Received this on my email today and thought it was interesting...
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social
Security (FICA) Program. He promised:
1.) That participation in the Program would be
completely voluntary,
2.) That the participants would only have to pay
1% of the first $1,400 of their annual
incomes into the Program,
3.) That the money the participants elected to put
into the Program would be deductible from
their income for tax purposes each year,
4.) That the money the participants put into the
independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the
General operating fund, and therefore, would
only be used to fund the Social Security
Retirement Program, and no other
Government program, and,
5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees
would never be taxed as income.
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Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are
now receiving a Social Security check every month --
and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of
the money we paid to the Federal government to "put
away" -- you may be interested in the following:
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Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the
independent "Trust Fund" and put it into the
General fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically
controlled House and Senate.
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Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax
deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democratic Party.
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Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social
Security annuities?
A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the
"tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the
Senate, while he was Vice President of the US.
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Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving
annuity payments to immigrants?
AND MY FAVORITE:
A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.
Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65,
began to receive Social Security payments! The
Democratic Party gave these payments to them,
even though they never paid a dime into it!
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Then, after doing all this lying and thieving and violating
of the original contract (FICA), the Democrats
turn around and tell you that the Republicans
want to take your Social Security away!
And the worst part about it is uninformed
citizens believe it!
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14 Seriously Hurt When Cruise Ship Rolls Off Port Canaveral
POSTED: 4:59 pm EDT July 18, 2006
UPDATED: 11:18 pm EDT July 18, 2006
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Crown Princess, a cruise ship making its fourth voyage, suddenly rolled heavily to its left Tuesday, throwing passengers and crew to the deck. A child and an adult were critically hurt, officials said.About 12 others were seriously hurt and about 70 had lesser injuries, said Cape Canaveral Fire Rescue Capt. Jim Watson. No deaths have been reported and the Coast Guard said all passengers and crew have been accounted for.Tom Daus, 32, told The Associated Press in a cell phone interview from the ship that he was sunbathing on the upper deck when the roll started."It became very disastrous because everything was flying with them - tables, glasses, lounge chairs went flying," said Daus, who was traveling with his parents. "I was just holding on for dear life onto the bannister of the ship."The Crown Princess, which was carrying about 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew members, was 11 1/2 miles southeast of Port Canaveral en route to New York when it experienced problems with its steering equipment, causing the roll, Coast Guard Petty Officer James Judge said.Judge said could not immediately say how many degrees the 113,000-ton ship listed.Daus, of Brooklyn, N.Y., said the accident left several of the upper decks flooded and the elevators were not working. Gym equipment flipped over, TVs fell off their shelves and shattered glass was strewn across the deck, he said."The water came gushing out of the pool like a mini tsunami. It was really scary. People who were in the pool were shoved out."Daus said the majority of injured people he saw were senior citizens who were being taken out on wheelchairs or stretchers.The remaining passengers were mostly calm, despite the chaotic surroundings, Daus said.Passenger Bonnie Storie, 50, from Rochester, N.Y., was traveling with her husband and teenage son."It felt like it was going to fall over," Storie said. "It was shocking."Stan Payne, CEO of the Canaveral Port Authority, said the cruise line was asking passengers to stay on the ship until arrangements for their lodging can be made, but they can leave if they want. Customs officials were expected to arrive at 5 a.m. Wednesday to start processing passengers, authorities said."The problem is one of logistics, people getting to the airport, people getting to Orlando. We have been told Orlando's hotels are full," Payne said. He said the ship will remain in port for several days.The ship is owned by Princess Cruises, one of 12 brands operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp. The company said it was investigating the roll's cause. The ship had just left Port Canaveral after a nine-day Western Caribbean cruise. It was originally scheduled to return to New York Thursday.Martha Stewart christened the Crown Princess last month before it embarked on its maiden voyage to the Caribbean from its home terminal in Brooklyn."We deeply regret this incident, and are doing everything we can to make our passengers as comfortable as possible under these difficult circumstances," company spokeswoman Julie Benson said. The Coast Guard planned to inspect the ship Wednesday.Seven patients were taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital and another 15 were expected, hospital spokeswoman Debbie Helton said. Of the seven, three had moderate injuries and four had minor injuries, she said.Two other patients, one in good condition, went to Holms Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, she said.Parrish Medical Center spokeswoman Natalie Sellers said about 20 people were being treated at the hospital, mostly with minor neck and back injuries and bumps and bruises.The Crown Princess carries a maximum of 3,080 passengers and a crew of 1,200, but it is not known how many people were on the ship when it left the port Tuesday."Ironically, the movie they were going to show (Wednesday) night was Titanic," Forbes said.
What Cruise ship, in their right mind would play "The Titanic"? Isn't that like tempting fate?
Yep, VBS is over! It went very well this year! We all had a blast. We had 85 kids total! It is so fun to see these little faces light up, and to see them so excited to be there every morning. It was great! I have been fighting some intestinal thing since Wednesday, so I was really relieved when Friday was here. I have pretty much slept ever since. Boy what a wimp huh? Guess those 85 kids wore me out. So I will leave you with a little story that I recieved on my email awhile back.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense. Mr. Sense has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial planning (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place: reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol to a student but could not inform parents when their 13-year-old daughter was pregnant and wanted to get an abortion.
Finally Common Sense lost the will to live when criminals received better treatment than their victims and a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot and was awarded a huge financial settlement.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers, My Rights and Ima Whiner.
Hi there! I lived through the first day of VBS! Woo hoo! Actually all the extra effort this last week spent on organizing and streamlining the process really paid off today. We didn't have the chaos that Monday usually entails.
For all my grumbling about having no time for anything, I really do love it! We checked the program on Group for next years VBS and are already excited about starting on it! He he! We had 61 children today plus 9 in preschool. Lots of smiles on little faces today and it is so cool to hear them all learning the Bible stories and saying their memory verses. Ok, I admit it...I am a Vacation Bible School Junkie!
Hubby is just as bad. He takes vacation time every year for VBS. He is a crew leader with five great kids. My daughter helped out in registration with me and has been a crew leader also in past years. My two older grandaughters have been helpers and have been on the dance team also. My three younger grandkids attend our VBS every year. It's fun to be flying down the hall and hear a familiar "Hi Grandma"... Couldn't be better!
Today's Character is "Ray"
