Caregiver Update and Other Stuff

Here is a reference for caregivers who are coping with the dilemma and demands of meeting needs of those afflicted with Alzheimers. The Mercer County Office on Aging supplied us with this link and the website is a good one to answer questions and provide tangible ways to help. http://www.aoa.gov/aoaroot/Press_Room/News/2012/2012_04 News on the Social Security Front: Michael Hiltzik, writing for latimes.com/business, (26 Apr 2012) suggests that we "beef up Social Security benefits instead of cutting them". Wow. Heresy.He points out that the latest reports on the condition of the fund neglects to tell us that the program had a surplus of $69 billion last year, increasing to almost $2.7 TRILLION. Hiltzik goes on to say that latest numbers indicate that over 55 million people depend on Social Security program benefits. 20 million Americans rely on it for supplement income to bring them up to poverty level and that money goes right back into the economy in the form of goods and services they need to survive. 20 MILLION Americans at the poverty level rely on the trust fund just to have a roof over their heads or food on the table. Here is a thought for you, if those amounts were increased, they would amount to a BOOST to the economy. That seems to be more productive than bonuses to bank bailouts where bonuses were paid because of "contract obligations" and other nonsense, padding accounts for the millionaire upper one percent in our economy. Another thing, that one percent, holding 99 percent of our resources, has a tendency to hold itself apart from the lower poverty level of our society. It holds or reinvests into money making enterprises and does not trickle down. Since trickle down has not worked for the last fifty years, it is time to be creative and Mr. Hiltzik's suggestion has merit. When workplace benefits and pension funds fell apart, there was an effort to emphasize personal savings and investments as an alternative to Social Security. Recent stock market debacles showed that was not a wise alternative. Social Security is still the best bet if we can keep Congress out of the piggy bank. No more borrowing (to fight senseless wars) at the expense of our aging retirement community. Period. Please. And another thought.... Waiting for the numbers of "Baby Boomers" to swell the ranks of senior citizens may be cause for apprehension among some pessimists fretting about stretching resources. On the other hand, this is a great opportunity for to welcome millions of new volunteers, with new leisure time, into a world where their talent and experience can make a difference. Seniors rock.