Wednesday, February 27, 2013

AN OPEN LETTER TO REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS



I voted for you on the off chance you could slow, if not stop, the destruction of this country.  I did NOT vote for you to go to Washington and roll over for President Obama.

I am glad the sequestration is about to kick in.  As a nation, if we cannot cut 3 cents of every dollar currently proposed to be spent, they we are in deep doodoo already.  I’m not happy with the defense cuts because I happen to think we live in a more dangerous world than ever before, and I think national security should be a priority.

The Defense Department is railing about not being able to fuel its ships or deploy the carrier fleet USS Harry S. Truman.  I agree we need to be battle ready.  To the Republicans, I suggest passing a one paragraph BILL funding that carrier fleet for one year.  Offset the cost by cutting foreign aid to Egypt  [or to some OTHER country that loves us] in the same amount.  Send it to Obama.  He can sign it or not – it becomes his decision:  NATIONAL SECURITY OR FOREIGN AID.

We want border security.  Pass a one page bill funding everything required to secure the borders.  Offset these expenditures by cutting an equal amount from the EPA.  Send it to Obama.  He can sign it or not – it becomes his decision:  BORDER SECURITY OR MORE REGULATIONS.

I did NOT vote for you to go to Washington and roll over for President Obama.  Start cutting spending, one line item at a time.  

STOP GIVING AWAY AMERICA TO THE SOCIALIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

As for my neighbor State of Virginia, which has thousands of defense employees and contractors that may be furloughed or laid off, including many at the Pentagon, Norfolk shipyards, and Hampton Roads, to mention a few…. I say this.  You voted for Obama, your state went in his column last November…. Elections have consequences.  Deal with it.

Anyone wishing to use the first five paragraphs in this rant to share this opinion with your senators or representative,  please feel free to do so.  You can locate them at the following links:



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

WANNA RETIRE? PLAN AHEAD...... WAY AHEAD


Jesse Helms, former North Carolina Senator, was a Conservative’s conservative.  You could count on him to vote ‘NO’ on anything put forth by the left, and on most things put forth by the right.  He treated the federal purse like his own wallet and almost always voted on the side of reducing expenditures, and not incurring new ones.

In the 90’s Helms supported a bill allowing personal retirement accounts as a supplement to Social Security. [It went down in flames.]  Ahead of his time, he proposed privatizing Social Security and getting the government out of the retirement business. [His fellow Senators backed away from him like he was contagious.]  Bush 43 made a valiant effort to privatize Social Security and lost most of his ‘political capital’ doing it.  The left went berserk and screamed ‘HE WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY’.  Today we are paying the price for this demagoguery.  This can’t be fixed quickly, and it will NEVER be fixed if we don’t BEGIN.


There are two types of employer sponsored retirement plans:  Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution.

A defined benefit retirement plan is a type of pension plan in which an employer/sponsor promises a specified monthly benefit on retirement that is predetermined by a formula based on the employee's earnings history, tenure of service and age.  It also assumes that the employer will stay afloat long enough to fulfill these promises.  Monies are placed in accounts for the employee – very small amounts early in their tenure, but as the employee approaches retirement, the contributions increase drastically in order to arrive at that ‘promised amount’.  The biggest employer offering a defined benefit plan is the government.  Not just the federal government but most state governments as well. Social Security is also a defined benefit plan.  We are promised $X when we reach a given age, no matter WHAT we have personally contributed to the plan.  And there is no time limit on how long you can collect it.  The federal government is bleeding dollars because of this, yet those we elect refuse to do anything about it. And sadly, we have a citizenry too stupid or too apathetic to realize this cannot continue.

The private sector figured out years ago that the DB retirement plans would be a drain on the bottom line, and most went to the Defined Contribution, such as the 401K.  They tell you how much they are going to pay into your retirement plan NOW, allow YOU to invest in it as well, the plan is in YOUR name and usually under your control…. and you can plan your golden years when you are young.

If the government would go to the defined contribution plan (in other words, privatize Social Security and let the individual manage their own account within parameters set by the government) eventually, by attrition, the current SS system would simply fade away (or as Newt famously said – and was destroyed for saying – it would die on the vine).  A phasing IN of private accounts would one day get the government mostly OUT of the retirement business – at least for those citizens who WORK for a living.  The government also needs to change the retirement plan for all new hires, moving away from DB and into DC plans.

BTW – if you are eligible to have a ROTH IRA and don’t have one….. DO IT!  It’s the very best retirement plan ever created for the working person.  You contribute dollars you pay taxes on NOW (unlike a 401K), you get NO tax benefit NOW (unlike a 401K) but when you withdraw from it, you pay NO tax on the principal – only the earnings.  The attractive part of this is – you have NO IDEA what tax bracket you will be in when you retire, especially if people like Obama want to keep increasing the tax RATES.

Check this link to see if you qualify:






Friday, February 22, 2013

IS THERE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOR......

If anyone wonders why we are up to our you-know-what in rules, regulations and DEBT - look at this list of government agencies and departments - all with their own little world to protect, fund and justify.  

According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM),  as of December 2011, there were approximately [1] 2.79 MILLION CIVIL SERVANTS *** (civilian, i.e. non-uniformed) employed by the US Government.   (This includes executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. This also includes more than 600,000 United States Postal workers.)  [***ROFLMAO @ 'servants']

Not one of these generates an income - they only suck your tax dollars into oblivion.....

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population

THERE ARE MORE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NON-MILITARY EMPLOYEES THAN THE POPULATION OF 20 OF THE STATES!

AbilityOne Commission James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Access Board Japan-United States Friendship Commission
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Job Corps
Administration for Native Americans John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Administration on Aging (AoA) Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries
Administration on Developmental Disabilities Joint Chiefs of Staff
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Administrative Conference of the United States Joint Fire Science Program
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Joint Forces Command
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Joint Forces Staff College
African Development Foundation Joint Military Intelligence College
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Judicial Circuit Courts of Appeal
Agency for International Development (USAID) Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Justice Department
Agricultural Marketing Service Justice Programs, Office of
Agricultural Research Service Justice Statistics, Bureau of
Agriculture Department Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of
Air Force
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Labor Department (DOL)
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau Labor Statistics, Bureau of
American Battle Monuments Commission Land Management, Bureau of
AmeriCorps Legal Services Corporation
Amtrak Library of Congress
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Antitrust Division Marine Corps
Appalachian Regional Commission Marine Mammal Commission
Architect of the Capitol Maritime Administration
Archives (National Archives and Records Administration) Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department)
Arctic Research Commission Marshals Service
Armed Forces Retirement Home Mediation and Concitiation Service, Office of
Arms Control and International Security Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
Army Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Army Corps of Engineers Merit Systems Protection Board
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
Military Postal Service Agency
Bankruptcy Courts Millennium Challenge Corporation
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program Mine Safety and Health Administration
Bonneville Power Administration Minority Business Development Agency
Botanic Garden Mint
Broadcasting Board of Governors Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Mississippi River Commission
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Multifamily Housing Office
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Bureau of Industry and Security National Agricultural Statistics Service
Bureau of International Labor Affairs National AIDS Policy Office
Bureau of Justice Statistics National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Bureau of Labor Statistics National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Capital Planning Commission
Bureau of Prisons National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
Bureau of Reclamation National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
Bureau of the Census National Constitution Center
Bureau of the Public Debt National Council on Disability (NCD)
Bureau of Transportation Statistics National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of
National Credit Union Administration
Capitol Police National Defense University
Capitol Visitor Center National Drug Intelligence Center
Census Bureau National Economic Council
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition National Endowment for the Arts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Endowment for the Humanities
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Gallery of Art
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board National Guard
Chief Acquisition Officers Council National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Chief Financial Officers Council National Indian Gaming Commission
Chief Human Capital Officers Council National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Chief Information Officers Council National Institute of Justice
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Coast Guard National Interagency Fire Center
Commerce Department National Labor Relations Board
Commission of Fine Arts National Laboratories (Energy Department)
Commission on Civil Rights National Marine Fisheries Service
Commission on International Religious Freedom National Mediation Board
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) National Nuclear Security Administration
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements National Ocean Service
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) National Park Foundation
Community Planning and Development National Park Service
Compliance, Office of National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT) National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
Congress—U.S. House of Representatives National Reconnaissance Office
Congress—U.S. Senate National Science Foundation
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) National Security Agency (NSA)
Congressional Research Service National Security Council
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau National Technical Information Service
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention National Transportation Safety Board
Copyright Office National War College
Corporation for National and Community Service National Weather Service (NOAA)
Corps of Engineers Natural Resources Conservation Service
Council of Economic Advisers Navy
Council on Environmental Quality Northern Command
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Northwest Power Planning Council
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Court of Federal Claims Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
Court of International Trade
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Customs and Border Protection Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education
Office of Community Planning and Development
Defense Acquisition University Office of Compliance
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Office of Disability Employment Policy
Defense Commissary Agency Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Office of Government Ethics
Defense Contract Management Agency Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Defense Field Activities Office of Mediation and Concitiation Service
Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of Refugee Resettlement
Defense Legal Services Agency Office of Science and Technology Policy
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Office of Special Counsel
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Defense Security Service (DSS) Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Defense Technical Information Center Office of the Pardon Attorney
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Open World Leadership Center
Delaware River Basin Commission Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Denali Commission
Department of Agriculture Pacific Command
Department of Defense Inspector General Pardon Attorney, Office of
Department of Education (ED) Parole Commission (Justice Department)
Department of Energy (DOE) Peace Corps
Department of Health and Human Services Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Pentagon Force Protection Agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Department of Justice (DOJ) Policy Development and Research
Department of Labor (DOL) Political Affairs (State Department)
Department of State (DOS) Postal Regulatory Commission
Department of the Interior (DOI) Postal Service
Department of the Treasury Power Administrations
Department of Transportation (DOT) President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Presidio Trust
Director of National Intelligence, Office of Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
Domestic Policy Council Public and Indian Housing
Drug Enforcement Administration Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department)
Economic Adjustment Office Radio Free Asia
Economic Analysis, Bureau of Radio Free Asia (RFA)
Economic Development Administration (EDA) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Economic Research Service Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Reclamation, Bureau of
Economics and Statistics Administration Refugee Resettlement, Office of
Education Department Regulatory Information Service Center
Election Assistance Commission Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department)
Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
Employment and Training Administration Rural Business and Cooperative Programs
Endangered Species Committee Rural Development
Energy Department Rural Housing Service
Energy Information Administration Rural Utilities Service
English Language Acquisition Office
Engraving and Printing, Bureau of Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Environmental Management (Energy Department) Science and Technology Policy, Office of
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Office (Energy Department)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Scientific and Technical Information, Office of
European Command Secret Service
Executive Office for Immigration Review Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Export-Import Bank of the United States Selective Service System (SSS)
Senate
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) Small Business Administration (SBA)
Farm Credit Administration Smithsonian Institution
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Social Security Administration (SSA)
Farm Service Agency Social Security Advisory Board
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board Southeastern Power Administration
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Southern Command
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Southwestern Power Administration
Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Forces Operations Command
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) State Department
Federal Consulting Group State Justice Institute
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Stennis Center for Public Service
Federal Election Commission Strategic Command
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Supreme Court of the United States
Federal Executive Boards Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Surface Transportation Board
Federal Financing Bank Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Federal Highway Administration Tax Court
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
Federal Housing Finance Agency Tennessee Valley Authority
Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds Trade and Development Agency
Federal Interagency Committee on Education Transportation Command
Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy Transportation Department
Federal Judicial Center Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Federal Labor Relations Authority Transportation Statistics, Bureau of
Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer Treasury Department
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center TRICARE Management
Federal Library and Information Center Committee Trustee Program
Federal Maritime Commission Trustee Program (Justice Department)
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission U.S. AbilityOne Commission
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) U.S. Access Board
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Federal Railroad Administration U.S. Air Force
Federal Reserve System U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board U.S. Army
Federal Student Aid Information Center U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) U.S. Botanic Garden
Federal Transit Administration U.S. Capitol Police
Federal Voting Assistance Program U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
Financial Management Service (Treasury Department) U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Coast Guard
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
Food Safety and Inspection Service U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Forest Service U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Fossil Energy U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
General Services Administration (GSA) U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
Geological Survey U.S. Fleet Forces Command
Global Affairs (State Department) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Government Accountability Office (GAO) U.S. House of Representatives
Government Ethics, Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Government National Mortgage Association U.S. International Trade Commission
Government Printing Office (GPO) U.S. Military Academy, West Point
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration U.S. Mission to the United Nations
U.S. National Central Bureau - Interpol (Justice Department)
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Health and Human Services Department U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
Health Resources and Services Administration U.S. Senate
Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Office U.S. Sentencing Commission
Helsinki Commission U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe) U.S. Trade Representative
Holocaust Memorial Museum U.S. Trustee Program
Homeland Security Department Unified Combatant Commands (Defense Department)
House Leadership Offices Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
House of Representatives United States Mint
House of Representatives Committees United States Postal Inspection Service
House Office of Inspector General US-CERT
House Office of the Clerk
House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces
Housing Office (HUD) Veterans Affairs Department (VA)
Veterans Benefits Administration
Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission Veterans Day National Committee
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Veterans' Employment and Training Service
Indian Affairs Vietnam Education Foundation
Indian Arts and Crafts Board Voice of America
Indian Health Service
Industrial College of the Armed Forces Washington Headquarters Services
Industry and Security, Bureau of Weather Service
Information Resource Management College West Point (Army)
Information Resources Center Western Area Power Administration
Innovation and Improvement Office White House
Inspectors General White House Commission on Presidential Scholars
Institute of Education Sciences White House Office of Administration
Institute of Museum and Library Services Women's Bureau (Labor Department)
Institute of Peace Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Inter-American Foundation
Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group
Interagency Council on Homelessness
Interior Department
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
International Labor Affairs, Bureau of
International Trade Administration (ITA)
International Trade Commission
Interpol