Who Is Protecting America’s Seniors?

Does anyone on Capitol Hill, or even in the White House, care about Americas’ seniors anymore? In January 2008, Social Security recipients received a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) monthly increase of 2.3%. Have you heard anyone on Capitol Hill or in the White House even bring up the issue of “seniors” and their current options of increased costs of health care and medicine, Medicare B & D monthly premiums and their deductibles, along with the rising cost of gasoline and other energy cost, food, clothing, etc.?

In January 2008, Social Security recipients faced a Medicare B monthly premium increase of 3.1% along with an increase in Medicare B deductibles. In addition, Social Security recipients faced an additional premium increase in Medicare D along with an increase in Medicare D deductibles alongside with an increase in actual different levels of medicine cost.

The bottom line is that with the 2.3% annual increase for Social Security recipients, along with the premium increases in Medicare B and Medicare D, followed by the two (2) increased deductibles, and the increases in the cost of health care, pharmaceutical cost, followed with the exorbitant increasing cost of gasoline, energy cost for utilities, food, etc., “required needs” are no longer being met. Many seniors are financially, backtracking, being forced to accept never before decisions on healthcare, medicine, and/or food and other most essential requirements. Why should seniors be deprived of actual required necessities this way? Some seniors do and/or may be “falling through the cracks”.

Yes, there are a few discussions of the continuing increase in the cost of gasoline and healthcare. Fuel oil and gasoline increases are the driving forces in escalating the cost of other utilities, food, clothing, etc., just for seniors and all others, to get our products to and from the marketplace. Ordinarily, in the marketplace, prices are determined by “supply and demand”. The problem is OPEC is controlling our supply with oil and gasoline shortage, which is, in turn, powering the increased prices. This is destructive to our entire US economy, but more so to seniors and others forced to live on a fixed income.

The cure is for America to drill and capture our own “known oil reserves”. Capturing “known oil reserves” can reduce oil and gasoline prices, make our government “oil independent” from OPEC nations, and rectify an error for our entire citizens and our economy. The majority Democrats know this, so why will they not vote “YES”, just for the economy?

President Bush says there is nothing more he can do! Mr. President, whatever happened to “Executive Orders”? You could issue an “Executive Order” authorizing the drilling for oil in “known oil reserves”. I do not believe there are enough politicos on Capitol Hill to “overturn and/or veto” that “Executive Order”, not to mention it would be a winning issue politically and economically, for each and all, within our US economy. I do believe any effort to “overturn or veto” this Presidential “Executive Order” would be met by an overwhelming majority of Americans to expel their attempt. Try it. See it for yourself, Mr. President! See it for all of Americans who are being stretched out of their income by the ever-increasing cost of oil and gasoline!

The two leading Democrats for President of the United States are both talking about the increasing cost of gasoline, when both, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama have both voted “NO”, “NO”, “NO” on additional exploration, especially in ANWAR. How many times have these two (2) leading Presidential candidates, along with many other Democrats, voted “NO”, so as the USA may be able to become “oil independent” from the OPEC nations? Both Senators Clinton and Obama talk about the United States becoming “oil independent”, yet both vote against additional drilling in “known oil reserves”. Their spoken words versus their true action “votes” in the US Senate are “despicable”. Why not vote “YES” to drilling for “known oil reserves” to protect our citizens, their jobs, and our entire US economy?

Are the Democrat candidates for the Presidency and on Capitol Hill now attempting to steal the issue of escalating oil and gasoline prices when the solution of lower oil and gasoline prices are awaiting their own political votes of “YES” to drilling for “known oil reserves” to be captured? How brainless do they think we are?

Oh, it is not just Democrats. There are a few Capitol Hill minority Republicans as well who continue to vote “NO” for tapping “known oil reserves”. All must acknowledge President Bush seems to have little or no leadership on these issues of forcing those on Capitol Hill to tap for “known oil reserves” or protecting the increasing financial tension on seniors, either.

It may be difficult to find many who are more Conservative than I, and it is challenging to find many more supportive than I have been of President George W. Bush. Some nine (9) years ago, I asked Republicans in my community, my state, and my nation to support George W. Bush as our nominee in the GOP for President of the United States. My adage was President Bush would build the GOP of today, just as FDR did the same for the Democrat Party of yesterday. My, my, my.

When did you last hear from President Bush address the “seniors” issue? Does President Bush have anything left on the “seniors” issue from where he often describes from a “bully pulpit”? Who is protecting America’s seniors? Where is the leadership on Capitol Hill from both political parties? Why are so many, so silent on the “seniors” issue? American seniors do vote! Seniors deserve a better life as they are nearing their “sunset”. God Bless America!