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Socail Security Safety Blanket

Campaign for America's Future manager@ourfuture.org via bounces.salsalabs.net	9:42 AM (11 hours ago)
to me

Friend: This generation's chance to build Social Security is here. Where are you? Friend: The middle class is shrinking and our private pension system is failing. But we still have Social Security, right? Sort of. If you or someone you love relies on their earned benefits, you know how difficult it is to maintain a decent standard of living on Social Security. We can do better. Senator Tom Harkin has introduced a bill that says no to those who want to cut Social Security — and actually increases benefits by several hundred dollars a year. That may not seem like much, but for many Americans that's the difference between independence and poverty. Click here to tell Congress: Don't cut Social Security benefits; increase them! This bill won't harm the deficit. It pays for itself by making the wealthy pay the same Social Security tax rate as you and I. It's fair, modest and will actually build the trust fund. Take a few seconds out of your day and tell Congress to pass this important reform. Sincerely, Roger Hickey Co-Director, Campaign for America's Future

Article seven of the Massachusetts Constitution: "Article VII. Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men..."

Filing Bill State Legislature

Under the state Constitution any citizen may file a proposed piece of legislation with the General Court through his or her representation or senator. This "right of free petition" is unique to Massachusetts. In addition, there is no prohibition upon an individual's right to continually refile a bill year after year. The deadline for filing legislation is 5:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday in December preceding the beginning of the new biennial session. If this deadline is missed, a bill may be late-filed. Late filed bills, which are routinely admitted, must be approved by the House and Senate Committees on Rules and then receive the approval of four-fifths of the members of each branch to be introduced. A bill is filed in two parts - the petition and the bill. The petition is the vehicle for filing various types of matters for consideration by the General Court such as bills, resolves, resolutions or orders. The petition includes the title of the bill and the names of the legislative sponsors as well as any citizen or group sponsor. The bill is the actual legislation in draft form.

MONEY SUPPLY TRANSFERS

Unionized Wages

The $28 hourly wage that workers in unionized plants outside the South used to count on looks increasingly like a relic of the broadly shared prosperity that America used to enjoy. With private-sector unions now weakened by ineffectual labor laws and implacable employer opposition, manufacturing wages have been slashed to $14 an hour, or lower, in many places. Meanwhile, wages in retail and most other service sectors are unlikely to rise while historically higher wages in manufacturing continue to plummet. No wonder more and more Americans can’t afford to buy houses, despite record-low mortgage rates.

Republican Cooperation

  Quote: Obama, a mediator by instinct and experience, paid a deep price by trying to pursue bipartisan cooperation.
This appears to be one of Obama's main weaknesses. Even the recent so called JOBS bill was something that shouldn't have been approved by him and the Dems as it will move more jobs outside the country and further restrict regulations on Wall Street, where much of this fiscal mess occurred.
I think Obama is a brilliant man, but I often wonder why he gives so much up to this Party of No who in reality have absolutely no intention of compromising, who care nothing for the middle class or their jobs, or their health, or their education, or anything

ED MARKEY BUDGET SPEECH

As families and businesses across the country are completing their income tax returns and evaluating their finances, Congress also is reassessing the nation’s budget priorities.
House Republicans recently passed a budget that ends the Medicare guarantee for millions of seniors while continuing to give tax breaks to billionaires and big subsidies to oil companies that already are raking in record profits. Instead of laying the groundwork for a prosperous future for the middle class and working families, Republicans passed a budget full of the failed economic policies of the past – tax breaks for the rich and subsidies for Big Oil.
Watch my speech in opposition to the Republican budget on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives

MASS SENIOR ACTION MALDEN CHAPTER

The John   and Christina Markey Malden Senior Community Center, which
opened in 2009   in a former church on Washington Street, has won a top
honor from the   National Community Development Association.
The center received the   association's 2012 Audrey Nelson Community
Development Achievement Award,   recognizing the best use of federal
Community Development Block Grant money   to improve low-income
neighborhoods. Nominations for the award are accepted   from communities
across the country.
The Malden Redevelopment   Authority nominated the senior center, which
is named for the parents of   Congressman Edward J. Markey, a Democrat
from Malden.
"The [MRA]   staff deserves a lot of credit," said Stephen M. Wishoski,
executive   director of the MRA.
MASS SENIOR ACTION MALDEN CHAPTER SHOULD BE   RECOGNIZED They were the
driving force and influence with the mayors office   and overcoming
Resistance to moving the Center from the basement Thanks to   our City
Council for listening and joining in presenting Issues need   and
support.
--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

At the top of AARP Massachusetts’ state legislative agenda, protecting:

•Home care
•Adult Day Health Services
•Nursing Home Leaves of Absence, often called the “bed hold”
 •Elder protective services, including the Money Management Program
•Prescription Advantage, the state’s pharmacy assistance program that works in tandem with Medicare Part D
 •Elder Nutrition Program
•Health care reform affordability and quality measures
•Councils on Aging and Seniors Centers

RAISING BRAND DRUG PRICES

Few dispute that the price of brand name drugs is increasing. “Inflation is alive and well in the drug industry,” said Lawrence Marsh, managing director of equity research at Barclays Capital, who tracks drug prices. He said drug companies had been raising prices on drugs whose patent protections were about to end in an effort to squeeze as much profit as they could before losing market share to generics.       

Medicare Medicaid Social Security

Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer: "Don't cut any backroom deals that include cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits." Automatically add your name: Learn more about this campaign Tell Steny Hoyer: Don't sell out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Dear Friend, The corporatist wing of the Democratic Party once again has its sights set on cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits under the guise of deficit reduction. And our friends on Capitol Hill tell us House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is leading the charge. Last November CREDO activists helped stop Senate Democrats from agreeing to a terrible Super Committee deal, which would have resulted in deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits in exchange for promised but unspecified tax increases that may have never materialized. But now House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a prominent member of Democratic Leadership in Congress, is once again pushing a similar legislative proposal that would sell out our social safety net. He is working on a potential backroom deal to put the cuts we defeated last year back on the table. Tell Steny Hoyer: Don't sell out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Click here to automatically sign the petition. According to recent reports, Rep. Hoyer is "looking to shake legislative politics"1 by forcing a vote on whatthe Washington Post called "a so-called grand bargain to raise taxes and restrain entitlement spending."2 Hoyer declined to provide any specifics to this proposal but he gave his remarks at an event hosted by an organization called Third Way, which is a Washington-based, so-called "moderate" Democratic think tank that shills for corporate interests and has previously advanced debunked arguments promoting cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.3 Hoyer's move — which appears to be in coordination with Third Way — poses a danger to our social safety net. We cannot remain quiet while such a prominent member of Democratic Leadership appears to be working on a proposal which likely includes brutal cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits. Medicare and Social Security are wildly popular programs, and the clear majority of Americans want to protect these benefits. If we push back hard and make sure that conservative Democrats like Hoyer don't cut a back room deal on benefit cuts with Republicans, we can hold the line and protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. House Democrats will be particularly sensitive to this kind of pressure in an election year — if we can expose this potential sell out, we can quash the momentum Hoyer and conservative Democrats need to move forward with a "grand bargain" at the expense of benefit programs pivotal to millions of Americans. Tell Steny Hoyer: Don't sell out Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Click here to automatically sign the petition. To be clear, we are not against sensible reforms to these programs. But we shouldn't be cutting benefits for our seniors and other vulnerable Americans in order to spend more on our bloated military or keep taxes low for the ultra-wealthy. If Democratic Leaders such as Hoyer are serious about addressing our nation's debt and deficit, they should work to address the biggest drivers of our debt — the Bush tax cuts, foreign wars and our economic downturn.4

 City Senior Centers serve as the focal point for services to seniors in the community while always striving to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of the seniors through programming and services that promote wellness, foster a sense of independence and self-worth, enhance the quality of life for all and promote a positive image of aging.

Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program

Between 2006 and 2010, the demand for food from food banks grew by 23 percent in Massachusetts.

Federal aid that propped up food bank resources during the height of the recession has receded, but the demand has not, according to officials from the Greater Boston Food Bank, which feeds 545,000 people a year. Places like the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Rosie’s Place, the Pine Street Inn, and local food pantries in dozens of communities rely on the Greater Boston Food Bank for a bulk of their supplies.

Money from the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program helps buy locally-grown produce - eggs, milk and other fresh staples. But with food prices on the rise – dairy is up 8 percent, and the average price of peanut butter has skyrocketed 30 percent, D’Amato said, “that $11.5 million doesn’t get you $11.5 million anymore.”

The Greater Boston Food Bank serves approximately 550 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in eastern Massachusetts.

Pedestrian Safety

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Although adults age 65 and older comprised less than 13 percent of the population in 2008, they were involved in 15 percent of vehicle fatalities and 19 percent of pedestrian fatalities. An older vehicle occupant is 18 percent more likely to die in a crash than someone under age 65. A more staggering statistic reveals that an older pedestrian is 61 percent more likely to die when hit by a motor vehicle than a younger one. The unique vulnerability of pedestrians and bicyclists on the road has inspired some state legislatures to pass laws designating pedestrians and bicyclists as “vulnerable users.” In the past five years, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont have considered “vulnerable users” laws

Access to health care “a basic human right

Signs everywhere that hospital systems, specialty medical societies, patient safety programs, health insurers, employers, labor unions and various states are already taking steps to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care. There is still plenty of room for savings in a complex system where 20 percent to 30 percent of all health spending — or more than $1 trillion a year — may be “waste” that does nothing to help patients.

cola 2012

3.6% cola Effective 1 DEC, starts being paid on your next check due 1 Jan 2012, probably paid on 30Dec due to holidays

Take 3.6% times the check you just got 1 Dec..

That will be the amount your next check increases..

Example 100% VA comp is $2673 times 3.6% = $96 2673 + 96 = 2769
Or $2769 next check
$2769..This the amount you will receive monthly for 2012, until next COLA is announced

1 Dec 2012 for 2013. If no COLA will be the same as 2012
They always are a month behind..earn it this month, they pay you 1st of next month
This applies to Soc sec, Mil Retiree, and VA comp

More than 49 million Americans, or 16% of the population, were living in poverty in 2010

Rising poverty is a national tragedy and a brewing humanitarian crisis in America...

Which brings us to another edition of Taken to Task.
11/15/2011
The poverty figures released this week came after the U.S. Census Bureau adjusted the way in which it calculates poverty using the new Supplemental Poverty Measure. Instead of just tripling a family's minimum annual food budget, as previously, this new measure looks at how much families spend on food, shelter, clothing and utilities. You know, life's basic necessities.

Most groups saw their poverty rates increase using the new calculations, including married couples, whites, Asians, immigrants, homeowners with mortgages, those with private health insurance and the elderly. Poverty rates among those over 65 rose to 15.9% from the previously reported 9%. Poverty rates did, however, drop for Americans under the age of 18, African Americans, renters and people living in rural areas.

stronger-than-anticipated revenue from capital gains taxes to build a surplus

Massachusetts has benefited from stronger-than-anticipated revenue from capital gains taxes to build a surplus of just more than 1 percent of its general fund budget. It used nearly three-quarters of the $460 million surplus to replenish the state's reserve fund, while directing other surplus money to cities and towns recovering from deadly tornadoes in June, state courts and to provide modest raises to social service workers.