Will you be able to retire?

Have you seen the Fidelity commercial where the investor under Fidelity guidance follows a green (get it green?..... like money) path? Well get ready the follow the red path, courtesy of the U.S. Government over the incredibly buffoonish way of handling our social security nest egg. Simply due to the dire straits this country is in financially, social security solvency will not be an issue in the very near future either.

Did you hear Obama speak of Social Security during the State of the Union? Of course, while add to his woes?

President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union speech, didn’t really touch on the subject near and dear to the hearts of millions of Americans — the State of Retirement in the U.S. No doubt he had other pressing matters to address. So allow us the pleasure of issuing — thanks in large part to a many experts on the topic — our State of Retirement column.

Things are bad and, in the absence of action or in the presence of the ill-advised action, could get much worse.

Matthew Greenwald, the president of Matthew Greenwald & Associates, a leading
retirement research firm, say's “I think the state of retirement in America is endangered as the ‘Great Recession’ has taken a toll on the financial status of many and as retirement savings were not adequate for many prior to the ‘Great Recession. There are several things that need to be fixed, including addressing Social Security and helping people feel confident in the viability of the system, more effective defined-contribution plans that do a better job of encouraging participants to defer more of their income and more effective advice to retirees that helps them use their financial assets most effectively when they retire.”

Read the entire article on Social Security here.

Looting the Treasury

One of the last acts of government before a Nation falls is to loot the treasury. That's not much of a gauge for the U.S. since government officials have been looting the treasury for decades.
Sometimes it seems just to be earmarks for a union or other organizations so the politician can be taken care of when they leave office,.....but it brings new meaning to the word "looting"

when government officials, such as political appointees in the White House, fail to pay federal income tax. You got to hand it to these people, finding ways to get it at both ends.

Wonder why the government has not put a lien on the paychecks of the Executive office personnel delinquent on their taxes? Hmmmmm,....

The following article was published on Yahoo! Finance under the title "Thousands of federal workers owe back taxes" by Ken Thomas of the Associated Press - see the original article (without my cynical lead in) here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has preached that all Americans should pay their fair share in taxes, but a government report finds that tens of thousands of federal employees — from staffers in Congress to federal agencies and even Obama's executive office — collectively owe the government billions in back taxes.

Data from the Internal Revenue Service found that more than 279,000 federal employees and retirees owed $3.4 billion in back income taxes as of Sept. 30, 2010.

The data showed that 467 employees of the House of Representatives, or about 4.2 percent of the workforce, owed more than $8.5 million. In the Senate, 217 employees, or about 3 percent of the workforce, owed $2.13 million.

Obama's staff was not immune, either, with 36 people in Obama's executive office of nearly 1,800 workers — about 2 percent — owing the government $833,970 in back taxes. Obama used part of his State of the Union address Tuesday night to promote economic fairness, arguing for changes in the tax code that would create a minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million. The finances of one of his chief Republican rivals, Mitt Romney, has been scrutinized because he, like many millionaires, pays a lower rate because most of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.

The IRS report attracted the attention of Republicans, who said it undercut the president's argument on taxes. "If Obama wants people to pay their 'fair share,' perhaps he should start with his own staff,"tweeted Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus.

White House officials noted that the delinquency rate among executive office staff had fallen from nearly 3 percent in 2008. In 2009, 41 employees in the president's executive office owed about $830,000, representing about 2.3 percent of its workforce.

Governor Jan Brewer - You Go Girl!

Dear Mr. President,


Welcome to Arizona!


You‘ve arrived in a state at the forefront of America’s recovery — and her future. We were at the brink. We were at the bottom of the list in job creation. Today, we have a balanced budget and we’re in the top 10 for job creation.


I’m proud of that hard-won recovery — the result of many tough decisions, courage and perseverance.


My hope is while you are here you will have a chance to see our tremendous results first hand.


We both love the great country, but we fundamentally disagree on how to best make America grow and prosper once again. I‘d love an opportunity to share with you how we’ve been able to turn Arizona around with hard choices that turned out to be the right ones.


And, of course, my offer to visit the border — and buy lunch — still stands!


With respect, Jan

While the media reported this as a hostile encounter in which Governor Brewer was disrespectful to the President, both Obama and Brewer describe it as something different, although the picture is worth a thousand words. The obvious comments are:

1 - What big cajones Obama must have to fund raise in a state he has directed the Attorney General to sue.

2 - Obama continues to demonstrate an ineptness to lead or even to manage, as he prefers to spew forth campaign slogans and promises while failing to do anything except move this country towards the brink of economic collapse,...never mind securing the borders.

3 - Compare Obama's and the Democrat's national efforts (or non-efforts) to Arizona (and Texas) with balanced budgets, and economic/job growth.Mr. President,....you don't need the comparisons!  With the States or Governor Brewer.