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Elderly will be hit under GOP policies; Dan Cogley; Beaver County Times; November 16, 2010.
Previous letters from Mr. Cogley were “Let politicians try unemployment” and “Cuban missile déjà vu.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I think I got what Republicans are thinking; they are going to take money from people on Social Security and Medicare and give it to the millionaires.”
[RWC] You’ll note Mr. Cogley provides no examples to support his drive-by innuendo. That’s because Mr. Cogley has no legitimate examples and he knows it. The “Republicans … are going to take money from people on Social Security and Medicare” is a claim Democrats have been making since the very beginning of these programs yet it’s never been attempted. On the other hand, it’s Democrats who take money from those who earn it and give it to those who did not. Mr. Cogley fails to note Obamacare takes $500 billion from Medicare, and you may recall Democrats passed Obamacare without Republican votes.
“When this happens, all of you who voted for the GOP should tell every senior citizen you see that you are sorry and hope they have food on their table.
“Every industrialized country is gauged by how it treats the elderly.
“Just think how we are doing.”
[RWC] This letter shows Mr. Cogley appears to believe in the nanny state. Here’s an excerpt of a critique of a letter by then-State Rep. Frank LaGrotta (D-10) I believe applies to this letter.
“Mr. LaGrotta believes it’s government’s responsibility to provide us with healthcare, though I couldn’t find it mentioned in either the Pennsylvania or U.S. constitutions. This belief flows from a worldview in which we hapless individuals can’t be trusted to make the right choices and thus need the government to be our nanny.
“Need evidence? About his own parents, Mr. LaGrotta told InformationWeek (March 15, 2004), ‘If my parents didn’t have Social Security around to take their money and invest it for them, and if they’d have had to make their own investment decisions, they would have lost it all.’ I don’t know Mr. LaGrotta or his parents, but I think it’s sad he has so little confidence in them.”
Mr. Cogley asserts, “Every industrialized country is gauged by how it treats the elderly.” I disagree. Countries should be gauged by the freedom citizens have to prepare to take care of themselves, not by how dependent government can make the elderly on politicians, political appointees, and government bureaucrats. With the federal government confiscating 15.3% of our paychecks right off the top (The mythical 50% employer “contribution” is really accounting sleight of hand.) for Medicare and Socialist Security, the U.S. would be gauged poorly using this metric. Losing this much of our earnings right off the top limits our ability to provide for our families and future.
In the hands of the government, the return on our paid taxes is so low even the Socialist Security Administration tells us not to depend on Socialist Security benefits for the bulk of our retirement income. If you plan on Medicare and SS benefits as your sole sources of your livelihood during retirement, you plan to live in poverty. On the other hand, 15.3% of your income invested by you in average or even “safe” investments over your working life would allow you to retire very comfortably. Further, you could leave what you don’t use to your heirs. In comparison, unused Medicare and SS benefits return to the government, not your heirs.
It’s amazing how many of us don’t see how dangerous it is for citizens to be dependent on their government for their livelihood. As an old saying goes, he who pays the piper calls the tune. Government should be controlled by “We the People,” not the other way around.
© 2004-2010 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.