The Social Security Lie

 For those of you not living in Central PA, the weather for this holiday weekend is great.  Temps in the high 80s (F).  Full sunshine.  Low humidity.  Of course I have to work.  I'm scheduled off Tuesday through Saturday.  The threat of thunderstorms will be returning on, as you might expect, Tuesday, and will increase throughout the week.   

I did get my lawn mowed on Thursday morning.  My friend Justin did not show up to help trim the large holly bush out front.  I think I mentioned that he had a serious brain bleed (stroke) so this is how his brain works now.  I will probably start trimming back the branches on Tuesday, when the humidity returns.

So, what did I do yesterday to celebrate our nation's birthday?  Nothing very patriotic.  I did get a good upper body workout in, Garmin called it intense.  My arms and shoulders are still a bit... not sore, but I can still feel the individual muscles when I move them.  This is actually a good thing.

My new controller will be arriving today while I'm at work.  I switched to an old spare controller, but it, too, has its problems.  Instead of constantly moving forward like the really bad one, Occasionally the line of sight on this one will move upwards until you're looking straight up.  

Last evening I talked to my friend Betsy and, as usual, politics came up.  Not having checked her email for the day, she hadn't yet seen that politicized email sent out by the Social Security Administration.

For those of you who are not retired, every retiree in the country with an email address got an email extolling the virtues of Orangie's shit stain legislation.  It actually claimed that we would not get tax free Social Security.  That's a blatant lie.  Even main stream media was pointing it out.  Instead of actually making Social Security tax free for those of us who work, Republicans are giving us an additional deduction which will reduce the amount of tax we pay in to the IRS. Oh, and this wonderful tax relief is going to expire in 2 years.  They see it as a way to get you to vote Republican just when Orangie is about to leave office.  They are a conniving bunch, aren't they.

   

The Fire Grows

 Because we're not in the park, and it certainly isn't the 4th of July, I'd have to say that this is just another Saturday, a day when I'm always scheduled to work.  Outside temps are in the upper 30s (F) with the probability of climbing into the low 50s (F).  Buds are popping out all over the place.  

Much was done yesterday!  The big aquarium was cleaned.  The cleanings are happening frequently in order to eliminate the black algae.  Salads were made for lunch and dinner today: a Greek cucumber salad for lunch and a bean salad for dinner.  This means today is going to be meatless.  I do them every now and then.  There are two boneless ribs in the little crockpot on their way to becoming pulled pork for tomorrow.

I also managed to get in 2 workouts, a 15 minute row in the morning and a good upper body dumbbell workout in the afternoon. 

Of course, there was more to the day than that.  I had to listen to my neighbors having a argument... that sounds better than saying they were fighting again,  If they go an entire week without screaming at each other at least once, I count it as a good week.  This has not been a good week.  He sorts mail for the post office in Lancaster, probably not one of the most secure jobs right now.

This is happening.

The image is old.  It was very popular a number of years back, and its popularity is surging.  AOC and Bernie Sanders held a rally in Denver, CO, and 34,000 people showed up.  The terrible truth for Conservatives is that it take more than being in charge, for them, that belief has been set in stone for decades.  "Shut up, we're in charge," was their creed.  Except for that to happen a large swath of the population needs to say, "okay."  That ain't happening.  Not at all.  And Republicans simply don't understand.  Harriet Hageman doesn't realize her constituent's are going to tar and feather her, and then run her out of town on a rail.  

AOC and Bernie Sanders are doing a 30 city townhall tour against the Oligarchs, NBC reported Friday's event in Las Vegas, The Guardian reported on yesterday's event in Denver.  CNN reported on the march 20 townhall in Las Vegas as well, but nothing about Denver.  There's a saying, "a day late, and a dollar short."  Is it any wonder more and more Americans are tuning out the MSM and turning to Social Media for their news?  Choose your news sources wisely.

And finally, Harold Lutnick, the billionaire Secretary of Commerce only fraudsters would complain if they didn't receive their Social Security check.  The blowback on Social Media was instantaneous.  These billionaires have no idea what kind of fire they are playing with.  People talk about the Orange Anus getting lava angry, this anger would make lava look like a popsicle.

Disturbances

 So, when I checked the weather this morning I saw what I consider an odd forecast.  Today the temps are supposed to be up in the low to mid 50s (F).  Instead of saying things are going to be warming up, or warmer, the forecast was "not as cool."  I kid you not.  "Not as cool," implies temps are still going to be low, but 52 (F) is much warmer than 34 (F), so I think there description is a bit off.

I did work yesterday, and it was slow.  We're not going to hit plan this week.  This will continue the trend that started when Trump was inaugurated.  I'm not thinking that things are going to be changing anytime soon.  One thing that does appear to be changing is my schedule.  I'm down to between 16 and 17 hours, so I suspect they believe sales are not going to be rebounding anytime soon.  Payroll is the easiest expense to cut.  

Things are so much different with Howie than with my other dogs.  He is much more active.  Where as I used to make coffee and then sit down and peruse the headlines, now I make coffee and play with Howie for a least a half hour.  We play fetch, and he loves to wrestle, and, lucky for me, he's learned to faux bite.  This means he acts like he's biting me, but doesn't really... at least most of the time.  He loves that.  From time to time I attempt a joint selfie, Howie and I.  This is the latest.  And for those curious few, that's a Christmas ornament dangling from a window lock and not some ghosty demon dancing over my head.

My Social Security check gets deposited on the 2nd Wednesday of every month and usually I can see that deposit on Friday of the week before.  I just checked and so far there's not deposit.  This doesn't mean that Orangie and and his toady Elonia are not going to pay it, just that they may have gummed up the gears.  That is something we all need to be certain of, their screwing things up.  As part of the 1%, they have no concept of everyday life; none of the wealthy do.  Take Larry Kudlow, a man of little vision and pure greed.  He said on Fox Entertainment that there is a -2.81 decline expected in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which indicates a downturn in America's economic health in the first quarter of 2025.  He said "there will be disturbances," or in layman's terms, things are going to be getting more expensive for the common man.  Unless there is a complete crash of the Stock Market, Kudlow will never know of difficult and "disturbance" can be for you and I.  Truthfully, we all know he doesn't care how bad Americans suffer.  

And, of course, the on again, off again, some are still on tariff wars are still... well, right now they're on, and off, and Canada's keeping their retaliatory tariffs on... for now.  Right now the Dow is up around 84 points and they're calling it a rebound.  Sorry, that's not a rebound.

Lack of Cohesion in Trump's Brain

 So, is today gong to be the last cold day for this winter?  Right now it's 15 (F) outside.  That's many degrees below normal for this time of year.  Sometime tonight our warm-up is predicted to begin, with the thermometer climbing up into the 30s (F) tomorrow and the 40s (F) by Friday.  Those temps will feel downright balmy.

Yesterday I began assembling the new filter for the big aquarium.  The process was a bit frustrating because the assembly sheet that was included was not for my filter.  Nope.  The directions were for a much different filter, so assembly was achieved by looking at the picture on the front of the box.  

I also had lunch with my cousin who at one time was a big Orange Anus supporter.  Times have changed now that Social Security might be involved.  She and her husband are in the FO stage.  

Otherwise yesterday was pretty much a day of slack.  Well, for the most part.  I did do laundry, and hand wash the dishes.  I'm going to be doing that more and using the dishwasher less.  Water consumption, you know?  Or maybe I should say water expense.  This winter is going to be very expensive when it comes to my heating expense.  To compensate I want to lower my water bill.

And then yesterday this was one of the many things that happened.

Of course, that was just one of a number shit show extravaganzas that happened.  The Orange Anus called Vladimir Zelensky a dictator.  Even conservative Ben Shapiro is calling that lie a lie.  If I might, let me play the devil's advocate and say there's probably not a lot of cohesion in Orangie's brain right now, nothing more than random thoughts trying for put forth his blow bro Putin's talking points.  Let's be honest here, he's a 78 year old man who'd rather just spend the rest of his sunset years cheating at golf.  Sadly, that does appear to be what he's doing while Elonia runs the government. 

Let me return to my cousin and her husband, they are aged Republicans who believe a lot of the GOP's propaganda.  They are very concerned about their Social Security, and not in the inane Susan Collins way, where concern is a quick wrench of her thin fingers and a momentarily furrowed brow.  They are worried, though rather than blame Orangie, their ire is directed at Elonia.  They were almost joyous talking about the protests, telling me how they had watched thousands of people all over the country protesting Elonia.  Being the kind spirit I am, I didn't let them know that those protests were against Orangie, too.  If this continues, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the MAGA leopards who end up eating Elonia's face.

Pure Greed

 It's cold outside.  When I woke up the temp was 18 (F).  Tomorrow the temps are predicted to be in the low 50s (F).  I'll take the warmth over the cold any day of the week.  It's not that I don't like the cold, I just don't like the heating bills.  Right now it appears that $$$ might be going into a short supply.

I did work yesterday.  It was fairly slow.  I did get a measure.  Management likes that.  I have a feeling that very soon measures and flooring installations are also going to be in short supply.  Prices are going to go up, this is why I bought a dehydrator.  And those prices that go up?  They're not going to be coming down.  Corporations are not going to be taking a cut in pay just to make your life easier.  

One thing that was obvious yesterday when I went into work, Home Depot is scrubbing its DEI initiative.  Our boards were stripped.  This doesn't mean they're going to stop DEI hiring, just that they are not going to promote this necessity.  And it is just that.  When I began working for the company 16 years ago, you could count associates of color on one hand, that is not the case today.  It turns out that many of the white people who apply are... well, to put it bluntly, lazy.  We have a higher turnover with our white associates than with our people of color.  This doesn't mean that they both can't be lazy, just that our white associates don't last too long.

This is very important. I don't know how long this administration will allow access to it, so you may want to print it off.

And, of course, the Orange Anus has initiated Trade Wars.  Honestly, this man is as dumb as a fucking brick.  I do not doubt that in his tiny Adderall riddled brain he thinks this is a smart move.  He truly believes everything he does is a smart move.  We have this problem because he has surrounded himself with people who joyously shout "Yo!  Orangie, you're the smartest, most brilliant businessman in the world!"  He is a narcissist who basks in other people's deceitful compliments.  Truthfully, he is, and I'm going to repeat myself here, dumb as a fucking brick.

He also has a super big problem, maybe, as he might put it, the most monumental, super greatest problem in the world with Elonia, another man who is dumb as a fucking brick.  Elonia now has access to the Treasury.  Many think he's going to drain Social Security.  Nope.  As Elonia said some time ago, he wants to turn Zitter into a Financial Banking Service.  As a way of growing his wealth, Social Security payments will need to be process through Shitter, and he's going to charge Americans for this service... say 2%.  That means if you get a monthly Social Security payment of $2000, you're going to need to deduct $40 every month.  Over 71 million people collect Social Security.  That would mean Elonia would be pocketing almost $3 billion a month.  And he's going to do the same thing with your Income Tax refunds.  In fact, every payment the Federal Government makes will need to go through Shitter, and every payment is will need to pay a Service Fee.  Everything this administration does will be focused on Greed.  It's what these billionaires live for.

Yellow Snow

 Good Morning World!  We had snow most of the day yesterday!  Most of it melted because the temps were just not cold enough.  It was a dreary day, so it was a good thing that I worked.

Yesterday was a little more productive than the past 2.  I got 30 minutes in on the treadmill and, thanks to laps at work, I managed to get in over 15,000 steps!  Wowza.  

We had our store holiday party last evening.  There were about 40 people there.  For the amount of time I was there, it was enjoyable, but then I only go for the food.  They had  a DJ who did a fine job, he was a store employee with somewhat eclectic tastes in music, which turned out to be fine.  The main reason I had for not staying any longer was the fact that I have a 4 and a half month old puppy who desperately needed to go potty outside.  I was so proud of him!  He left no presents waiting for me when I got home, and that was after leaving him alone for over 7 hours!

Here he is tinting first yellow snow.  Here's picture of that momentous occasion!  And this morning?  He made some more!

One of the things people need to keep in mind is that for a $1 million for a billionaire is "chump change," so when these billionaire give the Orange Anus $1 million, they're not bending the knee, that's just a token to him for letting them participate in turning America into an Oligarchy.  A good crash on Wall Street will send them all reeling.  The last time we had a good crash, millionaires jumped out of windows when they realized they were now worthless individuals.  The American economy depends totally on American's buying power, reducing or stopping Social Security reduces that buying power of senior citizens.  Privatizing Medicare and raising rates for health care will limit that buying power.  Of course, conservates have always been stupid.  There's an old adage that says "give them enough rope, and they'll hang themselves."  Because they believe their stupidity makes them smarter than everyone else, they feel that adages no longer apply.  They will ignore the sage advice "do not eat yellow snow."  I don't think Zuck, or Elonia, or Bezos will jump out of a window when they find themselves broke, but they will eat the yellow snow.

Set Design

Outside the temps are already in the mid 40s (F), and they're going to be zooming up into the mid 60s (F) today, and by Thursday they should be at a scorching 74 (F), that is if the forecasters are correct.  Sadly, a quick look at the long range forecast indicates they're going to be dropping back into more seasonal temps.  This is a good thing.  If it was already this hot in March, I have no idea how hot the summer would be and don't doubt that scorching would not be a strong enough adjective.

Work was boring yesterday.  I had a brief talk with my manager about my scheduling.  Some time back I'd mention that I wanted my Monday start time to be 0930, and that was the case for some time, until yesterday, when once again it was 10:30.  However, I went to work at 09:30 per the previous discussion I'd had with HR and discovered the error.  So, I work my shift.  If it happens again, I suppose I'll have to have another chat with HR.

I did sell some window treatments (roller shades) to a customer who was... nice, but not the brightest bulb in the box.  She was in her late 20s and wanted shades with all the frills, a glittery glint hem at the bottom and everything that goes with it.  The spent $1700 for 3 blinds.  He applied for a credit card and got one, with a credit limit of $1000.  They thought he'd have a higher limit, telling me he was a contractor and made $900,000 last year, however, they didn't mention how heavy their debt load was.  Honestly, the fact that he supposedly made that much money and was applying for credit card suggests to me that they're either up to their eyeballs in debt, or he simply didn't make as much as he claimed.

Seeing this pic from the Oscars makes me think the person in charge of set design is almost a genius.

For those who missed it, Ronnie DeSantis "Just Say No" anti-LGBQT bill just took a big one on the chin.  Teacher will now be able to talk to students about gender orientation issues with out fear of being fired.  In fact, Ronnie's anti-Woke campaign is dying on the vine, so to speak.  Mom's For Liberty meetings now draw protests, and Bridget Ziegler, also known as Mom for Three-Ways is refusing to resign from her position on the school board.  That would mean giving up the power she so desperately maneuvered to get.

And don't you find it interesting that Robert Hur, the Trump appointed official who did the hit piece on Biden's mental facilities has resigned his position with the DOJ.  Lies and deceits  have their consequences.  Transcripts of his conversations with the president have been released and people now know that his report was heavily cherry-picked and exaggerated, and had only one purpose in mind, to make Biden look weak.

Oh, and the Orange Anus has stated that he's open to cutting Social Security benefits if he's elected.  I'm betting Republicans will not be able to take that to the bank.

Trickle Down

 Okay, so this is the 4th of July weekend.  Last night one of my neighbors fired off a single firecracker.  Someone is a little overanxious.  I like fireworks, I just hate dealing with the traffic in order to get to a place where I can see them.  Oddly enough, I can kind of see them from my attic window, of course that would mean standing in a unairconditioned storage room where the temp can be 20 to 30 higher than outside.  While I enjoy fireworks, I don't enjoy them that much.  

Yesterday was hot.  Forecasters were predicting a likelihood of rain.  Didn't happen.  Today's they say we have a 55% chance of experiencing some form of precipitation.  I'm going to water the garden because that % is really nothing more than a medium good guess.   Temps are fine.  90 (F) is not bad.  We are in summer.  I'd rather have that then temps in the triple digits.  

I froze another 4 quarts of peaches yesterday. This is yummy, tasty stored away for the winter.

One of the things that amazes me about people is that so many seem to have long term memory problems.  I always thought there were little gray cells which specialized in documenting and possibly even categorizing things that happened for future reference.  Here's an example.  When I hear people say that Trump is responsible for the greatest economy the country has ever seen, I wonder how they could have so easily forgotten that the Republicans, under George W, also voted for big tax breaks for corporations, aka Trickle Down economics.  The economy flourished.  The stock market boomed.  Because Wall Street was going like gangbusters, the GOP started throwing out suggestions on how Americans could be moved from Social Security to something similar to a national 401K program.  There was talk, not only about how this was going to be managed, but who might manage the accounts, surely not a government agency; no one would make any money if that happened.  People don't remember this.  They do, however, remember Bush's version of Trickle Down economics failing.  Corporations began laying off people who had gotten mortgages they couldn't afford, mostly those without a fixed interest rate, and the housing market began collapsing, leading to the Great Recession.   Based on Trickle Down economics, Trump's great economy was doomed from the start.  Perhaps a more important question might be: did he know this, and is that why he wanted people to die from Covid to brace up an economy that had failure written all over it?

Danny, Say it's So

 Thunderstorms yesterday brought a change of temperature, so I turned the heat on before I went to bed rather than wait to see how cold it was going to get.  Good Thinking.  This morning it was a cool, chilly willy 43 (F) outside.  Inside?  A comfy 71 (F).  Getting older, that seems to be my 'go to' temp.  

Work was steady yesterday - I got 3 measures.  Not bad.  They still have not flipped the button making my part-time status official.  This does 2 things I don't like: keeps me from tweaking my schedule ( work until 7 this evening and back in at 0800 tomorrow morning), it also keeps my metrics high; part-timers have lower goals since they have less hours to meet them.

Social Security is giving me a nice increase, a 5.9% raise to keep up with the cost of living.  That's a nice increase.  Interestingly enough, I had just mentioned to Bathwater that I couldn't remember the last I got a 5% increase.  Well, now I can.

I'm going ahead with the new roofs.  The expected start date is towards the end of November.  That's fine with me.  After that, I'm planning on having some electrical work done, which I suspect will be just as pricey.  

Daniel Craig says he used to go to gay bars for 2 reasons, to keep from getting into fights, and to meet women...   To be honest, the only time I saw a fight was at the Strawberry on 2nd Street during the crush to get to the bar for last call.  As for the women...  only the occasional, usually showing up with their bestie gay guy and not looking for romance.

I understand GOP donors are handing money over to Sinema, this from the Insider.  This would not surprise me.

Finally, it seems as though 22% of Republicans believe the Orange Anus is going to be reinstated before the end of the year.  Who could ask for more conclusive evidence of their stupidity?  Will they turn out to vote?  Don't know.  What I do know is that Democrats and Independence need to turn out in droves for every election possible.  This should be a chilling thought: you can't even imagine the damage Republicans would do to this country if they were to regain control of either the House or the Senate.  Vote Blue

Don't Lose Your Job

 Today will be my last day at work... for an entire week.  I'm expecting the 8 hours I spend on the clock to be... normal.  By that I mean the Specialist who is leaving, will call off.  This will 2 aisle associates and myself to run the department... the definitive word there is 'myself.'  This is how life goes sometimes.  It's not as though they're going to be pulling out my fingernails with a pair of rusty pliers.  At 4:30 PM I will punch out, come home, and maybe take a ride on my bike.  Mostly the week ahead is filled with... chores.  The Specialist who is leaving asked me where I was going on my vacation.  "Why would I want to go anywhere?" I asked.  "There's a virus out there."  I don't know why, but for some reason this idea has grown almost worldwide, that when you take time off... a vacation... you need to go somewhere and spend money... usually, lots of money; more than you earn in a week.  I can guarantee that I will spend some money, but the dent in my savings will be minimal.

The Idiot Jerk in the White House signed some Executive Orders yesterday in an other episode of "Who Wants to be a Dictator."  Neither party was going to budge, in fact I've read things which indicate both the Republicans and the Democrats wanted this to happen.  The Republicans because they're slovenly drunk on the power they think the Idiot Jerk gives them, and the Democrats because these orders have no validity under the Constitution.  We're a Democracy, not a right-wing dictatorship.

He's attempting to eliminate Social Security.  Republicans have always hated the program.  It's Socialism, they whine... yet they take advantage of it.  They complain about Medicare, too, yet they use it and save money on their medical expenses.  Just think, eliminating the Social Security tax until December benefits employers more than it does workers.  Suddenly, they're getting another tax break, courtesy of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Do you think they care about their employees, or how they're going to survive in their senior years?  Absolutely not.  Oh, sure, they'll say we have 401k retirement options, just don't lose your job, and pray nothing happens to the stock market.

Anyway, I took another picture of my Zins when I got home from work yesterday.  They are quite colorful!

 

Think About It

 Saturday.

I just fed the fish dried blood worms.  They love 'em.   Almost as much as brine shrimp.  The dried flakes?  They eat them, but they don't relish them the way they do the worms.  Does anyone know if fish have a sense of taste?

Today is my 4th day at work.  Things are slowing down.  We're still getting measures, but not like we were when they eased the lockdown.  As time goes on, people are beginning to realize this virus is not like the flu.  We are not going to have a vaccine by November.  An economic recovery is not going to happen next week.  Yet there were dumbshits celebrating only 1.8 million people filed for unemployment last week.  There is no coordinated effort by any branch of this administration to deal with this.  Instead they come up with quick fix bandages.  I'm a flooring specialist.  If you have a sub-floor that squishy and in need of repair, putting down new carpet doesn't fix the problem.  Conservatives have always been about the appearance, rather than the substance.  This is why they get voted out of office.  That's why we're going to clean house this November.

I see where Falwell Jr is now on an indefinite leave of absence.  I was surprised to learn he has a brother who (supposedly) takes care of the spiritual side of the business and that Jerry Jr is the money guy.  Could have fooled me.  I do believe he was one of those Cracker Jack Christians laying hands on the Idiot Jerk while they were praying in the Oval Office.  Of course, we don't know to what god he was praying, do we?

And the Idiot Jerk wants to eliminate payroll taxes until the end of the year.  This sounds great if you're a dumbshit.... except if you're not working it's not going to effect you.  And, if you are working... well, I do believe he wants to eliminate more than Income Tax.  He wants to also do away with Social Security deductions.  This means it will be a bad year on which to gauge your Social Security payments.  And, if you don't pay your half of the deduction, your company is not going to be paying their half.  Now, isn't that a nice perk for corporations who have already gotten a sweet deal of a tax cut?  He's not thinking about people, he's thinking about $$$.  He has never thought about people.  Why would he start now?  Think about it.  Everything he's done has been for the sake of the Holy Dollar.

Finally, we've been getting a lot of rain.  I took a picture of my Zinnias again. 

They haven't really changed much, have they.  Even the grass is still brown.

Weakest Link?

Well, my weekend is over.  I'll be working for the next 5 days.  I did apply for that fixed schedule position.  The hours would be 9:30 - 6, Monday thru Friday.  I could live with that.
I also got a letter form the Social Security Administration explaining my increase.  The whole thing stems from my early retirement when I was 62.  Major back surgery had been planned and there was a question about how well I'd walk afterwards.  Well, the surgery didn't happen because I retrained myself to walk (I have a bit of a shuffle now) and I went back to work... full time.  If you're retired you are only allowed to work part-time without being penalized.  My thought was, well, let them penalized me.  I was making a lot more full time than I would have made working part-time and collecting benefits.  They sent me letters:  You're making too much money, we can't pay you benefits.  For almost 4 years they didn't pay me benefits.  Now, those benefits are being paid in the form of adjustments upwards and higher monthly checks.  They also notified me that they may go up again.  I'm all for that.
And, for those who didn't hear, there was a bit of an oopsy on Wall Street yesterday.  A drop of over 800 points!  And, of course, the Idiot Jerk blamed the Fed (Powell) for not dropping interest rates.  You see, investors want companies to make lots of money, which means consumers need to buy, buy, buy.  Investors want you to be in debt up to your eyeballs.  Your financial pain is not their responsibility.
This morning John Hickenlooper is going to end his run for President.  He is going to run for the Senate instead.  This is what Republicans are afraid of... losing the Senate.
I also saw this bit about multi-tasking, evidently that bit about women being better than men is not quite right.  Both men and women made the same number of mistakes when doing simultaneous tasks.  While there may be some tasks where one gender might excel better than the other, in the end we are all equal.  Republicans will never believe this, however, since in their minds women are always the weakest link.  But then everybody knows Republicans are dumb as bricks.

Ride This

Okay, so it's Thursday and I have to go back to work... for an entire week.  That's right, 40 hours.
Lily still has a runny nose and sneezing, Seig is fine.  Just like human colds, dog colds run their course in the about the same amount of time.
When I checked my bank account yesterday I saw that Social Security decided to give me a little blessing.  They do this from time to time.  They look at what I'm earning and what they're giving me and give me an additional check and an increase.  It always happens in July since I officially retired in June... 4 years ago.  I think it's because I'm still working full-time and still pumping money into my Social Security account.  I always tell people, you don't have to stop working because you retire.
For those who don't know... and I know there are some of you out there, I ride bike.  I'm also a member of Strava, if you want you can join for free and follow me here.  Yesterday they emailed me my stats for July.

As you can see, I easily beat that 100 mile challenge.  Yesterday I rode for 11.5 miles up near Reykjavik on a ride that was supposed to take me to the Blue Lagoon.  It's actually not a lagoon, it's a lake, and I was a bit disappointed.
Though, I have to admit, I was not nearly as disappointed as the Idiot Jerk in the White House when he got to Dayton, Ohio.  They didn't kiss his ass and he was really upset.  He lied.  Called people dishonest because they were truthful.  And he whined.  Instead of understanding their grief and anger at the violence which has struck their communities, he selfishly Tweeted out his vehemence.  Like most Conservatives, this shoddy example of a failed human being, this loser hates the truth.  A long time ago corrupt politicians were dipped in tar, rolled in feathers, and ridden out of town on a rail.  It's time we get the rail.  It's time we said "ride this."

He's down by the bow

You don't have to look far to find out how most American's feel about DT, in fact, his low approval approval ratings no doubt are giving him that sinking feeling.  Now, I'm sure his transition team is saying things like "don't worry, this will get better," and "just keep slugging away, we'll hit the top."  Right.  And his bizarre doctor gave a very... odd interview.  Every time he see things like this he want to take a big step backward.  Cori, who works at the paint desk and who's brother is a Trumplodite, says the word going around is that DT is terrified of being assassinated, which may be why his appearances are so short and infrequent.  Didn't anybody tell him that goes with the job in a big time way?
I talk about Karma a lot, the fixing of mistakes, well, for DT this is Karma. A man who needs to have his ego stroked regularly steps into a position where half of the country already hates him.  No stroking going on there.  Winning the presidency was the worst thing that could happen to him.  Big chunks are about to be gouged out of his ego.  Good for him.  I do not doubt that he will go down in history as the "do nothing president," because everything he does that is unpopular with the public will be another sliver out of soul.
And the Republican Party?  They're all on the same boat.  All of their little, pet projects like rewriting the rules of Social Security, slashing Medicare, even gutting Obamacare?  They will fail the minute public approval starts to go south.  They now have a president who needs to be petted, and who wants to go down in the history books as being good, and being popular.  They would have been in a far better position had Hillary won, now they're going to be pretty much shackled by public opinion.  They have a Star who wants to sparkle, not piss people off.

And as for DT?  This is his Karma.  He now has to deal with the fact that not everybody likes him.  People really do hate him.  There are now people out there who now pray daily that something terrible happens to him, that he dies.  They chant "He's not my president!"  And he no doubt daily prays that history doesn't prove him to be the worst president in American History.  He is down by the bow and it ain't going to get any better.

Happily not retired

Officially I am retired.  But, I'm not, not really.  Back in April 2015, my 'then' family physician prescribed Valium for me as a muscle relaxer.  As someone who had never taken meds before it did relax me, to the point where I began falling down... a lot: down staircases, out the back door, out the front door.  And I did a lot of damage to an arthritic spine.  My right leg ended up being paralyzed for about a month and a half.  My orthopedic Specialist recommended serious back surgery.  I agreed and, since I had no idea what the outcome was going to be, promptly retired.
Now I'm too young to retire and get full benefits, and when the Social Security Administration saw how much money I make they sent me a 'ho ho' letter.  You know what I mean.  "Ho ho ho, with that salary you must be joking."  Very politely, they informed me they would monitor my wages and if they dropped below a certain level, well, then I might be eligible for benefits.
Well, my back healed itself... that's right, no surgery, and I'm back at work full time with no issues, and I'm still retired.
Tuesday, while I was having lunch with a friend, I received a phone call which I didn't answer.  I never answer calls from an unknown number, I figure if it's important enough they'll leave a message.  When I got home I check and there was a message.  From the bank I no longer use.  They said I needed to call regarding an urgent financial matter.  So I called.  Social Security had tried to deposit a check into that closed bank account, and, of course, it was too late to reopen that account.  Yesterday I went to the Social Security office and change my banking information.  I have to call next week to get them to release the check.

Evidently that 4 months I was off last year dropped my earnings level enough for me to become eligible for a one time payment.  Isn't that nice?  I have no idea how they figure these things out, what they look at, what exactly is taken into consideration.  But, I will tell you, that check is for over $5000.  Ain't that sweet.  I am happily retired, even though I make too much money to be retired.

Retail and the IRS

Yes, that time of year is approaching when vast numbers of Americans file with Turbo Tax as fast as possible in order to get their return.  Oh, yes, and quite a number of Americans do get refunds.   What do they do with those refunds?  Spend them! I can tell you, I work in Retail and Retail looks forward to Income Tax Time.  Why?  Because those checks are spent on things like, appliances, and x-box's, and carpet, and a host of other things people put off buying until they get that check.  Christmas helps grow the economy and so does Tax Time.  Which makes me wonder why the Republicans are so dead set on screwing over the middle class and their tax cuts in order for the wealthy to keep theirs.  Face it, the Koch brothers don't race down to Home Depot in order to take advantage of their $37 whole house installed carpet.  Yet, if you're a middle class home owner that is something which may be high on your refund spending agenda.  I know there are going to be people in my community who will go out and buy a new refrigerator, or washer and dryer, on mattress set.  They may decided to replace that sofa which, after ten years of kids jumping up and down on it, has no spring left.  Do you think the rich have to wait until income tax time to make these purchases?  No way.  It's almost as if the Republicans are expecting to hear "hey, let me drop the soap so I can bend over."

I always like getting the check.

And, as always, they want entitlements on the table (define entitlements as social security).  Do you really think the wealthy are worried about paying their bills in their retirement years?  Are they concerned about whether their social security check will cover all of their medications and still let them put food on the table?  Of course not, but somebody needs to pay.  They prefer to penalize the middle and lower classes then those upper crusters who seem to have them on a very short leash.  I don't think they comprehend that stability is only maintained when there is a balance to the structure.