I sit here, on New Years Eve, reading all of the hype on the year, 2011.

They are all talking about how; “X” is better, “B” is worse, “C” is no longer important, and “D” is the new thing to watch.
You can fill in your own definitions for X, B, C, and D.

They may be a little different depending on your own personal lifestyle, but regardless, they are the hot topics.

Well, as a retiree, with, essentially, frozen assets and income, the big thing for me, is the word LESS!

Yeah, sure, I have a pension and SS checks, along a little savings in IRA’s, but they are not growing, like my assets did when I was working.

Now they are shrinking

Consider the following facts:
1- SS and Medicare got no increases for the last two years, regardless of the fact that EVERYHING went up in price during the same time, like, food, clothing, labor.

2- Congress tacked one of their “screw the retirees” acts to a budget bill, that increases the cost to the retiree for SS and Medicare for 2012 and 2013 that will be devastating for those of us that are just getting by.

3- We have an economy that, with 2012 being an election year, will be manipulated heavily by both political parties to either; look Good (democrats) or Bad (Republicans).  That will be their sole purpose in pretty much everything that they do; Win the Elections!

Meanwhile, we retirees are; eating cheaper, wearing our old clothes longer, cutting back on entertainment, and pulling more and more from our savings to get by.

On the news yesterday, they stated that the Poor and Low Income people of our country now account for over 40% of the population. while, of course, the Middle Class has shrunk, yet again.

Filter out the B.S. and what they told us that there are LESS people making as much as in the past. Which in turn, means that there are more people that are paying LESS or NO taxes, to support the Federal spending machine.

What is the Congressional reaction? Let’s cut benefits! That is B.S. plain and simple.

If you want to increase tax income, then you need more people making more money.

This is not rocket science, just simple economics.

If you raise my taxes, I will have less to spend, thus, I will have less to support other service industry workers,  thus reducing the work force even more.

Anyway, I will stop here with my Rant.

2011, it has been the year of LESS.

And if the idiots in Congress don’t get off their partisan Ass’ by the end of 2012, we, the people, and specifically the retirees, will have even LESS!

Don Bobbitt