There is one of our group of retirees that lives not too far from me. I'll call him "J.A". I had called him a couple of days ago to get some information he had about a website I was looking for. The conversation turned to our financial situation as retirees. J.A. can be as stubborn an old blockhead as any you'll find sometimes. He is your typical Republican, conservative, right winger. Right down the line.
J.A-----" Hey did you see that O'bama is taking away the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients?"
Me-----"Ummmm no, actually, I don't think that's the case at all."
J.A.------"Oh but I'm telling you it's absolutely true. Here ---just look at this website" (we pulled up a link to a news article about the issue).
Me (after reading most of the article)----"Ummm ----it doesn't say anything like that. It says that they aren't getting their usual COLA adjustment for the next two years because it's tied to the CPI and a formula that's been in place for years".
J.A.----No it's O'bama's doing. Ever since he got elected all this bad shit started happening."
Me-----"No, whoever the president happens to be at the moment has nothing to do with how SS adjustments are calculated. It's explained in the article."
J.A.------"Well hey OK----
if that's the way you want to interpret it, then go ahead."
He had read only the parts of the article that he wanted to be true, and just disregarded all the other information. It had a photo of O'bama at the top and in his narrow mind that was sufficient to make the connection to the loss of COLA. I don't have that particular link anymore, but it's no matter. There are a shit ton of others out there right now on this subject.
It's like trying to talk to a doorknob. He is so anti O'bama, anti Democrat, anti "Librul" it's pathetic. He will believe any nonsense he sees or hears as long as it fits his conservative worldview. No matter how fantastic, how unlikely, how stupid or impossible it is. He is one of those people who thinks there is a connection between Fox news and reality.
I recently had a similar phone conversation with another retiree I know who lives (thankfully) on the opposite side of Florida from me. Only in his case it was to tell me all about the protest at the town hall meeting in Sarasota on the health care legislation pending in Congress. He was absolutely convinced that the people who were there screaming at the speakers were just your average Joe's who decided on their own to show up and protest something they know nothing about. It was obviously a staged and carefully orchestrated incident. The people there were not there at random and it was obvious. But he would have none of it, instead spouting some crazy bullshit about the government wanting to make decisions about who will live or die by controlling who can or can't have certain procedures done.
The media were quick to pick up on it too. Here's a link to a pretty good opinion column from one of our newspapers in this area. It's a week or so old but right on the tack--------------
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...-and-unhealthy
The insurance and pharmaceutical companies are desperate to block anything that could cut their obscene profits. Look at the amount of money they spent on lobbying efforts. It's mind boggling.
Rant over.
The Heathen Hub
Conversation With a Conservative Bonehead
If it really was O'bama we would have had very little drama during the election year.
Butbutbut.....
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