Swimming upstream

Larry Jones, Democrat Columnist

For years I’ve looked forward to the day when I could kick back and enjoy my “Golden Years,” but it seems that every time I think I’m going to get a little ahead in life’s game, something new always manages to pop up. Our elected officials in both Washington and Austin assure us that our economy is robust, sound, and to quote Herbert Hoover, “There’s a chicken or two in every pot.” I’m not sure, but I think my chicken may have died.

With all the new palatial mansions popping up all over Parker County, there are a whole lot of folks moving here that are obviously doing quite well. Although I’m happy for them, I can assure you they didn’t make their money farming peanuts.

You’re probably wondering why I’m on my “high-horse.” Well, it all started a couple of weeks ago when I received the news that the cost of living increase for my monthly Social Security check for next year will be 2.3 percent. That, friends and neighbors, is about a third of a tank of gas for my pickup — if I shop very carefully and use a discount card. I always thought that the cost of living increases or COLA’s were supposed to keep us somewhat even with the rate of inflation for the nation’s economy. I guess I just don’t understand how the “bean counters” in the great puzzle palace of Washington, D.C., operate. Perhaps, it’s some of that “fuzzy math” I’ve heard about.

Career bureaucrats and politicians have often proclaimed that Social Security was never intended to be the majority of a retired person’s income. I must be on the low end of the socioeconomic totem pole, because a good percentage of my friends rely heavily on their monthly Social Security check to make ends meet. Primarily due to rising energy costs over the past few years, inflation has resulted in a greatly diminished disposable income for these folks living on a fixed retirement income.

I can only imagine how the con artists in Washington, D.C., can proclaim that a 2.3 percent increase in Social Security benefits will offset the price increase of goods purchased by recipients. The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, is supposedly a measure of the overall cost of the goods and services bought by a typical urban consumer. Looks good at first glance, but here is where they spin the facts. In determining what goes into the shopping cart for COLA calculation, a great disparity can result. If you are calculating the proper level for an annual increase for retirees, why not use only goods and services which would be typically needed or purchased by retirees, not those purchased by the “typical urban consumer?” If retailers can accurately profile shopping preferences by various groups, why can’t the government do the same?

The most significant costs for older folks are predominantly those related to health care, groceries, and energy. Isn’t it amazing that these are exactly the areas hardest hit by inflation over the past few years. Over the last four years, Social Security increases have averaged 3.1 percent annually. During this same time, gasoline has doubled in price, and the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity has also roughly doubled. Grocery costs have skyrocketed because of idiotic government policy related to ethanol production from corn. While ethanol contributes almost nothing toward increasing fuel supplies, diversion of corn supplies to support this boondoggle has resulted in significant increases in the cost of the majority of the items on grocer’s shelves — meat, dairy products, baked goods, cereal, and a huge assortment of products containing corn syrup as a sweetener. In addition to these energy related price increases, perhaps the greatest increases affecting older people have been those related to healthcare. Insurance premiums, prescription and over-the-counter drug costs, co-pays, dental care, eye care, and the patient’s share of medical expenses have seen annual double digit increases for over a decade.

I’m not sure how we can get our over-paid and seemingly myopic politicians to use a little common sense in conducting the affairs of state. Neither honesty nor common sense seem to be prerequisite these days for holding public office, so I guess we’ll just have to be satisfied with whatever they choose to dole out in our direction. Meanwhile, I think I’ll go look for my chicken.

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Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to larrj2@airmail.net. Columns submitted to The Weatherford Democrat by guest writers reflect the opinions of the writer and in no way reflect the beliefs or opinions of The Weatherford Democrat.