Repubs Demand Tax Cuts for Millionaires While Forcing Middle Class to Tighten Their Belts; Meanwhile Double Talking Tea Party Repubs Love Pork!

WASHINGTON --Having the Senate declare that millionaires should share more of the pain involved in putting America's financial house in order is "rather pathetic," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) declared Tuesday. Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, made that pronouncement after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort."
The measure describes how well the wealthy have done lately, citing statistics that say the median income of S&P 500 companies chief financial officers jumped $2.9 million last year alone, even though the "median family income has declined by more than $2,500" in the last 10 years. The resolution also notes that 20 percent all income goes to the top 1 percent, and 80 percent of the nation's income growth over the last quarter century has also gone to the top 1 percent.

Sessions and his Republican colleagues found expression of such ideas of little use, and said it only delays getting around to major cuts, including cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Meanwhile, double-talking Republican Congressmen pled for more funding for their pork-laden pet projects while DEMANDING Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Here are some examples:

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) - Port of Cates
On March 8, 2011 Fincher spoke directly with Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about the funds. The next day, he wrote a follow-up letter seeking assistance in "obligating" the $13 million grant for the port. Two days after writing LaHood, Fincher voted for the a Republican House budget that cut billions of dollars, including from many other transportation priorities. His office put out a press release scolding "out of control" and "reckless" federal spending.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio). On March 8, the freshman Republican co-signed a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting that the Department of Transportation fund a project to improve a runway at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. The cost of the improvement: $4.365 million.
Less than a month later, on the floor of the House, he declared that "our nation is broke. The federal government has maxed out its credit card."

On March 1, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him to support a grant application submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Biomass Crop Assistance Program division by MFA Oil Biomass LLC. The company was spearheading a project to "provide farmers an alternative energy crop source, as well as new crop processing technology." An infusion of federal funding, Crawford added, would "create a significant number of new jobs for Arkansas."

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), for instance, wrote the Department of Agriculture on February 14, asking for $7,498,015 in cash and commodities contributions for the American Nicaraguan Foundation and Fabretto Children's Foundation -- groups that run education, health and nutrition programs in Nicaragua. Neither the congressman's office nor the Fabretto Children's Foundation returned requests for comment as to whether the funding went through. At a time when foreign aid is considered low-hanging fruit in the search for spending reductions, Walsh may have wanted to avoid drawing attention to that expense.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), was criticized for putting out a press release on March 17 that praised the issuance of a $21 million federal grant to the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport for the construction of a second commercial runway. And Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) was praised locally, but raised some eyebrows nationally, when he sought federal grants and other aid for Staten Island’s two hospital systems.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), one of those freshmen, secured $10 million to purchase land for training facilities as well as $19.9 million for ship preliminary design and feasibility studies. Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), another freshman, secured $2.5 million for weapons and munitions advanced technology -- money that could end up in the Quad City Manufacturing Lab at the Rock Island Arsenal, located in his district.

Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) to co-sign an April 6 letter to the Department of Agriculture requesting that unused funds be spent helping the Rocky Mountain Region combat a bark beetle epidemic. It also seemed to be the thought process behind another letter Noem wrote to the Agriculture Department, demanding that South Dakota get its fair share of federal funds for wildfire damage control. Noem's office did not return a request for comment.

States Kicking Granny to the Curb!

CNN Reports: States Kicking Granny to the Curb! For the elderly, state budget cuts could mean no more daily hot meals and exercise classes to help prevent falls. At worst, some could even lose their beds at the nursing home. These and other lifelines for seniors may disappear as governors and lawmakers slash spending to close an estimated $112 billion in budget shortfalls, advocates say. Many state officials say they don't want to reduce senior services, but they have little choice due to massive deficits. But it's not all bad news. The funding for one senior program in Georgia was restored after legislators agreed the service was too important to cut.

Here's a look at what's at risk for many of the nation's elderly.
Shuttering nursing homes
Among the most dramatic of the proposed cuts is the severe reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates to nursing homes in Texas. Facing a shortfall of up to $27 billion, state lawmakers want to reduce the rate by 10%. But payments to nursing homes would plummet by a total of 34% because they would also lose federal matching funds.

Happy 65th birthday, boomers. Now what?
This could result in the shuttering of 850 of the state's 1,000 nursing homes, forcing up to 45,000 elderly residents to find other accommodations, said David Thomason, chair of the Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition. Texas nursing homes already lose money on Medicaid patients so they could not absorb another reduction, facility operators say. If rates were cut further, many would be forced to stop participating in the Medicaid program and would need to either close the buildings or convert them to other health-related uses.
As it is, Sears Methodist Retirement System in Austin has to solicit donations and charge private patients more to make up the $4 million loss it suffers on its Medicaid residents, said Keith Perry, who heads the non-profit. If the cuts go through, Sears Methodist would have to stop caring for its roughly 400 Medicaid patients, whose average age is 84. "There's no way we could staff those facilities at those reimbursement rates," Perry said. This scenario is terrifying Carol Poor, whose 83-year-old mother lives in an Alzheimer's unit at Christian Care Centers in Gunter, a town north of Dallas. If her mother were discharged, Poor said she would have to retire early from her secretarial job to care for her mother since neither can afford to pay for a nurse or nursing home. "My mother worked and paid taxes all these years," said Poor. "She deserves someone to be there for her." Texas lawmakers did not return calls seeking comment.

Losing their center
On a recent Wednesday in March, dozens of elderly New Yorkers gathered at the Clinton Senior Center in midtown Manhattan for an hour-long yoga class, followed by a hot lunch of pork chops, potatoes, and carrots.
But they soon may have to fend for themselves if New York State does not restore $27 million in funding for New York City's senior centers. Without this money, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he'll have to close 105 of the city's 256 centers. Clinton would be one of them.
The center's services are critical to keeping these low-income senior citizens living at home, said David Gillcrist, executive director of Project Find, which runs Clinton. They receive a nutritious meal and take classes that improve their balance, strength and confidence. Equally as important, they are able to socialize with friends and not become isolated and depressed. All these services help keep the seniors out of hospitals and nursing homes, which would ultimately cost the city a lot more than the $367,000 it provides to Clinton, Gillcrist said. "It makes no sense to gut one-third of the support network that lets senior citizens age independently," he said.
The city's Department of Aging is trying to blunt the impact of the cuts by maintaining as many services as possible, said a Bloomberg spokesman. But the city, which is facing a $4.6 billion shortfall, cannot make up for the elimination of the state funds. A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not return an email seeking comment.

Wake Up TeaPartiers! Wake Up Republicans! Give America a Chance!

Republicans and Tea Partiers are an enigma. They have so many supporters that DO NOT HAVE A CLUE regarding their Leaders' true agenda. When you think about the Tea Party members, most of them are over 50. Many/most are receiving or are approaching receiving Social Security and Medicare. There are many on medicaid or on some type of support, particularly those in the South. They ARE the Working Poor, for Heaven's Sake! Most TeaParty Members have children or grandchildren in school. Most are currently or soon will be receiving the type of aid they are advocating against. Don't they know this? Don't they realize this? Are they that blind, deaf and dumb? Are they so brain-washed that they don't get it?

From my perspective, I have worked and paid taxes for over 40 years. I love our country. I believe in our country. I have paid my taxes and social security taxes all of my life. I've never asked a dime from anyone. I view social security as a paid benefit. I've paid into social security all of my life. If I live another 30 years, I may get paid back for all I've contributed. Maybe not. But I knew going in, that it was a benefit based on my contributions. I think most people, if they stop and think about it, think like I do. WE'VE PAID INTO SOCIAL SECURITY and MEDICARE ALL OF OUR LIVES!!! THIS IS A BENEFIT WHICH WE SHOULD RECEIVE BASED UPON OUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

The Republican/Tea Party Agenda DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS! They want to Eliminate Social Security and Medicare AS WE KNOW IT and change it to some type of Privatized program RUN BY BIG BUSINESS where recipients start over and contribute into some Private Program THEY develop!

So I ask you, WHY are Tea Partiers fighting AGAINST THIS? I don't get it! Social Security is PAID FOR! There is NO SHORTAGE on Social Security at this time (It is PAID for -- for 20 years). WHY STOP IT? Yet Republicans and TeaPartiers are advocating changing it to some type of Private Contribution program. In other words, allow some Big Business group to manage the program and then we ALL start Over and pay into some type of 401K program. Anyone who has ever had a 401K program knows how that goes. Give anyone access to their money (as a 401K does) and upon their 1st Emergency, withdraw funds. This is a joke! WE NEED GUARANTEED CARE FOR OUR OLD FOLKS! AND, those of us who have PAID INTO the program for 40 years, we NEED to be Paid Back!

Medicare is Another whole story. The government has allowed Healthcare providers to manage Medicare programs since its inception and even more so since the Prescription Drug Programs came into effect in 2006. The reason for the shortages in Medicare today is due to Private Healthcare Company abuses. Ask anyone who is familiar with Medicare Programs. They will tell you the same.

My wish and hope is for the Tea Party members to WAKE UP! Study! Learn the Facts! Stop living in this delusion! Give America a Chance!

Republican Tea Party Senator-Elect Rand Paul Advocates Cutting Social Security and Medicare! (Feed the Elderly Cat Food!)

WASHINGTON - Tea Party superstar Rand Paul bucked the GOP leadership on Sunday by pushing drastic budget-cutting proposals, including a 10% pay slash for federal workers.

Paul, the Republican senator-elect from Kentucky, said on ABC's "This Week" that Social Security, Medicare and defense should also be "on the table."

"You have to look at entitlements," he said.

Another person advocating CAT FOOD for the elderly!

Republican Alan Simpson (Chair of Debt Commission) Demanding Cut & Delay of Social Security and Medicare for the Elderly! Forces Them to Eat Cat Food!

The Debt Commission, led by Republican Alan Simpson, is making recommendations to CUT & DELAY Social Security and Medicare, leaving our Seniors to EAT CAT FOOD!

The formation of the Debt Commission (some media outlets are calling it "President Obama's Debt Commission" or "The White House Debt Commission") was originally a Congressionally proposed recommendation for a Commission to be formed to create bipartisan legislation requiring a Congressional vote on its recommendations as presented, without any amendments. In January of 2010, that bill failed in the Senate by a vote of 53-46, when six Republicans who had co-sponsored it nevertheless voted against it. Thereafter, President Obama established the Commission by executive order 13531. Republican Senator Alan Simpson was appointed as co-chair of this bi-partisan Commission.

Republican Simpson, initially supported by both Republican and Democrats as co-chair, has created a number of media frenzies with his blatant and radical outbursts. Back in August, Simpson sent an email to the executive director of the National Older Women’s League in which he described Social Security as being an entitlement program “like a cow with 310 million tits." (WOW!)

Now, Simpson, as co-chair of the Debt Commission, has foregone the support of the members on his committee and has blatantly come out and presented his so-called "committee recommendations" even though the members of the committee DO NOT AGREE WITH IT!

And now Simpson has sparked a political firestorm Wednesday with the early release of his recommendations...a report proposing sweeping changes to Social Security, Medicare and the tax code. Simpson’s plan would increase the Social Security retirement age and limit yearly cost-of-living increases to the rate of inflation rather than of wage growth. The cut in annual increases would affect current retirees! This was supposed to be off the table for the Commission. This means Seniors benefits would go down by about 3 percent after they’ve been retired for 10 years, and about 6 percent after they’ve been retired for 20 years. (Unbelievable!!)

And the retirement age increase is just a particularly cruel way of cutting benefits. The age at which the elderly can retire on full Social Security benefits is already increasing to 67 by 2027. Simpson’s plan would “index” the retirement age to increase in longevity, meaning it would hit 68 in about 2050 and 69 in about 2075.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had this to say about it: “It is reprehensible to ask working people, including many who do physically-demanding labor, to work until they are 69 years of age. It also is totally impractical. As they compete for jobs with 25-year-olds, many older workers will go unemployed and have virtually no income. Frankly, there will not be too much demand within the construction industry for 69-year-old bricklayers.”

New York Times opinion columnist Paul Krugman also pointed out that “the people who really depend on Social Security, those in the bottom half of the distribution, aren’t living much longer. So you’re going to tell janitors to work until they’re 70 because lawyers are living longer than ever.”

At the end of the day, only Republicans/Tea Partiers will support these recommendations. After all, anyone who supports irrational tax cuts for the rich will have no qualms about asking the Elderly in our country to be forced to eat CAT FOOD!