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| A local farm |
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Our new county commission voted to give themselves a huge increase in retirement benefits based on years served. They should be like everyone else and take a cut instead. This is the same bunch who put a whopping raise on our property taxes and then reappraised the worth of our homes to unrealistic values so they could squeeze even more money from us. The property tax increase was put in place because the county citizens voted down a wheel tax. The new revenue was supposed to go to education improvements but it seems to be making its way into the same old Republican pockets. Our personal household income has fallen nearly thirty percent in the past one and one-half years and that does not take inflation into account. There will probably be no increase in social security benefits for retirees again this next year; the government says inflation is under control. They should check health care prices before making such claims. Not only are the prices dramatically increasing, but as we grow older we need more medical services and it is basically devastating to people who have no income except the monthly government check. Even those people who were doing fairly well with other retirement sources of income have seen some or all of it cut because of the Bush economic fiasco. I took a $5 per month cut in my SS check beginning last January because the Medicare premium price increased and I will probably take another cut January coming. Five dollars doesn't sound like much to lose each month, but it could be my co-pay on a needed prescription medicine. Carolyn has absolutely no health insurance; she can no longer afford it.
Another bitch is the county and city business taxes; small-business owners have to pay the tax on every penny of income the business generates with no deductions for the cost of doing business and she has to pay to both government entities. The State of Tennessee is super friendly to big business but pays only lip service to small businesses. A few years back, Carolyn paid taxes on $105,000 in business generated income but she profited only $27,000 and then had to pay federal taxes on that amount. To make it worse, she had to pay the 9.5% sales tax on all the stuff she had to buy to stay in business. Her bring-home pay is now well less than $20,000 per year; not even $10 per hour for her work and I will get nothing for the time I spend keeping books and records. At least I am now officially off of Social Security Disability and onto regular retirement which means I can get paid for working for her if she had money with which to pay me. Phooey!
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My wrist is again getting sore so this may be the last blog for awhile. I never know from day-to-day what is going to be hurting.
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Have a Thursday!
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Our new county commission voted to give themselves a huge increase in retirement benefits based on years served. They should be like everyone else and take a cut instead. This is the same bunch who put a whopping raise on our property taxes and then reappraised the worth of our homes to unrealistic values so they could squeeze even more money from us. The property tax increase was put in place because the county citizens voted down a wheel tax. The new revenue was supposed to go to education improvements but it seems to be making its way into the same old Republican pockets. Our personal household income has fallen nearly thirty percent in the past one and one-half years and that does not take inflation into account. There will probably be no increase in social security benefits for retirees again this next year; the government says inflation is under control. They should check health care prices before making such claims. Not only are the prices dramatically increasing, but as we grow older we need more medical services and it is basically devastating to people who have no income except the monthly government check. Even those people who were doing fairly well with other retirement sources of income have seen some or all of it cut because of the Bush economic fiasco. I took a $5 per month cut in my SS check beginning last January because the Medicare premium price increased and I will probably take another cut January coming. Five dollars doesn't sound like much to lose each month, but it could be my co-pay on a needed prescription medicine. Carolyn has absolutely no health insurance; she can no longer afford it.
Another bitch is the county and city business taxes; small-business owners have to pay the tax on every penny of income the business generates with no deductions for the cost of doing business and she has to pay to both government entities. The State of Tennessee is super friendly to big business but pays only lip service to small businesses. A few years back, Carolyn paid taxes on $105,000 in business generated income but she profited only $27,000 and then had to pay federal taxes on that amount. To make it worse, she had to pay the 9.5% sales tax on all the stuff she had to buy to stay in business. Her bring-home pay is now well less than $20,000 per year; not even $10 per hour for her work and I will get nothing for the time I spend keeping books and records. At least I am now officially off of Social Security Disability and onto regular retirement which means I can get paid for working for her if she had money with which to pay me. Phooey!
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My wrist is again getting sore so this may be the last blog for awhile. I never know from day-to-day what is going to be hurting.
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Have a Thursday!
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6 comments:
I'm back and I missed you all. We saw a great Air Show in MA, worth traveling to CT to see the look on Mike's face as the Thunderbirds and others zoomed overhead.
The weather was pretty yucky the rest of the time, rainy and slightly chilly. All those cutsie sun dresses stayed in the suitcase and I ran over to the Goodwill to find some long pants and a T-shirt. Plus I caught a nasty something and have been sick. It was a pleasant "family visit."
CT is lovely this time of year and my garden looks like crapola compairatively. I think my son had parties in the house and I've been akin to a bloodhound sniffing my furniture, pillows, and looking in the trash for clues. I've found a few and called him on it but I'm sure I missed a bunch.
Gotta get busy making up work as I'll have no paycheck this week. I can relate to your blog Ken. I've encountered some of those same issues with my business. back to ramen noodles and rice/beans for us. Have a lovely Thursday.
Happy you are back home safe and at least semi-sound. The Thunderbirds are awesome.
Boys will be boys! I suppose that is the problem, isn't it? Your son will keep you amused until he settles down in about 20 more years. :-)
I like ramen noodles, but we are mostly eating peanut butter and crackers.
Thanks, Tammy.
Nice that Tammy returned. I have my family visit on Saturday.
I'm sorry for your sore wrist, my dear Ken.
xo
Thanks, Jola.
I hope a safe trip for all of you when you go out of town.
Vote the bums out. Start a recall petition.
Soon it will a country of rich and poor.
People here are too lethargic to do anything about bad politicians.
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