Thoughts on Social Security

I am a senior citizen, 81 years old. In my mail on 3/19/11came a letter in large, black, easy-to-read type, a form letter from the American Federation of Senior Citizens proclaiming the looming death of Social Security by"Obama and the liberals (who) continue to use the Social Security Trust Fund -- draining that fund to pay for needless pork projects and massive government spending", when in reality Social Security is doing FINE right now!

Reality: Income from Social Security is earned when people work. Automatically a designated percent (6.2%) of the earner's wage is deposited in the Social Security Trust Fund  by both the employer and the employee. A record is kept of this transaction is kept so that all the monies collected this way by that worker over his or her life until age 65 will begin to be returned to him or her in monthly payments until death.

NO MONEY from this Trust Fund is used for any government expense other than dispensing  monthly portions to the retired person who earned them. That's the law.

I feel that is malicious and unfair for the Federation of Senior Citizens to LIE to Seniors that the government  is  "stealing"  their hard-earned life's savings.

There has always been a surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund. At this moment that surplus is thinner because of the recession and subsequent joblessness of this time .  As the "baby boomers" begin to retire, real stress will be added to the S.S.Trust Fund, which will have to use  up the fund, and by 2045 it will disappear.

BUT there is one action that the Government can make which will prevent such a disaster:  TAKING AWAY THE TAX RELIEF FOR THE VERY WEALTHY 2% people. 

Chase Crosley

Copake Falls

Our local NYSEG guys did a heroic job... BUT

Dear Bob (hope you're feeling better)

During the last snow storm we were out of power for almost 5 days...many households were out equally as long in last one as well. Our local NYSEG guys did a heroic job  , as usual, but the problem is, we now have very few local workers. NYSEG was purchased several years ago by a Spanish Company called Iberdrola.They have done what a lot of companies have been doing and that is slashing services as cost cutting measures. They also purchased Rochester Gas and from what I understand the situation is the same in that community. Iberdrola, I have heard, has cut over 60% of the  local service and has set up a complicated corporate structure not located in Columbia County for emergency response. Instead of locals who know where everything is and can fix a pole or power line on the spot...the response time has slowed to days...not hours. I don't know about you, but with all of this cost cutting, my utility prices have not been reduced...how about yours? Are we outsourcing important emergency responsiveness? A friend in Rochester suggested we make sure to purchase a generator as this is just the beginning.

Iberdrola is a Spanish utility company. The company is engaged primarily in the generation, transmission, distribution, and marketing of electricity and natural gas. 
Iberdrola acquired international energy company Scottish Power in November 2006, giving access to new markets and augmenting its generation capability along with other benefits. The combined entity operates in Spain, the UK, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Greece, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Chile.