Friday, October 16, 2009

Obama proposes $250 for retirees

We got one of these in May. It bought us a new washing machine right when we needed one. Looks like we're gonna get another one.

The Hill

President Barack Obama proposed giving payments of $250 to more than 50 million retired Americans who won't get an increase in their Social Security checks next year.

"Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of those hardest hit by this recession," Obama said.

I applaud the sentiment, but me 'n Mrs. G are probably the least hardest hit by the recession. Everything we own is paid for, we only use our credit cards for internet purchases, gas, and travel, and hardly ever so much that we can't pay it off every month without difficulty, we have retirement accounts that just sit there, in short, we planned ahead a little and it's paying off, at least in financial peace of mind.

I'm sure there are folks out there to whom $250 will make a difference, and I feel for them. I don't mean to sound like the old rich white guy I'm not, but that amount ain't shit these days. It used to be you could buy a pretty good car or bike for that, but I wouldn't sleep in a $250 car these days!

All that said, I'll gladly accept some of my tax money back, and I hope it comes soon. My TV quit the other day and I had to buy a new one (Energy Star rated, of course), and 500 bucks'll just about cover it.

Just as an aside, when I properly disposed of the old TV at the recycling center, it took me an' a Mexican to get it out of my truck and into the bin. I can lift the new one with one hand and it was $200 cheaper too and uses less electricity. That's progress. TVs, like all appliances, aren't made to last as long as they used to be. The old one lasted 8 1/2 years as opposed to the TV in the spare bedroom which is 25 years old and works fine. That's the flip side of progress.

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