This'n'That; December Twenty-Fourth #1; Entitlements

Call It What It Is.... and FIX IT!!
    Family Assistance; Aid to Families with Dependent Children; food stamps; SSI; cash compensation for low-income workers; free healthcare; utility bill assistance, just a few of the aliases welfare goes by. The word 'welfare' is the only one that applies to this multitude of benefits of the 'sweat of others!'
    Welfare--as we know it--has it's beginnings with The Franklin Roosevelt administration in the early 1930s.  Prior to that, most assistance was handled at the county level, and normally any cash benefits were repaid when possible.  President Lyndon Johnson continued--nay, greatly expanded--the various programs inplace at the time.  The 'Johnson' programs were expanded by republicRATics as well, namely Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
    After some political "slight-of-hand" both then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and ex-President "Slick-Willie" Clinton deemed the welfare system 'reformed.'  That reformation largely transferred recipients from the 'welfare system' as we know it, into SSI (Supplemental Security Income).  A major point in the reformation was The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).  Along the way, PRWORA instituted TANF (largely Aid to Knocked Up Young Teens-Sperm Donor, Unknown) which replaced the 1935-era AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children).
    Social Security old-age benefits have long been termed 'entitlements;' THEY ARE NOT!!  Welfare is entirely funded by the largess of the taxpayer via the confiscatory tax code of the federal government.  Social Security and it's offspring, Medicare--in federal mythology--is funded by individual workers paying into the non-existent federal Social Security "lockbox."  These funds were originally to be invested for the benefit of the eventual recipients; not so much any more!  By law, any funds not paid out in benefits are to be loaned to the federal government's 'General Fund.'  The federal government is then required to re-pay the funds and interest to the Social Security Trust Fund.  As is the norm with the 'Ruling Class,' not only do they not repay the Social Security debt, they don't even bother to produce a CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED annual federal budget!!  As of December, 2009: The Social Security Trust Fund is owed $2,900,000,000,000.00 (2.9TRILLION BUCKS!!).
    There comes a point--and some think we're there now--when the 46% "pushing-the-wagon (workers)" can no longer afford to support the 54% "riding-in-the-wagon (freeloaders)!!  Members of the Ruling Class continue to heap debt-upon-debt on the America's Serf Class for their personal and professional aggrandizement!  That there's no reasonable way for future generations of the Serf Class to ever repay the vast debt amounts, matters not one whit to said Ruling Class!!  So long as they can continue to live the luxurious lifestyle denied their constituents; so long as they can continue to be re-elected are the only driving forces behind their greed and power accumulation!!
    The incessant borrowing at the federal level--if allowed to continue--will be the death knell for America's economy!!  The excessive borrowing is to create a utopian society for those who won't work, by those who buy their votes!  This continuing "free lunch" for the majority of working-age Americans does little beyond creating an 'entitled sub-class' whose perceived entitlement frees them from any exertions-for-pay.  America now has an entire sub-set within the Serf Class that can vote for it's own 'pay' increases--much like those of the Ruling Class!!  Thus far, it's continuing destruction of economic activity has had several consequences:
Mob Robberies-gangs of youths arbitrairily beat and rob or mug, individuals who appear to have no methods or means of defense.
Flash Mobs-gangs of youths and young adults almost instaneously--without perceived provocation--rise up and destroy anything and everything in their path; people, cars, buildings, public utilities-all is 'fair game!'
Personal Safety-most places that once were meccas of safety are no longer; cars, homes, barns, sheds, et al, in suburban or rural settings are now locked against those who would siphon gas, steal farm animals for food or sale; steal personal possessions, equipment for sale.
    We haven't YET come close to complete-and-total economic collapse!!  What we see today--the activities of everyone from the Ruling Class to the Flash Mobs--will seem like the 'Roaring Twenties' boom-times!!
'Splain to me again why YOU elected "Clown Prince ZERO-bama, the Narcissist?!?
'Splain to me why WE continue to re-elect the incumbants?!?
Til Nex'Time....

This'n'That; October Twenty-Sixth #1; Fixing the Deficit

[Odds are really good that this post will be out-of-sequence! Check: http://www.justincase505.wordpress.com/]
Buffett 'Changing Horses....?'
    This item has recently started it's "trip" around the internet.  While an excellent idea, doesn't it seem a bit disingenuous of Mr Buffett?!?  Not too long ago, he was practically demanding that he--and other millionaires and billionaires--be made to pay more income taxes.  He could have satisfied his demand by merely writing a check to the Treasury Department, say 3 or 4 billion bucks a year!!  For those of the public that would like to help Mr Buffett with his deficit reduction efforts--IF in fact, he actually takes my advice--I've included the Treasury Department's URL at the bottom of this post.
    I intend to 'cut-and-paste' the information below (red; shaded AND unshaded) into an email I'll send to all those on my 'contacts list.'  You should consider doing the same!

    Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC.
"You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified!
Why?
Simple!
The people demanded it.
That was in 1971... before computers, e-mail, cellphones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.


_*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.


Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.
The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. 
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message.
Maybe it is time.
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

I would add a '#8' to this list or an additional piece of legislation:The various forms of 'public assistance' are blatant--in-your-face--examples of government excess.  Those who roll-out-of-bed everyday and go to a job they may-or-may-not enjoy are confronted at least daily by those who help the taxpayer "spend his or her money" when they--in many cases--could get off their more-than-ample asses and support themselves.
    Currently--as near as I can find out--entitlement programs LESS SOCIAL SECURITY, cost the taxpayers, $800Billion annually.
The estimated 2010 GDP was $14.72Trillion, so non-Social Security entitlement programs are 5.4% of GDP.  The non-Social Security entitlement monies are a budgeted dollar amount--and as such--are not subject to the fluxuations of the national economy; the world economy.
    My proposal is this:  

Each successive annual federal budget, the amount budgeted to 'destroy the American Dream; to destroy the American will-to-succeed,'  be reduced by .25% (one-quarter of a percentage point) until the level of 2.7% of GDP; half of the 2010 levels; approximately $400Billion dollars.  Additionally, some 'shame' must be returned to the receipt of federal--unearned--dollars!  Do away with the debit card onto which, the free money is loaded each month.  If the citizen is feeding from the public tit, the citizen should acknowledge the source of this largess and report--in person--to a village, town, city or county administration building to pick up their--taxpayer provided--CHECK!

Just my opinion!
Til Nex'Time....
http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/buffett.asp
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq_publicdebt.htm#DebtFinance
http://www.bea.gov/national/index.htm#gdp
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/united_states/united_states_economy.html
http://www.ucc.org/justice/social-security/pdfs/SS-entitlements-HO.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administration_of_federal_assistance_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administration_of_federal_assistance_in_the_United_States#Examples_of_Federal_assistance_programs