause from the audience.

HIS STATEMENT:
"If hooking up one rag head terrorist prisoner's testicles to a car battery to get the truth out of the lying little camel shagger will save just one Canadian or American life, then I have only three things to say: 'Red is positive, black is negative, and make sure his nuts are wet."

Courtesy of Rick D., L. A. LEO, retired.

-30-

The people are revolting!

"..this will arrive in June some time."

..good for the CO sheriffs and all the other folks taking part in this people’s revolt against tyranny.

There is this dichotomy of thought that Obama is sinister and is unfolding an evil plan to take down this nation on one hand and that he is a bumbling, ignorant fool on the other.

This attempt by him and his coterie of commie sycophants to erase firearm ownership from the American scene is a classic example of his stupidity, however. The public — seeing this threat to the first, second, fourth, and tenth amendments — have reacted by buying more guns, ammunition, and even the wherewithal to produce same.

This has driven demand for all items through the roof — including those goods and services on the periphery of the question. It’s annoying and yet satisfying to put in an order for a reloading press, dies, powder, bullets, brass, etc. and be told that you have a six-month wait until you receive the items you ordered.

Wolverines!

-30-

What's going on in D.C.?

-72-

Nation of sheep..

"We live in a society of wolves. You do not fight back by creating more sheep!"

-30-

This from my USAF Auxiliary Squadron's X.O., 1LT "Sky" King:

SOCIAL SECURITY NOW CALLED "FEDERAL BENEFIT PAYMENT"/ENTITLEMENT!

Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a "Federal Benefit Payment"?

I'll be part of the one percent to forward this.

The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a Federal Benefit Payment.
This isnt a benefit its earned income! Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did too.

It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. If you averaged $30K per year over your working life, that's close to $180,000 invested in Social Security. If you calculate the future value of your monthly investment in social security ($375/month, including both your and your employers contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate compounded monthly, after 40 years of working you 'd have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved! This is your personal investment.

Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month.

That's almost three times more than today's average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month, according to the Social Security Administration (Google it - its a fact).

And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you're 98 if you retire at age 65)!

I can only imagine how much better most average-income people could live in retirement if our government had just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts.

Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madoff ever did. They took our money and used it elsewhere. They forgot that it was OUR money they were taking. They didnt have a referendum to ask us if we wanted to lend the money to them. And they didn't pay interest on the debt they assumed. And recently, they've told us that the money wont support us for very much longer.

But is it our fault they misused our investments?

And now, to add insult to injury, they're calling it a benefit, as if we never worked to earn every penny of it. Just because they borrowed the money, doesn't mean that our investments were a charity!

Lets take a stand.

We have earned our right to Social Security and Medicare. Demand that our legislators bring some sense into our government Find a way to keep Social Security and Medicare going, for the sake of that 92% of our population who need it.

Then call it what it is:

Our Earned Retirement Income.

For those of you who just about to queue up at your friendly S. S. administration office, and who still find it necessary to work despite receiving this pathetic return of your contributions, be advised that:

(1) Until your full retirement age (66-67 years for recent "retirees"), every $2 you earn from work will reduce your S. S. payment by $1. That means at approximately $30-40,000 you wipe the "benefits" out.

(2) You will have to pay taxes on 80% of your SS income.

(3) But do not worry because they will allow you to withhold so the tax bite won't be so bad. (Double..even triple taxation comes to mind.)

(4) You still must pay into Social Security yet your benefits stay pegged at what they were when you started S. S.

..and, to follow up on what "Sky" said above, this sure smells like a Ponzi scheme -- or at least some bad scam -- except you wonder how the bastards in D. C. allowed this thing to go broke.

Oh well then, I guess I have answered my own question.

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Gun Rights and common sense from another perspective..

"This isn't a black versus white issue; a democrat versus Republican issue; this is common sense.."

Abso-freaking-lutely correct. I support this man's right under our Constitution to defend himself from any asshole of any color.

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