AN OPEN LETTER TO REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS

I voted for you on the off chance you could slow, if not stop, the destruction of this country.  I did NOT vote for you to go to Washington and roll over for President Obama.

I am glad the sequestration is about to kick in.  As a nation, if we cannot cut 3 cents of every dollar currently proposed to be spent, they we are in deep doodoo already.  I’m not happy with the defense cuts because I happen to think we live in a more dangerous world than ever before, and I think national security should be a priority.

The Defense Department is railing about not being able to fuel its ships or deploy the carrier fleet USS Harry S. Truman.  I agree we need to be battle ready.  To the Republicans, I suggest passing a one paragraph BILL funding that carrier fleet for one year.  Offset the cost by cutting foreign aid to Egypt  [or to some OTHER country that loves us] in the same amount.  Send it to Obama.  He can sign it or not – it becomes his decision:  NATIONAL SECURITY OR FOREIGN AID.

We want border security.  Pass a one page bill funding everything required to secure the borders.  Offset these expenditures by cutting an equal amount from the EPA.  Send it to Obama.  He can sign it or not – it becomes his decision:  BORDER SECURITY OR MORE REGULATIONS.

I did NOT vote for you to go to Washington and roll over for President Obama.  Start cutting spending, one line item at a time.  

STOP GIVING AWAY AMERICA TO THE SOCIALIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

As for my neighbor State of Virginia, which has thousands of defense employees and contractors that may be furloughed or laid off, including many at the Pentagon, Norfolk shipyards, and Hampton Roads, to mention a few…. I say this.  You voted for Obama, your state went in his column last November…. Elections have consequences.  Deal with it.

Anyone wishing to use the first five paragraphs in this rant to share this opinion with your senators or representative,  please feel free to do so.  You can locate them at the following links:

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

WANNA RETIRE? PLAN AHEAD...... WAY AHEAD

Jesse Helms, former North Carolina Senator, was a Conservative’s conservative.  You could count on him to vote ‘NO’ on anything put forth by the left, and on most things put forth by the right.  He treated the federal purse like his own wallet and almost always voted on the side of reducing expenditures, and not incurring new ones.

In the 90’s Helms supported a bill allowing personal retirement accounts as a supplement to Social Security. [It went down in flames.]  Ahead of his time, he proposed privatizing Social Security and getting the government out of the retirement business. [His fellow Senators backed away from him like he was contagious.]  Bush 43 made a valiant effort to privatize Social Security and lost most of his ‘political capital’ doing it.  The left went berserk and screamed ‘HE WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY’.  Today we are paying the price for this demagoguery.  This can’t be fixed quickly, and it will NEVER be fixed if we don’t BEGIN.

There are two types of employer sponsored retirement plans:  Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution.

A defined benefit retirement plan is a type of pension plan in which an employer/sponsor promises a specified monthly benefit on retirement that is predetermined by a formula based on the employee's earnings history, tenure of service and age.  It also assumes that the employer will stay afloat long enough to fulfill these promises.  Monies are placed in accounts for the employee – very small amounts early in their tenure, but as the employee approaches retirement, the contributions increase drastically in order to arrive at that ‘promised amount’.  The biggest employer offering a defined benefit plan is the government.  Not just the federal government but most state governments as well. Social Security is also a defined benefit plan.  We are promised $X when we reach a given age, no matter WHAT we have personally contributed to the plan.  And there is no time limit on how long you can collect it.  The federal government is bleeding dollars because of this, yet those we elect refuse to do anything about it. And sadly, we have a citizenry too stupid or too apathetic to realize this cannot continue.

The private sector figured out years ago that the DB retirement plans would be a drain on the bottom line, and most went to the Defined Contribution, such as the 401K.  They tell you how much they are going to pay into your retirement plan NOW, allow YOU to invest in it as well, the plan is in YOUR name and usually under your control…. and you can plan your golden years when you are young.

If the government would go to the defined contribution plan (in other words, privatize Social Security and let the individual manage their own account within parameters set by the government) eventually, by attrition, the current SS system would simply fade away (or as Newt famously said – and was destroyed for saying – it would die on the vine).  A phasing IN of private accounts would one day get the government mostly OUT of the retirement business – at least for those citizens who WORK for a living.  The government also needs to change the retirement plan for all new hires, moving away from DB and into DC plans.

BTW – if you are eligible to have a ROTH IRA and don’t have one….. DO IT!  It’s the very best retirement plan ever created for the working person.  You contribute dollars you pay taxes on NOW (unlike a 401K), you get NO tax benefit NOW (unlike a 401K) but when you withdraw from it, you pay NO tax on the principal – only the earnings.  The attractive part of this is – you have NO IDEA what tax bracket you will be in when you retire, especially if people like Obama want to keep increasing the tax RATES.

Check this link to see if you qualify:

http://www.moneychimp.com/articles/rothira/contribution_limits.htm

http://www.smartmoney.com/taxes/income/when-roth-ira-withdrawals-arent-taxfree-1293571638217/

IS THERE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOR......

If anyone wonders why we are up to our you-know-what in rules, regulations and DEBT - look at this list of government agencies and departments - all with their own little world to protect, fund and justify.  

According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM),  as of December 2011, there were approximately [1] 2.79 MILLION CIVIL SERVANTS *** (civilian, i.e. non-uniformed) employed by the US Government.   (This includes executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. This also includes more than 600,000 United States Postal workers.)  [***ROFLMAO @ 'servants']

Not one of these generates an income - they only suck your tax dollars into oblivion.....

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population

THERE ARE MORE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NON-MILITARY EMPLOYEES THAN THE POPULATION OF 20 OF THE STATES!

AbilityOne Commission		James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Access Board		Japan-United States Friendship Commission
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)		Job Corps
Administration for Native Americans		John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Administration on Aging (AoA)		Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries
Administration on Developmental Disabilities		Joint Chiefs of Staff
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register		Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Administrative Conference of the United States		Joint Fire Science Program
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts		Joint Forces Command
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation		Joint Forces Staff College
African Development Foundation		Joint Military Intelligence College
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)		Judicial Circuit Courts of Appeal
Agency for International Development (USAID)		Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry		Justice Department
Agricultural Marketing Service		Justice Programs, Office of
Agricultural Research Service		Justice Statistics, Bureau of
Agriculture Department		Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of
Air Force
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau		Labor Department (DOL)
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau		Labor Statistics, Bureau of
American Battle Monuments Commission		Land Management, Bureau of
AmeriCorps		Legal Services Corporation
Amtrak		Library of Congress
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Antitrust Division		Marine Corps
Appalachian Regional Commission		Marine Mammal Commission
Architect of the Capitol		Maritime Administration
Archives (National Archives and Records Administration)		Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department)
Arctic Research Commission		Marshals Service
Armed Forces Retirement Home		Mediation and Concitiation Service, Office of
Arms Control and International Security		Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
Army		Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
Army Corps of Engineers		Merit Systems Protection Board
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee		Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
		Military Postal Service Agency
Bankruptcy Courts		Millennium Challenge Corporation
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program		Mine Safety and Health Administration
Bonneville Power Administration		Minority Business Development Agency
Botanic Garden		Mint
Broadcasting Board of Governors		Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade		Mississippi River Commission
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives		Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)		Multifamily Housing Office
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)		National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Bureau of Industry and Security		National Agricultural Statistics Service
Bureau of International Labor Affairs		National AIDS Policy Office
Bureau of Justice Statistics		National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Bureau of Labor Statistics		National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)		National Capital Planning Commission
Bureau of Prisons		National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
Bureau of Reclamation		National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
Bureau of the Census		National Constitution Center
Bureau of the Public Debt		National Council on Disability (NCD)
Bureau of Transportation Statistics		National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of
		National Credit Union Administration
Capitol Police		National Defense University
Capitol Visitor Center		National Drug Intelligence Center
Census Bureau		National Economic Council
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition		National Endowment for the Arts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)		National Endowment for the Humanities
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)		National Gallery of Art
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)		National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board		National Guard
Chief Acquisition Officers Council		National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Chief Financial Officers Council		National Indian Gaming Commission
Chief Human Capital Officers Council		National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Chief Information Officers Council		National Institute of Justice
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee		National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)		National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Coast Guard		National Interagency Fire Center
Commerce Department		National Labor Relations Board
Commission of Fine Arts		National Laboratories (Energy Department)
Commission on Civil Rights		National Marine Fisheries Service
Commission on International Religious Freedom		National Mediation Board
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)		National Nuclear Security Administration
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements		National Ocean Service
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States		National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)		National Park Foundation
Community Planning and Development		National Park Service
Compliance, Office of		National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT)		National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
Congress—U.S. House of Representatives		National Reconnaissance Office
Congress—U.S. Senate		National Science Foundation
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)		National Security Agency (NSA)
Congressional Research Service		National Security Council
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau		National Technical Information Service
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)		National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention		National Transportation Safety Board
Copyright Office		National War College
Corporation for National and Community Service		National Weather Service (NOAA)
Corps of Engineers		Natural Resources Conservation Service
Council of Economic Advisers		Navy
Council on Environmental Quality		Northern Command
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces		Northwest Power Planning Council
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit		Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims		Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Court of Federal Claims		Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
Court of International Trade
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia		Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Customs and Border Protection		Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
		Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education
		Office of Community Planning and Development
Defense Acquisition University		Office of Compliance
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)		Office of Disability Employment Policy
Defense Commissary Agency		Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)		Office of Government Ethics
Defense Contract Management Agency		Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Department of Defense (DOD)		Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Defense Field Activities		Office of Mediation and Concitiation Service
Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS)		Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)		Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)		Office of Refugee Resettlement
Defense Legal Services Agency		Office of Science and Technology Policy
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)		Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board		Office of Special Counsel
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)		Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Defense Security Service (DSS)		Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Defense Technical Information Center		Office of the Pardon Attorney
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)		Open World Leadership Center
Delaware River Basin Commission		Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Denali Commission
Department of Agriculture		Pacific Command
Department of Defense Inspector General		Pardon Attorney, Office of
Department of Education (ED)		Parole Commission (Justice Department)
Department of Energy (DOE)		Peace Corps
Department of Health and Human Services		Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)		Pentagon Force Protection Agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)		Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Department of Justice (DOJ)		Policy Development and Research
Department of Labor (DOL)		Political Affairs (State Department)
Department of State (DOS)		Postal Regulatory Commission
Department of the Interior (DOI)		Postal Service
Department of the Treasury		Power Administrations
Department of Transportation (DOT)		President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)		Presidio Trust
Director of National Intelligence, Office of		Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
Domestic Policy Council		Public and Indian Housing
Drug Enforcement Administration		Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department)
Economic Adjustment Office		Radio Free Asia
Economic Analysis, Bureau of		Radio Free Asia (RFA)
Economic Development Administration (EDA)		Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Economic Research Service		Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs		Reclamation, Bureau of
Economics and Statistics Administration		Refugee Resettlement, Office of
Education Department		Regulatory Information Service Center
Election Assistance Commission		Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department)
Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of		Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)		Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
Employment and Training Administration		Rural Business and Cooperative Programs
Endangered Species Committee		Rural Development
Energy Department		Rural Housing Service
Energy Information Administration		Rural Utilities Service
English Language Acquisition Office
Engraving and Printing, Bureau of		Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Environmental Management (Energy Department)		Science and Technology Policy, Office of
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)		Science Office (Energy Department)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)		Scientific and Technical Information, Office of
European Command		Secret Service
Executive Office for Immigration Review		Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Export-Import Bank of the United States		Selective Service System (SSS)
		Senate
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)		Small Business Administration (SBA)
Farm Credit Administration		Smithsonian Institution
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation		Social Security Administration (SSA)
Farm Service Agency		Social Security Advisory Board
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board		Southeastern Power Administration
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)		Southern Command
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)		Southwestern Power Administration
Federal Bureau of Prisons		Special Forces Operations Command
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)		State Department
Federal Consulting Group		State Justice Institute
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)		Stennis Center for Public Service
Federal Election Commission		Strategic Command
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)		Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission		Supreme Court of the United States
Federal Executive Boards		Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council		Surface Transportation Board
Federal Financing Bank		Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Federal Highway Administration		Tax Court
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)		Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
Federal Housing Finance Agency		Tennessee Valley Authority
Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds		Trade and Development Agency
Federal Interagency Committee on Education		Transportation Command
Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy		Transportation Department
Federal Judicial Center		Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Federal Labor Relations Authority		Transportation Statistics, Bureau of
Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer		Treasury Department
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center		TRICARE Management
Federal Library and Information Center Committee		Trustee Program
Federal Maritime Commission		Trustee Program (Justice Department)
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission		U.S. AbilityOne Commission
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)		U.S. Access Board
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)		U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Federal Railroad Administration		U.S. Air Force
Federal Reserve System		U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board		U.S. Army
Federal Student Aid Information Center		U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)		U.S. Botanic Garden
Federal Transit Administration		U.S. Capitol Police
Federal Voting Assistance Program		U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
Financial Management Service (Treasury Department)		U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission		U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Fish and Wildlife Service		U.S. Coast Guard
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)		U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
Food Safety and Inspection Service		U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Foreign Agricultural Service		U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission		U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Forest Service		U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Fossil Energy		U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board		U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
		U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
General Services Administration (GSA)		U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
Geological Survey		U.S. Fleet Forces Command
Global Affairs (State Department)		U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Government Accountability Office (GAO)		U.S. House of Representatives
Government Ethics, Office of		U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Government National Mortgage Association		U.S. International Trade Commission
Government Printing Office (GPO)		U.S. Military Academy, West Point
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration		U.S. Mission to the United Nations
		U.S. National Central Bureau - Interpol (Justice Department)
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation		U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Health and Human Services Department		U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
Health Resources and Services Administration		U.S. Senate
Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Office		U.S. Sentencing Commission
Helsinki Commission		U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)		U.S. Trade Representative
Holocaust Memorial Museum		U.S. Trustee Program
Homeland Security Department		Unified Combatant Commands (Defense Department)
House Leadership Offices		Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
House of Representatives		United States Mint
House of Representatives Committees		United States Postal Inspection Service
House Office of Inspector General		US-CERT
House Office of the Clerk
House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces
Housing Office (HUD)		Veterans Affairs Department (VA)
		Veterans Benefits Administration
Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission		Veterans Day National Committee
Immigration and Customs Enforcement		Veterans' Employment and Training Service
Indian Affairs		Vietnam Education Foundation
Indian Arts and Crafts Board		Voice of America
Indian Health Service
Industrial College of the Armed Forces		Washington Headquarters Services
Industry and Security, Bureau of		Weather Service
Information Resource Management College		West Point (Army)
Information Resources Center		Western Area Power Administration
Innovation and Improvement Office		White House
Inspectors General		White House Commission on Presidential Scholars
Institute of Education Sciences		White House Office of Administration
Institute of Museum and Library Services		Women's Bureau (Labor Department)
Institute of Peace		Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Inter-American Foundation
Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group
Interagency Council on Homelessness
Interior Department
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
International Labor Affairs, Bureau of
International Trade Administration (ITA)
International Trade Commission
Interpol