Saturday, August 25, 2012

Fall and Chili

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR:  You know, the fall time of the year, when the Chili is starting to come off and the air is redolent with the smell of roasting chili.  New Mexico, namely Hatch, New Mexico is labeled the Chili capitol of the world.  The title may be a little ambiguous, but it is there just the same.  But Wait;
It seems that there are people, or companies, who don't live or farm in New Mexico,  who recognize the value of New Mexico Chili. So, being the enterprising type of people they are, they harvest their Chili and  bring it to New Mexico and then sell it as New Mexico Chili.
Well, a law was just passed that states,  "IF IT AIN'T GROWN HERE, IT CAN'T BE SOLD HERE LABELED AS NEW MEXICO CHILI." Or words to that effect.   So, assuming that the law will be followed and those enterprising types who want to cash in, pun intended, in New Mexico Chili, will be ferreted out and punished accordingly, we can rest assured that when you eat Chili from New Mexico, you are actually eating Chili grown here.
Meanwhile, just lean back, enjoy the fall smell of roasting Chili and let the juices flow, until you can't stand it any longer, then fix your self a meal, or go to your favorite restaurant and get a Chili fix.  I recommend a minimum of once a week.  Maximum of your choice.  
And THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK. 
 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Social Security

AND I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND:  For the long time reader of my drivel ( I said reader, cause I'm not sure there are more than a few who even venture to read my opinions ) you may remember that a year ago I was working in a mine for a contractor.  There was a young woman ( age not known by me but she has a 4 year old daughter ) working there for a few weeks.  She lost her job cause she wouldn't take a random drug test.  She lives in the same town I do, and as I go to work in my current short time job, I notice her car gone like she is working somewhere.  A few days ago I saw her outside, so I hollered at her and ask her where she was working.  She said she wasn't, but that she was trying to get Social Security.
On 14 August 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security act into law.  Now, whatever your opinion of government programs is, this has been a law for 77 years.  It is not a government give a way program. At least not in the sense of so many government programs are. Money is held out of employed peoples paychecks and put into the social security system. At that time the age of 65 was chosen as a retirement age for people to begin drawing a Social Security check.  From the government.  From a system that they had paid into.  By law.  Not by choice.
Now, I'm not going to go day by day or even year by year or administration by administration telling about this system.  I am just going to mention a few things that I know about.  Somewhere along the line, medicare was introduced to the list of government programs.  And along with Social security funds being held out of the paycheck, medicare fees were held out also.  And when people turned 65 and retired and were drawing Social Security, they had to sign up for medicare.  They didn't have a choice about the funds being held out of their paycheck and they don't have a choice of signing up for medicare.  YOU WILL DO IT, BY LAW. But, since we have all paid into this program, having access to it is not a give a way.  And with a fee of almost $100.00 a month being held out of each and every Social Security check, we are still paying for this insurance.  
Social Security was designed during the depression to help the elderly of this nation have some retirement security, and a lifetime of working, paying into the system was supposed to fund the system.  But over the years, people whose spouses went to prison for being a bad person get to receive Social Security.  People who were in their "older" years and had children, got to draw a check for those children, until they turn 18.  People with children born out of wedlock got a check for those children.  And now, a young woman who can't get or hold a job, because she can't control her drug problem is trying to get Social Security.  
I and my wife didn't draw it till we were 65 years old.  And now that we do, we have to pay income tax on that money as well as premiums for the medicare that we have to have.  I don't know just what the current administration wants to do, actually, nor what his opponent wants to do, but I think that something needs to be done.  But that something is not to cut what I have been forced to pay into, and am now taxed on.  Situations like I opened this post with are the things that need to be addressed.  Along with the other situations mentioned in the post, as well as dozens of others I didn't take the time to list.   
And THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK.