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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

WHAT IS CONSIDERED AN INCOME TO LIVE ON

WHAT IS CONSIDERED AN INCOME TO LIVE ON

This is a personal situation, as I am trying to help my mother-in-law get some-sort of health-care. A few years ago she lost her husband and now as a widow she collects his social security, so her income is below $800.00 a month. She is a few years away from being eligible for Medicare, and according to our wonderful officials in government positions, she is not eligible for any kind of medical assistance because her income is way over the amount required to get help.

My mother-in-law is not asking for any kind of cash or food assistance, just some sort of coverage and she is willing to pay as well, so there is no reason to think that she needs a hand out, but the system turns its back not only on her but for many others that are between the age of 60-65, and have no health coverage.

For those few that grew up with a silver spoon, or have a nice nest egg, do not understand the plight that the majority of people are going through in this country. These people questioning the notion of President Obama’s health care vision, do not know what it is like to wake up thinking how they will pay their bills or even have a plate of food on their tables, let alone think about going to a doctor, but millions of Americans do wake up worried and scared as to what the day will bring.

I have stated this before that for the United States and the rest of the world to move forward, humanity must learn and embrace the concept of sharing and for those that life has given them a silver spoon thanks to the hard work of others, should think twice about life because karma is very real and what comes around goes around.

Tim Seretis

Saturday, October 17, 2009

DON RICKLES AND RONALD REAGAN

I DO REMEMBER THIS AS IF IT WAS YESTERDAY, AND IT IS STILL HILLARIOUS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ALHiadIsKo

Friday, October 16, 2009

HELPING THE DAIRY FARMER

October 16, 2009


Dear Friend,

Last week Congress passed the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Act, with bipartisan support in both chambers (263 to 162 in the House and 76 to 22 in the Senate). This legislation provides for $350 million in funding for dairy relief, giving aid to thousands of farmers nationwide who are struggling with historically low prices.

Though I was unable to be present for this vote because I was serving on active duty in the Navy Reserve, I voted for the earlier House version of the bill in July.

I am particularly concerned about the plight of our family dairy farmers. As a member of the bipartisan Dairy Farmers Caucus, I am committed to working to address the problem of falling milk prices and providing support for our nation's struggling dairy farmers. While the emergency funding in the Agriculture Appropriations bill will not solve the long-term problems the industry faces, it will provide much-needed temporary support to our local farmers.

Under the bill, $290 million will be used to provide direct support to dairy farmers using guidelines to be determined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak under and expedited process. Another $60 million would be used to purchase cheese and other dairy products for food banks and nutrition programs, spurring prices for raw dairy products by drawing down supplies of the commodity.

The Agriculture Appropriations Act also protects consumers by giving the agency that regulates our commodities markets like energy and food, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the staff resources it needs to do its job. This additional oversight will help protect the American people from needless spikes in the cost of basic necessities. The Act also maintains fiscal responsibility by cutting millions of dollars from programs that are not working. The bill has been sent to the President and is expected to be signed into law.

If you need additional information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my Clarks Summit office toll free at 866-846-8124. Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Christopher P. Carney

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

PENNSYLVANIA STATE BUDGET

I have been voicing my concerns and opinion over the last 3-months, and have been active in contacting various members of our elite elected State officials, who by the way kept getting a paycheck while others had to suffer, that their personal issues as to who is better, Republican or Democrat, was destroying the State and the people. WOW!! Today I received this E-mail from my State Senator, Lisa Baker.

Thank you for your advocacy and the information you provided regarding the state budget. Over the past three months, I received calls, letters, and e-mails on behalf of many of the programs funded through the state budget. I understand the deep concerns you and others have expressed, and your insights were invaluable to me throughout this process.

The impacts of the state budget impasse have been severe. Service providers, local governments, schools, students, and families should not have had to suffer the uncertainty, the disruptions, and the costs inflicted because of the prolonged dispute. Our process is clearly flawed, and I am working to determine how we can change things so we do not suffer a repetition of this budget ordeal that has been so frustrating for taxpayers and so disruptive to state-funded services.

This budget does not reflect the principles I laid out at the beginning of this process, or the priorities many people in my district told me were most important, so I could not vote to support it.

While we were successful in preventing increases in the state personal income tax and the sales tax, other tax increases approved despite my opposition will adversely impact small businesses, which only delays the economic recovery our state desperately needs to take place.

The expansion of gambling is not a responsible solution to our problems. Because people have such strong opinions about gambling and gambling expansion, table games should be openly debated. It is not the sort of thing that should be just waved through because the state is desperate for dollars.


There are also substantial inequities in funding for important programs, services and institutions that matter to our communities.


I have attached a link to the final general fund appropriations for your information http://www.senatorbaker.com/PDF/2009/HB1416.pdf. Please let me know if you have additional questions or concerns.


Again, thank you for contacting me. Your interest and involvement are greatly appreciated.


Lisa

Monday, October 12, 2009

NEWS FROM NATO

Dear Sir/Madam,
To increase the diversity of the debate on NATO's new Strategic Concept, we are hosting a live video session with NATO experts on 15 October, 15.30 pm (Brussels time, GMT+1).

Our first invitees, Michael Ruehle (Policy Planning Unit/Private Office of the Secretary General), Steve Sturm (Defence Policy and Planning Division), and moderator Dr Stefanie Babst (Public Diplomacy Division) will discuss the Alliance's core tasks and functions.

What do you think NATO should or should not do to confront terrorism, cyber-attacks or threats to energy security, for example?

What should NATO's role be in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation?

Post your questions and comments to the experts on the discussion forum (http://natostratcon.info) or reply to this email before or during the live discussion.

With best regards,
NATO�s Public Diplomacy Division

Friday, October 2, 2009

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 07:17:49 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano concludes National Preparedness Month with major speech

Friends,

As you know, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered a major speech on Tuesday to conclude a very successful National Preparedness Month. If you missed the live webcast, you can now watch the video of the speech, read the transcript, and share it with your friends and colleagues.

Watch Secretary Napolitano’s speech now at www.Ready.Gov.

In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano thanked all of our Citizen Corps volunteers, the Ready Campaign, our NPM partners, and the thousands of other volunteers and organizations for all their hard work.

Now we need to make sure to get this important message out too all those Americans who are just beginning to think about preparedness.

And you can be a huge help just by forwarding this e-mail – or simply giving out the Ready.Gov link – to your friends, family and co-workers. You can Tweet about it, or post it to your blog, Facebook, or MySpace page. Be creative, and spread the word!

Thank you again for all of your great work, and let’s keep it going by sharing Secretary Napolitano’s call to action!

Sincerely,

The Ready Campaign

CONGRESSMAN CARNEY TRULY SERVES

October 2, 2009


Dear Friend,


Congressman Carney has reported for active duty at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. He will return from duty on October 13. While he is away, Chief of Staff April Metwalli and I will be writing Fridays with Chris on his behalf.

Earlier this year, Congress passed the American Recovery and Investment Act, as part of an effort to bolster our economy through job creation and investments in long-term economic growth. Under the Recovery Act, 95 percent of Americans have seen increases in their paychecks. One of the Recovery Act's programs, The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, is set to expire November 30. The credit of up to $8,000 is generally available to homebuyers with qualifying income levels who have never owned a home or have not owned one in the last three years. With the deadline quickly approaching, you must complete you first-time home purchases soon to qualify.


If you are hoping to take advantage of this tax credit, here are a few things you should know about the Recovery Act's First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit:


o To be considered a first-time homebuyer, you - and your spouse if you are married - must not have jointly or separately owned another principal residence during the three years prior to the date of purchase.


o You cannot claim the credit before there is a completed sale and purchase of the residence. The sale and purchase are generally completed at the time of closing.


o To qualify for the credit, the completed purchase must occur by November 30, 2009


o The home must be located in the United States.


o The credit will be either 10 percent of the purchase price of the home or $8,000, whichever is less.


o The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is more than $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers.


o The credit is claimed on IRS Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyers Credit.


o Taxpayers can claim the credit for a qualified 2009 purchase on either their 2008 or 2009 tax return. For those who have filed a 2008 return, a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return can be filed in order to get a refund in 2009.


o The credit for qualified 2009 purchases does not have to be repaid, as long as the home remains your main home for 36 months after the purchase date.


If you need assistance with this or other housing matters, please contact our Clarks Summit office at 1-866-846-8124. Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend.


Sincerely,

Paul Macknosky
District Director for Congressman Carney

Thursday, October 1, 2009

THIS IS HISTORY MAKING MAJOR NEWS

TONY Blair is set to be made the first President of Europe in weeks, The Sun can reveal.
He will be nominated by EU leaders in Brussels if, as expected, Ireland backs the hated Lisbon Treaty in tomorrow's referendum.

A senior Government source said: "If we get a 'Yes' vote it will all move very, very quickly. Tony could be named by the end of October."

The leaders of the EU's 27 nations, not the voters, will choose the president.