Definitely worse off after 7 months

by
Curt Dale

I'll stick with fundamentals. The morning of his Inauguration Day, gasoline cost me $1.38 a gallon. Yes, gasoline prices had been artificially spiked to around $4.00 prior to the election, helping his election, but by inauguration, the prices had retreated.

This morning, at the same station, the price was $2.58 a gallon, nearly double. I don't see that as being better off, but Obama would rationalize I'll be more careful about wasting gas, thus reducing pollution, and that it's a more "realistic" price, in line with other nations.

Now 72, my future health care wasn't of great concern before his inauguration since I spent 27 years in the military, earning Tri-Care for Life health insurance. Of course Bill Clinton botched our retired military medical care as he forced us under Medicare. But I was still in pretty fair shape on the morning of Obama's inauguration.

Now, my Tri-Care for Life coverage is seriously threatened, and the likelihood of Medicare being enormously curtailed, if not abandoned, seems very great if he can push Obamacare through.

The morning before Obama took office, the disgusting "Your Life, Your Choices" booklet was still banned for use by the Veterans Administration under the orders of President George W. Bush. But Obama's resurrected it.

It is disgusting in that it asks our veteran heroes, "When is life not worth living?" The options include, "I can no longer walk but get around in a wheelchair." "I live in a nursing home." "I can no longer think clearly-I am confused all the time." "I am a severe financial burden on my family." "I cannot seem to "shake the blues."

The inference is that an American Veteran who has served this nation and is now in need of extensive medical care should not be burdening society and family with little problems and should not drain funds to stay alive. Wouldn't that series of questions, placed before a heroic, wounded veteran, still in recovery or bearing the pain of his injuries, help lead to suicide.

The same mindset within Obama's administration aims at not only veterans but we senior citizens, reminding us we burden society. Some of the prepositioned questions at the Town Halls from Obama Supporters are depicting Medicare as welfare. The same people who forced us into Medicare, whether we be civilians or military veterans, are there because the same ilk of politicians, many of them the same politicians, made these laws and assignments. As a military retiree, I earned my family's medical care. The people who've paid their taxes all these years and now find themselves in the Medicare System are not on welfare. They paid for it, but these politicians, through corrupt largesse to illegal aliens and pandering to the true non-taxpaying, non-contributing population have bankrupted the system they've forced upon us. Now, we are labeled guilty of greed because we expect medical care from the program they created and we paid for. How inconsiderate of us!

I stocked up on canned vegetables just Obama's inauguration. Yesterday, I checked the price of the same. Double the price!

Yet, last week, we were advised there'll be no cost of living increases in our Social Security for the next two years. But, the Medicare costs for prescriptions, deducted from our Social Security checks, will be increased. You see, the Obama's marvelous accounting system (which just misestimated the coming National Deficit by $2,000,000,000,000 after only 7 months in office) actually covered up the "miscalculation" for months rather than admit error by cookin' the book and now shows we don't qualify for a COLA increase. Of course it makes little difference anyway, since it was Bill Clinton who subjected Social Security payments to Federal Income Tax.

One of the most subtle inferences in circulation is that people who collect Social Security are on Welfare. I've been repeatedly insulted by ignorant liberals who assumed that as a retired military person I'd never paid income taxes or FICA (the laughable Federal Insurance Contribution Act). I don't excuse them for such ignorance. I've paid both from teen years and throughout military and civilian careers. Our monthly Social Security pittance is a small fraction of what was "contributed," yet Obama now wants it redistributed, including to illegals.

Obama said he won't raise taxes on the middleclass. He doesn't have to. He can simply use methods of miscalculation, cooked books, and selective action by his crooked czars to extract it from us without calling it tax. Then he'll bless it to those who've never contributed a thin dime. But, he'll make them legal.

My Colorado automobile licenses are almost exactly double what they were the morning before Obama's inauguration. Sure, I'll blame Governor Bill Ritter, too, but I look to the White House when my taxes go up.

No, I'm definitely worse off now than on the morning of Obama's inauguration.

© Curtis D. Dale, PhD, August 2009