This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 2, 2017

The reality of the budget

An understanding of the composition of the federal budget may help some citizens understand why Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are being targeted for severe cuts and not designated to receive a COLA rate increase in consonance with inflation this year. The fact remains clear that such programs comprise over 60 percent of the federal budget; accordingly, it is within logic that they should be targeted for proportional reduction.

In view of the fact that all other budgeted items, collectively, are allocated less than 25 percent of the total federal budget — not including defense estimated at 16 percent — there are simply limited options that will yield the savings projected by cutting those three programs.

The announcement that taxes will be cut for businesses and other taxpayers is only feasible if there’s a corresponding reduction in spending. In this regard, one should not consider the inevitable ax a hostile action against the recipients of those programs, but rather a temporary survival measure by the government that delays the inevitable, unless we change course and fast.

The reality is that as a nation we cannot continue down the path of paying bills with credit and loan instruments. What would happen in your household if your bills consistently exceeded your income? You logically would resort to your credit cards to meet the challenge, the resulting scenario being bankruptcy or damaged credit. Do you think China and Japan love us to the point they’re willing to forgive our debts?

We can survive this economic challenge but will require massive sacrifices by all — no one said it would be easy.

Congress needs to fit it

This is in response to Ronald Cain’s letter. It is true that some individuals think Social Security is all they need for their retirement. There are some who can not afford to establish an IRA or contribute to their employer’s 401(k) plan. There are others who’s employers do not offer a 401(k) plan. Therefore, it is important that these individuals begin to make plans for their future. In my letter I was expressing my opinion that Congress has mismanaged the Social Security trust fund.

Congress should pass legislation to protect the Social Security trust fund. Also, Congress should stop changing the factors that are used to calculate the Social Security COLA. This practice enables them to either eliminate a COLA increase or fund a low COLA increase.

Because there are fewer individuals paying into Social Security, and more people retiring, Congress has to do something to save Social Security. There are many viable options: extending the retirement age, increasing the Social Security tax rate and raising the cap on taxable income.

I did receive an increase in Social Security. But because the amount of my Medicare deduction was increased, I did not get an increase in my Social Security check. I am lucky, some individuals had a decrease in their check. Since I started receiving a Social Security check, my contribution to Medicare has doubled. If something is not done quickly, some Social Security recipients will have all or most of their benefit going to pay for their Medicare coverage.

Not making sense

I don’t know why our state government changed the requirements to obtain and renew our state driver’s licenses to include original copes of our birth certificates and Social Security cards. But I know that our Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has stated that we have more illegal, undocumented residents than the state of Arizona, who are industrious, family orientated, religious and not on welfare.

The changes to the requirements to obtain a new driver’s license would definitely make it more difficult for our illegals to obtain a state driver’s license. But these folks are the ones who usually do jobs that most of us don’t want to do and who charge us less. Like jobs in agriculture, construction,roofing, landscaping, etc.

Our Republican state government refused to enroll in Obamacare/ACA, which caused the closure of some rural hospitals and left 650,000 uninsured citizens. Our own federal tax dollars went to other states to enroll their citizens in Obamacare — hundreds of millions of our federal taxes that could have been used to enroll our own uninsured citizens in Medicaid. This makes no sense!

Yeah? And so?

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters; D-Ca; says that she has no intention of working with President-elect Trump. Pardon me; just how can this be construed as a bad thing?

We need to stop this

Today I feel absolute outrage at the shooting of a young woman named Brooklyn Rouse who, while out working and filling an order for pizza, was shot in the face and neck. The week before, another driver had been shot, too, delivering a pizza. I would just like to say that for all the money we citizens give to the charities here, of which there are many, clearly we didn’t give enough to the hoodlum who connived with others to shoot her. I hope that by giving my taxes to the state, these lowlifes will spend a very long life in prison. The people in that area need to take stock of who they have living amongst them and turn these people in, and people need to stop making excuses for these lowlifes by telling us that they just “need guidance.” This was not a kid, he’s an adult age 19. What person, in their right mind, takes a gun and just shoots someone in the face for a few dollars, if that. I am sickened and appalled by these acts of violence in our society. We need more police out in our streets and stationed in areas of the most need. May I also say that these companies need to stop delivering to these homes unless the pizza is paid for upfront using a credit card. If the money isn’t forthcoming from the card, don’t deliver.

This story was originally published January 1, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 2, 2017."