TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart You heard the term and probably dismissed it. It doesn’t apply to or interest you. However, age discrimination is one of the most serious and overlooked crimes in America. America was a capitalistic society, but has become a plutocracy: rule by the super-rich. If a group of Americans do not produce commodities, which result in outrageous profits for their corporations, they are of little or no importance in the 21 st century. I’m not saying that I, or any other older American has no use after the age of 65 or 70. Quite the contrary. Personally, I have become physically disabled, but my mind is as sharp or sharper than it was 20 years ago. However, I know for a fact that if my physical disabilities did not exist, no one would hire me at the disgusting age of 79. But Trump is your president, and he is three weeks my senior. Millions of Americans support an elderly man who is clearly suffering from dementia. In 2009 I was hired by the Decennial Census. After I com...

For the many Constitutional Violations and breaks with normal and well thought out practices prior to their invasion of Washington D.C., Trump and Musk should be locked in a holding cell right now. However, one arrogant old man who ignores the Law of the Land, Elon Musk, is violating a direct order by a federal judge and at the same time violating the Constitution. Remember, this incompetent man from South Africa has no respect for the law or rights of the American people. The ignorant old man is nothing more than a racist interfering in our nation’s government, and although he is forbidden access to Social Security records, he has found a way to circumvent the judge’s order. Remember, he does not have a security clearance at any level. My wife accidentally discovered a website intended to mislead current and new Social Security recipients. The lies offered are dangerous and a reason to place Musk in prison for many years. Of course that won’t happen, In America the rich and powerful a...

The greatest law ever passed. That was Social Security in 1935. However, your corrupt government used our money; the money we and our employers contributed, to fund other programs for the sole purpose of securing votes from the uninformed. Let me make this perfectly clear: the government is using our money, money we placed into a retirement account, to fund other programs they used to get votes. Call it embezzlement or thievery, it doesn’t matter. Your incompetent and corrupt government is composed of criminals and grifters. Look at the list of programs your government uses to play politics with your money. Supplemental Security Income Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Food and Nutrition Assistance Housing Assistance Low-Income Home Energy Assistance General Assistance Earned Income Tax Credit At 78, I have adopted a personal policy I dislike, but have no choice but to face the truth: trust no one with great wealth and/or great power. Op-ed by James Turnage If you follow my blog,...

I still remember 1981. I, and millions of other Americans were fooled by an actor. His words allowed us to believe that he would serve all Americans after his 1980 election. However, almost immediately Ronald Reagan earned his label as one of the worst presidents in American history. He waged wars against minorities, the working class, women, and all non-Christians. Trump, who has never taken action based on his own ideas, is now waging war on older Americans and the disabled. He and Musk are making changes to the Social Security Administration which prevent it from being an efficient agency, mandatory for the survival more than 80 million Americans. Approximately 73 million retirees rely on Social Security for most or all of their income. We earned our money: it does not belong to the federal government. We and our employers contributed to the program through payroll deductions. The amount we receive is based on the amount we contributed. If the federal government impedes payment to e...

Hey dumbasses: Social Security is not an entitlement: it is our money. I hope every right-wing politician reads this. Someone needs to inform these morons of the facts. In August of 1935, the greatest president in history signed a bill making Social Security a reality. Every American worker, and their employers would contribute to a retirement fund. It was perfect. Social Security would not receive funding from the general fund. It would be fully funded by individuals, and the amount of money received at retirement age would be based on the amount of money contributed by each individual worker and his or her employer. If Social Security is under-funded today, the fault clearly lies with our incompetent and corrupt government. In 2017 Trump chose billionaire Wilbur Ross to be his Secretary of Commerce. His only qualification involved Trump’s puppeteer, Vladimir Putin. Ross had been the President of the Bank of Cyprus. The bank was owned by Putin. This year Trump chose billionaire Howard...

The greatest president in American history was without a doubt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Rightfully known as “the People’s President, his policies were always focused on all Americans and protected the working class from greedy men who sought to control their workers by underpaying them for their efforts, requiring tortuously long hours and working conditions, and children were not exempt. On August 14, 1935, FDR signed the only perfect bill in our nation’s history. It was designed to guarantee a retirement fund for all Americans. It is known today as Social Security. It was fully funded by employee and employer contributions. The only government involvement needed was administration. Republicans lie and call Social Security an “entitlement.” If the program is going broke, as they claim, it is because of government corruption and incompetence. The worst government in the world has stolen money from the American people for the last 90 years. Every penny my wife and I receive is based ...

  Trump is three weeks older than yours truly. He has been using “other people’s money,” including taxpayer’s, for decades to live the lifestyle of a real billionaire. He is totally unaware of what life is like for a 78-year-old man and his 74-year-old wife in 21 st century America, and he doesn’t care. I can tell you: it is very, very difficult. Add together multiple factors and you will begin to understand the challenges faced by most of America’s older citizens. Everyone over the age of 70 has physical impairments: major or minor. Whether we face chronic ailments from the result of aging, or physical challenges, every older American faces impediments to their daily life. Sadly, a large percentage are fighting mental disabilities which make life nearly unbearable for themselves and their loved ones. What none of us should struggle with is the ability to purchase the necessities required to live a healthy, comfortable, and safe lifestyle. My bride and I have a single source of in...

The only word which describes Washington today is chaos. This chaos was created intentionally by two men who hate their country. Thousands of men and women are living in fear, not knowing what will happen to them and their families as Musk continues mass firings. Musk, claiming to be the richest man in the world, although most with the knowledge achieved from reading facts believe that Vladimir Putin is by far the wealthiest man alive, has no interest in the average American worker. His only goal is to increase his already bloated and undeserved personal wealth. Trump has never displayed any interest in the plight of another human being in 78 years. One issue under great scrutiny is Social Security. America’s two greatest villains are already planning cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. However, Social Security is extremely unique, and if they make any changes to America’s only retirement program, it will be the commission of the greatest crime in our nation’s history. I doubt that the two ...

This article is for anyone who was ignorant enough to vote for the worst illegitimate president in history. Trump promised that on day one he would lower inflation. He now says that he cannot or will not ask his 756 oligarchs/billionaires to take lower profits for themselves by lowering prices at the grocery store. You might remember that Kamala Harris promised that she would lower both prices and taxes for the working class. I have no doubt she would have kept that promise. She also warned you that he would take money from the working class to enable his plan to give his 756 oligarchs additional tax cuts. We now know his plan. On Sunday, the contents of his scam were revealed. He will make cuts to essentials: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veteran’s benefits. What a great humanitarian: NOT! Nazis Trump and Musk are heartless, self-serving bastards. I consider their plans an act of treason against the majority of our nation’s people. In a televised event they should be hung t...

Republicans are wrong about nearly everything in the 21 st century. The biggest pile of bullshit they try to feed the American people is the lie about Social Security and Medicare: they are not entitlements. There are several definitions of the term, none of which apply to the programs Social Security and Medicare. [The right to receive a benefit or privilege, often granted by law or contract. For example, you have a legal entitlement to speak to a lawyer if you are arrested.] [The feeling that you deserve to receive something, without having to work for it or earn it. For example, "celebrities who have an arrogant sense of entitlement"] [A program that provides benefits to a specific group of people. For example, medical aid for the elderly and poor.] Fact: Social Security was originally entirely funded by the employer and employee through payroll deductions. Medicare was similar, although the percentage of deductions were smaller, and there was no way to anticipate the rid...

These two articles appear to have no relationship to the other. However, the truth is, they fit like a hand in a glove. “Trump backtracks on vow to lower grocery costs” “Mark Zuckerberg donates $1M to Trump after suppressing political content” I hate social media. Most Americans will believe anything if it fits closely with their own, uninformed beliefs. Mark Zukerberg, the owner of “Facebook/Meta, strongly supports Trump for one reason: Trump gives tax breaks to billionaires. However, he has no interest in the truth. This may surprise you, but the truth is, if Trump’s lips are moving, he’s lying. Not once in his lifetime has he told the truth in public. Now, let’s put one and one together. Trump will do nothing to lower the prices of necessities. However, everything will become more expensive if he places huge tariffs on imported goods. Billionaires own the corporations which produce our food and other necessary goods to maintain life. Zuckerberg is a billionaire. Need I say...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I began working in 1962, at the age of 16. The owner of a gas station across the street from my church hired me for one dollar an hour. I was scheduled to work 13 hours on Saturdays. No such thing as overtime. I pumped gas, checked the oil level, made sure the batteries were filled with fluid, washed windows, and made our customers feel welcome. Inside the bay I changed oil, lubricated the undercarriage of cars and trucks, and repaired tires. I was never without a job after that first day at the gas station, with the exception of time spent in the U.S. Air Force until I was let go in 2008 from my job in a warehouse as America experienced the “great recession.” I looked for work for a while, but at the age of 62, no one offered me a position. Then, early in 2009 I saw an ad seeking individuals to work in the 2010 decennial census. I won’t bore you with the details, but my time in the working world ended before the last two months of 2010 became history. I had wor...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I have no doubt that the brass in the Pentagon is pleased and proud that the government of the United States spends five-times more money on its military budget than all other nations combined. But why does our government continue to raise the Pentagon’s annual budget when it wastes 50 cents of every dollar they receive? (The latter according to several “watchdog groups.”) We are a nation which is constantly preparing for the next war. However, there are no plans for permanent peace. It is undeniable that if a third World War begins, it will end with the complete destruction of our planet. So, why does our military continue to pay for the manufacture of machines to fight ground wars? Not a single “conventional war” has been fought since WWII. Let me offer one classic example of military waste and plans for spending even more taxpayer dollars on equipment which will likely do nothing but gather dust until a new version comes along. Our military has about 3,700 Br...

Op -ed by TheWiseOldFart   Most Americans Continue to Struggle   I begin with a serious question: when will the quality of life for all Americans become the focus of our nation’s government? I am an original baby boomer. I learned at a very young age that the end of WWII was the beginning of the next military conflict for America. As long as I can remember, our government and its military have been preparing for the next war.   America has Never Prepared for Peace   The truth is that in 2024, the American people pay the least amount of tax in the world of developed nations. Many of our wealthiest citizens and largest corporations pay zero dollars in taxes, or a very minimal percentage of their gross income s . The truth is that the United States tax code is 6,871 pages long. Most of those pages are “loopholes” for the super-rich, allowing them to reduce their tax liability.   The United States Spends Five Times More on its Military than All Other Nations ...