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

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

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts on the table

Obama offered to put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts on the table in exchange for a tax hike of roughly $100 billion per year over 10 years. Meanwhile, government spending would be cut by roughly three times that amount. It's no small irony that the party's dogmatic opposition to tax increases is costing the GOP its best opportunity to roll back social programs it has long targeted.

Older Americans Month 2011

Older Americans Month is an occasion to show appreciation and support for our seniors as they continue to enrich and strengthen our communities.

This year's theme—Older Americans: Connecting the Community—pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities, and highlights how technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives.

The U.S. Administration on Aging is sponsoring two exciting activities in observance of Older Americans Month 2011, a video challenge and a video game tournament. We welcome and encourage the participation of seniors and community members across the country.

For more information about Older Americans Month, visit the U.S. Administration on Aging.

SOCIALL SECURITY CHECKS

Paper checks retired. Retirees who apply for Social Security benefits on or after May 1, 2011, will no longer have the option of receiving a paper check in the mail. Seniors can have their entitlement payments directly deposited into a bank or credit union account or loaded onto a prepaid Direct Express Debit MasterCard. "This important change will provide significant savings to American taxpayers who will no longer incur the annual $120 million price tag associated with paper checks and will save Social Security $1 billion over the next 10 years," says Richard Gregg, Treasury Fiscal Assistant Secretary. Retirees already receiving paper checks will need to switch to direct deposit or the prepaid debit card by March 1, 2013.

REAL ESTATE TAXES

6 Discounts You Can Get For Paying Cash
by Bobbi Dempsey
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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With retailers feeling the effects of customers who can't get credit, shoppers with cash in their wallets have the ultimate bargaining chip when it comes to getting good deals. Cash discounts may not be as plentiful as in the past, but there are still some places where cash is king. Here are some things you can often get cheaper with cash.


More from Investopedia:

• 8 Easy Ways to Slash Your Holiday Budget

• Top 5 Budgeting Questions Answered

• 8 Steps to an Organized Financial Life


1. Gas
While many gas stations -- especially those in the large national chains -- offer one price no matter how you pay, some stations are still offering a deal for cash customers. Gate Petroleum, based in Florida, unveiled a program earlier this year that offers a discount of three cents per gallon to customers who pay with cash purchased fuel discount cards. In a recent survey by gas comparison site GasBuddy.com, 3% of the more than 15,000 respondents said more than half the stations in their area charged a lower price for cash, and the same percentage said nearly all of their local stations offered cash discounts.

[Click here to check savings products and rates in your area.]

2. Property Taxes
Many municipalities offer a discount (sometimes called a rebate price) to homeowners who pay their taxes by a certain date. In Florida's Miami-Dade County, for example, paying your taxes in November (within a few weeks after receiving the bill) will get you a discount of 4%. The discount decreased by 1% each month until March.

Census 2010

Some common problems when
filling out U.S. census forms,
which arrive by mail beginning
Monday:March 15, 2010
Ready for the 2010 census?
Forms start arriving today
.—HOUSEHOLD AND RESIDENCE:
These are determined by where
people live or sleep most of
the time as of April 1.
Household members should
include babies born on or
before April 1, 2010, as
well as non-U.S. citizens.
The rationale is that cities
and states should receive
federal money to support
everyone who uses their public
roads, schools and other programs.
College students who live away
from home and U.S. military
personnel who live in barracks
are tallied in those places.
If you have more than one home,
completely fill out the form
for your primary residence.
For the second home, mark "0''
for number of residents and
indicate you live elsewhere.
Doing that may help avoid
costly visits from a census taker.
For divorced parents who have
shared custody of a child,
indicate where a child usually
lives. If custody is split equally,
the child's residence is where he
or she is on April 1.

—RACE AND ETHNICITY: If no box
exists that describes yourself,
or with the level of specificity
you prefer, write it in the space
marked for "other race."
For example,
some Caribbean-Americans
plan to check the box for
"black, African Am., or Negro"
and then write in their ancestry.
Multiracial people might check
several race categories or write
in "multiracial," depending on
how they self-identify.
The labels do make a difference,
because census results will be

used to redraw congressional
districts with racial and ethnic
balance.

—INTERNET OPTION: There is none.
Census officials in 2008
determined that submitting
census data through the
Internet posed too large
a risk for security breaches.
The Census Bureau is testing
Web options for 2020, but for
now information must be
provided on official forms
and mailed or submitted
to a census taker.

—"LONG FORM": This year's census
is only 10 questions. Previously,
1 in 6 households — roughly
20 million — received a
detailed census questionnaire
called the "long form" that
asked about income, disability,
commuting, education level
and other characteristics.
After 2000, the long form was
eliminated and replaced by
the American Community Survey,
which is sent to about three
million households each year.
If you get an ACS form, the
Census Bureau asks you fill
out both surveys.

—MISSING FORMS: If you don't
receive a census form,
Census Bureau director
Robert Groves advises
that people wait until
April 12 to allow time
for it to arrive. After
April 12, people may
call the census help
line at 1-866-872-6868.
In rural parts of Alaska,
census information was
collected door-to-door
starting in January.
In addition,
about 12 million
addresses, mostly in rural
areas and Gulf Coast areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina,
began receiving hand-delivered
forms on March 1.

Health Care Reform Reconciliation

For all the Republicans’ warnings, they have used reconciliation on some major, controversial legislative packages. These include tax-cut legislation under President George W. Bush and the overhaul in 1996 of the welfare system. In all, Republicans have used the approach 16 times, to 6 for Democrats.

Even with reconciliation, the path for Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul is problematic. It rests largely with two blocs of swing Democrats in the House — abortion opponents and fiscal conservatives.

Census 2010

In Malden we have a large population
of Chinese and Vietnamese to the
Malden Senior Community Center and
many Foreign churches (groups) The
Immigration Learning Center in Malden
that should become involved.
The Great Wall Inc should be involved.
I am interested in seeing Mass
Senior Action involved in the
public housing units
Census 2010: Key Dates
Ideas for Partners
. Volunteers help paint a census
mural in neighborhood of Malden
.
U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional
Census Center
One Beacon Street, 7th Floor Boston,
MA 02108
Phone: (617) 223-3610 E-mail: Boston.
PDSP@census.gov

TAX WORK OFF ABATEMENT PROGRAM

Many cities and towns have found this program viable. I feel the an
outreach program to adaquately staff the New Malden Senior Center is a
top priority and a great opportunity to get Seniors involved in their
programs and "aging in place"
Our newUS president and the administration are urging citizen
participation in their own destiny.volunteerism is on the adgenda as
well as home owner involvement thru this suggested program. HERE IS
WHAT ONE NEARBY TOWN IS DOING WHY NOT MALDEN IF NORTH ANDOVER CAN DO
IT
THE SLOGAN "YES WE CAN!!!

Tax Work-Off Abatement Program
The Council on Aging/Senior Center will be taking applications, during the
months of June and July, for the FY'09 Senior Citizens Property Tax Work-Off
Abatement Program. You must be 60 years of age or older and own and occupy
the property for which North Andover property taxes are paid. There are 30
positions funded and applicants will be chosen through a lottery. Workers must
complete 100 hours of service by May 29, 2009 with a maximum of 10 hours per
week for a $600.00 abatement on their real estate taxes. If you are interested,
please come in to the Senior Center at 120R Main Street to pick up an
application and additional instructions.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gary Christenson
Date: Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: Taxpayers over 60 may be eligible for a Senior Citizen
Workoff Abatement

- Show quoted text -
To: Howard McGowan


Hi Howard,

I raised this issue with the administration last year but I think the
liability concerns outweighed the benefits of such a program. Perhaps
they may look at it more closely with the current fiscal crisis but
the council did ask about the idea last year.

Gary

________________________________
From: Howard McGowan
To: Malden City Council ; Chief of Staff
Rep Fallon ; Ward 1 CouncilorGary
Christenson ; Malden Council of Aging Director
; Council on Aging Debbie Camarata
; Ward4 Councilor Jim Nester
; Ward8 Councillor Malden ;
Ward 6 Coucillor
Cc: MSAC OrganizerPam Edwards ; Malden asst
to Mayor Debbie Burke ; Oak Grove IMprovcarol
Melle ; Springfield Organizer MSAC

Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:19:06 PM
Subject: Taxpayers over 60 may be eligible for a Senior Citizen
Workoff Abatement

.WITH THE SITUATION OF ECOMOMIC DISTRESS MAYBE OUR CITY OF MALDEN
OFFICIALS SHOULD RE CONSIDER THIS PROGRAM AS LISTED AS A BENEFIT FOR
SENIORS BY THE MASS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
-- Taxpayers over 60 may be eligible for a Senior Citizen
Property Tax Work-Off Abatement. Under this program,
taxpayers volunteer their services to their municipality
in exchange for a reduction in their property tax bills —
up to $750 annually. Check with your city or town to
see if they participate in this, or any related, program

I know what will be brought up the pros and cons.. discussion may be in order.
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior





--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

Modern computerized systems

Modern computerized systems have links to online information on best practices, treatment recommendations and harmful drug interactions. The potential benefits include fewer unnecessary tests, reduced medical errors and better care so patients are less likely to require costly treatment in hospitals.

The widespread adoption of electronic health records might also greatly increase evidence-based medicine. Each patient’s records add to a real-time, ever-growing database of evidence showing what works and what does not. The goal is to harness health information from individuals and populations, share it across networks, sift it and analyze it to make the practice of medicine more of a science and less an art.

PRESCRITION DRUGS (GENERICS)

4. Prescription Drugs

The FDA must certify all generic medications (including over-the-counter products) as having the same quantity of active ingredient, and no significant difference in performance, says Gabriel Levitt, vice president of research for pharmacy-rating site PharmacyChecker.com. Going generic could cost you as much as 50% less. Just ask your doctor to note on prescriptions when the generic equivalent is OK.

Even if you're insured, tiered co-pays can offer substantial savings for switching to generics, says Tod Marks, senior editor for Consumer Reports. Blue Cross Blue Shield New England, for example, charges $5 for most generic medications, compared with $10 to $25 for brand names. Fill a prescription through Target or Wal-Mart's $4 generic prescription program, and save even more.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE

Healthcare Policy: providing access to health insurance and making it affordable, passing SCHIP expansion to cover working class families earning 300% of the federal poverty level or approximately $60K/Yr. for a family of 4, creating a healthcare purchasing exchange similar to what members of Congress enjoy, a Medicare Buy-in option, mandatory COBRA to age 65, increasing access to medical facilities and allowing National Guardsmen and Reservists to be eligible for TRICARE.

A plan also calls for lowering the cost of prescription drugs and, because of our proximity to Canada, allowing prescription drug reimportation if the prescriptions are safe and more affordable. Powers also calls for breaking up monopolies and increasing competition, citing the 400 healthcare mergers in the past decade.

Additionally, Powers' plan calls for electronic medical records to save money (and potentially avert health problems in emergencies), aid for small businesses for catastrophic care, phasing out of excessive Medicare overpayments to HMOs, and ensuring premiums are spent on patients.

After listening to seniors' concerns about the high costs of prescriptions , health insurance companies assessing risk pools like those for auto insurance. answer simple "Take away the incentive for it."

WHEN DOCTORS DO THEIR JOB ELDERLY FALL LESS

Yuk. A study in today’s NY Times reports that percentage of elderly people who fall drops by 11% if the doctor actually asks them if they are prone to falls — then takes their blood pressure lying down and standing, treats it properly, and then reduces their other medication. How ironic that the doctor who did the study notes she can’t estimate the cost of this ‘prevention’ program because it ought to be part of standard care. Exactly.

So — in the absence of standard care, falls among the elderly account for 10% of emergency room visits and 6% of hospitalizations for those 65 and older.

Thus is born the market for fall detection offerings — like Intel’s research and future product offering.

Where there’s a lack of will, there’s a way.

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