US Social Security History of Deceit

HISTORY LESSON ON SOCIAL SECURITY!! 
THE TRUE FACTS! 

Just in case some of you young whipper-snappers (& some older ones) didn't know this.
It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your family 
and friends. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter
whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts.

Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and 
card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the 
United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the 
message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION, was removed.

Our Social Security
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social 
Security (FICA) Program. He promised: 

1.) That participation in the Program would be 
Completely voluntary, 

No longer Voluntary 


2.) That the participants would only have to pay 
1% of the first $1,400 of their annual 
Incomes into the Program, 

Now 7.65% 
on the first $90,000 


3.) That the money the participants elected to put 
into the Program would be deductible from 
their income for tax purposes each year, 

No longer tax deductible 


4.) That the money the participants put into the 
independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the 
general operating fund, and therefore, would 
only be used to fund the Social Security 
Retirement Program, and no other 
Government program, and, 

Under Johnson the money was moved to 
The General Fund and Spent 


5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed
as income. 

Under Clinton & Gore 
Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed 

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are 
now receiving a Social Security check every month -- 
and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of 
the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put 
away' -- you may be interested in the following: 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---- 

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the 
independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the 
general fund so that Congress could spend it? 

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically 
controlled House and Senate. 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -- 

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax 
deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding? 

A: The Democratic Party. 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----- 

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social 
Security annuities? 

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the 
'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the 
Senate, while he was Vice President of the US 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - 

Q: Which Political Party decided to start
giving annuity payments to immigrants? 

AND MY FAVORITE: 

A: That's right! 

Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. 
Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, 
began to receive Social Security payments! The 
Democratic Party gave these payments to them, 
even though they never paid a dime into it! 

------------ -- ------------ --------- ----- ------------ --------- --------- 

Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), 
the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want 
to take your Social Security away! 

And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it! 
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of 
awareness will be planted and maybe changes will 
evolve. 
But it's worth a try. 
How many people can YOU send this to?
IMPORTANT UPDATE....Social Security Just Went Up 2% On 1/1/2013. I Hope You Obama Fans Realize He Lied To You About Not Raising Taxes On The Poor & Middle Class.

The Big Fix - BPs Deepwater Oil Blowout - Blowback

Watch and share this:

The Big Fix movie. Directed by Joshua Tickell

The April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout that killed 11 rig workers and spilled more than 200 million gallons (757 million litres) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Below is an extract from The New York Times article "The Big Spill, Two Years Later" 

published: April 17, 2012  

It's aim along with many MSM newspapers, is to convince you that the problem has gone away and the beaches are mostly clean. 

No mention here of the corruption created by a handful of billionaires who quietly run the political system OR the ignoring of safety issues that created acid rain OR the airborne irritants which have caused long and short term health issues due to dispersal techniques using Corexit.

It reassuringly states that, "Scientists believe that the oil has mostly evaporated, been consumed by bacteria or dispersed in deep water." But as we know scientist were bought off to the tune of $10 million, so we might want to ignore that kind of 'expertise'.

The Big Spill, Two Years Later
Published: April 17, 2012 

Friday is the second anniversary of the explosion at BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and spilled upwards of five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks partly to nature’s resilience, some progress has been made. The gulf is open to fishing, beaches are mostly clean and President Obama has resurrected an ambitious oil exploration plan that he shelved immediately after the spill.

But the healing from this extraordinary act of corporate carelessness is far from complete, and there is important work to be done to minimize the chances that such a disaster will happen again. Here are central issues that remain unresolved:

THE GULF Scientists believe that the oil has mostly evaporated, been consumed by bacteria or dispersed in deep water. Yet oil has poisoned Louisiana’s salt marshes and wetlands, which are vital fish nurseries, and visibly damaged deep-sea coral. The toll on the gulf and its marine life may not be known for years. The herring population of Alaska’s Prince William Sound did not crash until three years after the Exxon Valdez spill. Read More 

And three days later...

The Times-Picayune contradictorily reported "Spilled BP oil lingers on Louisiana coast" by Mark Schleifstein

Published April 20, 2012

When a team of scientists from the National Wildlife Federation recently visited a marshy patch along the northern edge of Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines Parish, high winds forced them to beach their boat on the isle's protected side and walk across cordgrass to the Gulf-facing shoreline in search of oil. They didn't have to search long. 

 The marsh edge "was dotted with asphaltene mats of dried oil," said David Muth, the federation's state director and former director of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. "And there was a dead white pelican, and there was oil on the bird's feathers."
When the television crew accompanying them reached the spot, National Audubon Society ornithologist Melanie Driscoll looked down and pointed at the photographer's shoes, Muth said.

"There was liquid oil bubbling around his shoes," he said.

Two years after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, oil can still be found staining as much as 200 miles of Louisiana's jagged coastline. Read More 


Later in the report,The chairman of the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Garret Graves said,

"...we still have over 200 miles of oiled shoreline. It's unbelievable that two years after the oil spill, we still have that degree of oiling. And we have BP and the Coast Guard trying get out of here, and that's frustrating."

I'd say those people living in the area are literally and otherwise closer to the truth. And the outcome?

A summation from the article in The Guardian
"BP suspended from new US federal contracts over Deepwater disaster" by Suzanne Goldenberg
published extracts: 28th November 2012

On 14 November 2012, BP and the US Department of Justice reached a settlement. BP will pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments and plead guilty to 11 felony counts related to the deaths of the 11 workers. The Justice Department also filed criminal charges against three BP employees. BP still faces payouts to thousands of fishermen, businesses and others harmed by the spill, and what may be the largest penalty of all, the fines under the Clean Water Act, which could reach as much as $21 billion. On 28 November the EPA announced that BP will be temporarily banned from seeking new contracts with the US government because of the oil company's "lack of business integrity" during the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. - Courtesy of The Guardian

And finally this latest news from The Hindu "Gulf of Mexico oil spill: US judge approves settlement in BP class action suit" 
published: 22nd December 2012 


BP has estimated it will pay $7.8 billion to resolve more than 100,000 claims by businesses and individuals from America’s worst offshore oil spill. The settlement has no cap; the company could end up paying more or less.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier approved the settlement in a 125-page ruling issued Friday evening and has not ruled on a medical settlement for cleanup workers and others who say exposure to oil or dispersants made them sick just on economic and property damage claims. Read more. 



I really hope this money is tax free and goes some way towards the rebuilding of the many lives ruined by this disaster and that BP continues in it's obligation to safety and healing their open wounds. 

Isn't it about time we all switched to clean energy?

Link: If you enjoyed this movie you'll also like Fuel - Fields of Fuel also Directed by Joshua Tickell.

Goodbye old friend and good luck

On the election trail. The best President that never was

“Our Constitution, which was intended to limit government power and abuse, has failed,” Dr. Paul tell us. “The Founders warned that a free society depends on a virtuous and moral people. The current crisis reflects that their concerns were justified.”

The Excellent Ron Paul gives his farewell speech to Congress and to the people. We salute the values of a true Libertarian. Goodbye old friend. Your words will resonate and be carried forward. 

It is not often someone comes around who is truly inspirational and is set apart from all the rest. Dr. Paul's magnificence is really in its infancy even though he is 76 years old. I see a man who like so many greats has fought a hard struggle throughout his political life. A man who has been ridiculed and marginalized and kept down in the psyche of the American people. However, the cream always rises to the top and Ron Paul's legacy has only just begun to take off. [This I have extracted from a post I wrote in February as a tribute to the great man]

READ MORE




Links:
Transcript of Farewell Address
In Farewell, Ron Paul Offers Hope Despite Looming Economic Implosion
Ron Paul Departs With ‘Our Constitution Has Failed
Ron Paul’s Farewell Address: The Internet Can Stop Big Government
Ron Paul's farewell address: Right up there with George's - Washington, not Bush
(President) Ron Paul - Philosopher, Prophet, Realist