Showing posts with label tax dollars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tax dollars. Show all posts

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Social Security and Medicare Programs

Social Security and Medicare Programs
Social Security and Medicare are good, worthwhile and even noble programs that most people pay into their entire working lives to collect benefits when they become elderly or disabled.

Naturally there is abuse in each program by people who try to milk the system, but that is a relatively small percent of the population. Every system isn't perfect, but SS and Medicare are near perfect systems.

One of the main issues with SS is that our Congress continues to permit diversion of collected SS tax dollars to other interests. That needs to stop immediately.

In addition, and I'm sorry to say this but it's true, we need to start replacing some of those deficit tax dollars by slightly increasing the SS and Medicare taxes taken out of our paychecks.  Congress should be forced to return the tax dollars it stole from the SS fund.

Medicare is a perfect example of what we should have accomplished for ALL Americans. It is a system that has been active for decades and for the most part is extremely successful for most recipients.

The Federal Government must institute quicker payments to the medical and pharmaceutical providers, but otherwise the system works.

Naturally, the health care providers don't love Medicare because they can't get paid as much under Medicare as they do under private health care or even Obamacare.

However, Medicare is used mostly by the elderly and/or disabled who have paid tax dollars into the system all of their working lives.

Both SS and Medicare have been proven successful by most standards and by making a few updates and corrections to each program, there is no reason why each cannot continue to remain successful.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Get rid of the [Texas] School Board of Education

 School Board members are "irked" by the new school laws approved by the legislature.

The SBOE should "irk" all Texans and should be dissolved. The Board should NOT be empowered to make rules for all Texas school districts. The SBOE is little more than a politically motivated stopping ground for some of the most unintelligent individuals who then push for their special interest whims.

Place the management of Texas public education in the hands of each district to control themselves. Central governing seldom works. Perry and Texas legislators don't want Washington to tell us what to do, but we're okay with the centralist SBOE to govern and control all Texas school districts? Really?

We keep government out of controlling businesses in Texas, but we won't let schools control themselves?

Get rid of the SBOE and let school districts manage themselves. School-Based Management really works better.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Diversion of [transportation] tax dollars

In Texas, Legislators love to divert tax dollars from one fund to others.   Currently they are considering moving one-third of the sales taxes provided to DPS now to TxDOT.

For once it would be nice for the People of Texas to be assured that their dollars go to the fund the money was originally slated for.

Legislators should not be able to move monies without the prior approval of taxpayers.



Write your Senator and House Reps and let them know how you feel about it.

House contacts

Senate contacts


Monday, July 1, 2013

re: Central Texas Roadways: the bottleneck grows...

 
Central Texas roadways need to be dealt with more intelligently. Bottlenecks on main roads are horrific and could be resolved easily if Austin, TxDOT and Department of Public Safety really wanted to.

MOPAC at known points needs to be widened, enabling a more even and consistent flow. The coming 2 toll lanes in the center of MoPac will do little to resolve many of the issues. It is merely a special interest toll road project placebo.

An underpass or overpass is needed on MoPac at Slaughter Lane [like the one at MoPac and William Cannon Rd].

Capital of Texas Hwy., a.k.a., 360, needs side roads to be closed and traffic lights removed so that it becomes a true highway. Locals don't like the idea, but tough. It would create a consistent flow as a highway should have, instead of stop and go traffic jams.

Many local traffic issues could be resolved simply by re-timing traffic lights. It should be done post-haste, e.g., William Cannon Rd., Slaughter Lane, West Hwy 290 where there are lights, Hwy. 71, Hwy. 620, Brodie Lane and the list goes on and on.
Peter Stern, PO Box 316, Driftwood TX 78619, 512-426-4802