ljb
09-30-2005, 10:17 PM
Tonight in the Saginaw News there is a column by Jan Warner and Jan Collins. I don’t know anything about these two, just happened to read the column as it is titled “Politics impacts those least able to fight back”.
The column starts with a letter from a reader. She is a divorced woman who is disabled. She moved in with her parents who are in their early 80s. They also have medical problems, he dementia, she osteoporosis. The lady complains that with the increased gas costs, medical expenses and increased property taxes, they are having to dip into their meager savings each month to make ends meet.
Some of the things the columnists responded with include: “You and your parents are the easiest marks for politicians because you can’t afford lobbyists to promote your causes and you don’t scream loud enough. While Social Security payments have risen each year by law based on cost of living increases, Medicare part B premiums and deductibles have more then eaten up those increases.
Because Congress has raided Social Security trust coffers and has blown the money “off budget”, everyone is now in a fire-drill mentality to get enough money to pay Social Security obligations.
Congress and the Bush administration are willing to extract trillions from revenues by cutting or eliminating the estate tax for fewer then 1 percent of Americans.
The government obviously can’t manage its programs. For example, although Medicare fraud is running rampant, Congress has reduced the number of investigators and auditors in this area, stifling the ability to recover fraudulent payments made to health care providers. At the same time, Congress continues to raise Medicare premiums, reduce benefits and increase co-insurance payments.
As to “why Congress keeps picking on the elderly,” the answer is because they can.”
End quote.
They then go on to recommend we all call our senators and representatives both state and federal and let them know you may not have much else but you do have a vote.
The column starts with a letter from a reader. She is a divorced woman who is disabled. She moved in with her parents who are in their early 80s. They also have medical problems, he dementia, she osteoporosis. The lady complains that with the increased gas costs, medical expenses and increased property taxes, they are having to dip into their meager savings each month to make ends meet.
Some of the things the columnists responded with include: “You and your parents are the easiest marks for politicians because you can’t afford lobbyists to promote your causes and you don’t scream loud enough. While Social Security payments have risen each year by law based on cost of living increases, Medicare part B premiums and deductibles have more then eaten up those increases.
Because Congress has raided Social Security trust coffers and has blown the money “off budget”, everyone is now in a fire-drill mentality to get enough money to pay Social Security obligations.
Congress and the Bush administration are willing to extract trillions from revenues by cutting or eliminating the estate tax for fewer then 1 percent of Americans.
The government obviously can’t manage its programs. For example, although Medicare fraud is running rampant, Congress has reduced the number of investigators and auditors in this area, stifling the ability to recover fraudulent payments made to health care providers. At the same time, Congress continues to raise Medicare premiums, reduce benefits and increase co-insurance payments.
As to “why Congress keeps picking on the elderly,” the answer is because they can.”
End quote.
They then go on to recommend we all call our senators and representatives both state and federal and let them know you may not have much else but you do have a vote.