I’m back in the middle of my semi-annual episode of outrage about the American system for budget and debt management and other governance problems. 

Earlier this year we concluded the last cycle of budget/debt ceiling turmoil with a debt ceiling agreement. The U.S. could breath again, but for how long? A few weeks ago it became clear that we would miss one more opportunity to actually experience careful analysis and debate during the budget process. I’m referring to reestablishing “regular order.” That means that our legislators would be required to hold budget hearings and actually hold separate votes on 12 separate spending budgets. It’s been decades since we’ve followed that process on a regular basis. 

Unfortunately, this year we’ll extend for another year the embarrassing use of omnibus spending bills strung together with emergency continuing resolutions until some sort of permanent annual budget is approved. Ultimately an omnibus bill, generally without adequate detailed analysis, will be agreed upon and we can breath easy, right? Sorry, no. The budget will be passed, but the funding process will be left hanging. The approval of a debt ceiling won’t be addressed until panic arrives, and a debt crisis is declared, usually several months later. Ultimately, after much angst, gnashing of teeth, and
threats of government shutdown, a new debt ceiling will be put in place.

Blame should be placed on both parties for this bad financial management. Fairness requires pointing out that the Democrats reversed course by claiming the debt ceiling serves no purpose andshould be terminated. That’s irresponsibly wrong.

The debt ceiling is an important control mechanism for ensuring spending discipline. It was set up to create orderly, thoughtful, and responsible budget and funding decisions. Responsible financial management requires that spending and borrowing decisions be made as part of the same process, not months apart. That separation of the inseparable decisions of spending levels and funding sources is what causes these predictable debt crises.

The 2023 version of this process emphasizes its foolishness. GOP infighting during the budget process brought about an irresponsible removal of the House Speaker. It must be labeled irresponsible because there was neither a viable plan, nor the ability, to name a replacement. Our leaders shouldn’t take drastic measures which need solutions unless those solutions are provided for.

That dilemma continues as I write this. Representative Jordan is out of contention for House Speaker, with nine others apparently taking his place as “wannabees.” It’ll eventually end, but when? It’s
already turning into a sad national joke, further suppressing confidence in our nation’s government institutions.

America’s government is at a legislative standstill while national and international events have intervened to create a serious geopolitical “perfect storm,” made significantly worse by America’s bad governance – or should I call it “temporary non-governance.”

While we “muddle through” here at home, the Mideast is on the verge of being the center of international military conflicts following the massive Hamas led terrorist attack on Israel, with the predictable
military retaliation on Gaza by Israeli military forces. The Ukraine war is escalating with requests for more U.S. support. Government officials are speculating on how to avoid the potential military conflict with China. And America can’t act due to its leadership void. The GOP’s infighting has the potential to disrupt the nation’s security. 

Sprinkle on top of that pile of existential threats the distraction of a serious impeachment investigation of our unpopular President. Add to that the dozens of charges in four indictments against the outrageously controversial leading GOP candidate for the next presidential election. Unpopular and controversial candidates, and foolish legislators seem to define the prevailing situation in 2023.

This particular governance void in the House of Representatives may be solved by the time you read this, but I think I’ve made my point as to the risky path the nation has taken. A perfect storm of bad
governance along with international tensions, doesn’t bode well. I’m wondering if the U.S. can get its ducks adequately in order to continue the leadership position it has held for so long.

  Steve Bakke

In mid-October every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics re-leases its much-anticipated report on changes (usually increases) to the Consumer Price Index over the past 12 months. Why is this little, esoteric government report - actually called the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers -- so popular? Because for the past 49 years, it’s the report that determines the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that Social Security beneficiaries will get the following year.

I’m sure you already heard, all 66 million Social Security bene-ficiaries’ checks are going up 3.2% in 2024.

Due to these increases, the average monthly retirement check will be $1,907 in 2024, a $59 increase from the 2023 level. The maximum Social Security check for a worker turning full retirement age in 2024 will be $3,822, compared to $3,627 in 2023. And please note that $3,822 is the maximum for someone turning full retirement age in 2024. That does not mean it is the maximum Social Security payment anyone can receive. There are millions of Social Security beneficiaries who get much more than that, primarily because they worked well past their FRA and/or delayed starting their benefits until age 70.

Here’s another important point about the COLA. Many readers have been asking me if they must file for Social Security benefits in 2023 in order to get the COLA that’s paid in January 2024. The answer is no. The COLA will be built into the benefit computation formula. So even if you don’t file for Social Security until next year, or some subsequent year, you’ll still get the 3.2% increase.

Although this is a Social Security column, I must mention the upcoming increase in the Medicare Part B premium, which is deducted from Social Security checks for most people. In 2024, the basic Part B premium is projected to be $179.80. That’s $14.90 more than the 2023 rate. And as has been the case for 20 years now, wealthy people will pay more than the basic premium.

I don’t want to get into the complicated issue of Medicare premiums other than to make this quick point. Even though they are linked in the minds of most senior citizens, Social Security and Medicare are entirely separate programs, administered by entirely separate federal agencies, and they have entirely separate rules and regulations regarding their benefit and payment structures. For example, I already explained how Social Security COLAs are figured. The Part B Medicare premium increase has nothing to do with the Bureau of Labor’s consumer price index. Instead, by law, it must be set at a level that covers 25% of the cost of running the program. Taxpayers pick up the remaining 75%. (And again, wealthy people pay more than the 25% share.)

Another measuring stick called the “national wage index” is used to set increases to other provisions of the law that affect Social Security beneficiaries and taxpayers. Specifically, this includes increases in the amount of wages or self-employment income subject to Social Security tax; the amount of income needed to earn a “quarter of coverage”; and the Social Security earnings penalty limits.
The Social Security taxable earnings base will go up from $160,200 in 2023 to $168,600 in 2024. In other words, people who earn more than $168,600 in 2024 will no longer have Social Security payroll taxes deducted from their paychecks once they hit that threshold. This has always been a very controversial provision of the law. (Bill Gates pays the same amount of Social Security tax as his plumber!) I think it’s a pretty good bet that any eventual Social Security reform package will include an increase in that wage base.

Most people need 40 Social Security work credits (sometimes called “quarters of coverage”) to be eligible for monthly benefit checks from the system. In 2023, people who were working earned one credit for each $1,640 in Social Security taxable income. But no one earns more than four credits per year. In other words, once you made $6,560, your Social Security record has been credited with the maximum four credits or quarters of coverage. In 2024, the one credit limit goes up to $1,730, meaning you will have to earn $6,920 this coming year before you get the maximum four credits assigned to your Social Security account.

People under their full retirement age who get Social Security retirement or survivor’s benefits but who are still working are subject to limits in the amount of money they can earn and still receive all their Social Security checks. That limit was $21,240 in 2023 and will be $22,320 in 2024. For every two dollars a person earns over those limits, one dollar is withheld from his or her monthly benefits.
There is a higher earnings threshold in the year a person turns full retirement age that applies from the beginning of the year until the month the person reaches FRA. (The income penalty goes away once a person reaches that magic age.) That threshold goes up from $56,520 in 2023 to $59,520 in 2024.

A couple other Social Security provisions are also impacted by inflationary increases. For example, people getting disability benefits who try to work can generally continue getting those benefits as long as they are not working at a “substantial” level. In 2023, the law defined substantial work as any job paying $1,470 or more per month. In 2024, that substantial earnings level increases to $1,550 monthly.

Finally, the Supplemental Security Income basic federal pay-ment level for one person goes up from $914 in 2023 to $943 in 2024. SSI is a federal welfare program administered by the Social Security Administration, but it is not a Social Security benefit. It is paid for out of general revenues, not Social Security taxes.

Tom Margenau has worked for the Social Security Administration for 32 years in a variety of positions. He has written the “Social Security and You ” column for national syndication since 1997.

For most of us docking our boat at the Marina, Restaurant, or Gas dock is always a chal­lenge. The wind direction. Speed and current make each docking different. So doing it safely should be Paramount in our minds.

When you are docking have everyone seated (that you do not need to help you) and know where they are. Always practice your approach away from the dock to feel the current, wind, and feel of the controls. Practice out in the Bay turning, backing up, and shifting to better control your boat. Min­imum speed should be used when docking. Try and dock into the wind for better control. Be aware of the direction of the cur­rent also.

If a crew member is to help you, explain what you want him to do! Remind ALL to keep their hands and feet inside the boat and do not push off a piling. Many bones have been broken by this action. Do NOT jump off the boat, maneuver closer and step off with a line to keep the boat close and under control. If someone is at the dock and offers help, pass him a line to make your job easier!

DIVER DOWN FLAG!

As you boat in our area, keep your eyes open for a Diver Down Flag. There are 2 types to watch out for. The first is a Red flag with a White diago­nal slash, the second is a White and Blue swallow tail (Alpha). They are 20 by 24 inches in size and must be flown from the highest point of the dive boat! When in the area, travel at no-wake speed and stay 100 feet away in close quarters and 300 feet in open water. This cour­tesy keeps ALL safe and able to enjoy the water!

If you have any­thing or questions you would like to see covered in this column, E-Mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

See you on the water!!!!

Capt. Frank M. Ferraiuolo (U.S.C.G. Aux, Ret.)

In canonizing Mother
Teresa as a saint ("Pope declares
Mother Teresa a saint," Sept. 5),
the pope publicly confirmed the essential
tenets of Catholicism:
That God could have
stopped Catholic priests from raping
altar boys. But, overall, He didn't
want to.
And millions throughout
the world rejoiced in this good
news. Such is religion.
Granted, the pope didn't
frame the issue quite that way. But
it's true just the same.
One miracle is as possible — or
impossible — as another.
Preach that an omnipotent
deity can perform miracles, and
you also preach that at other times
He chooses not to.
e reality is that the priests really
did rape altar boys. And the reality
is God didn't stop them. There is
no excuse of "metaphor" to hide
behind here, as moderate theists so
often do when it comes to their
holy scripture.
Put simply, God was either unable
or unwilling to intervene. The
Catholic God purportedly is omnipotent
and hence was able to stop
the rapes — even though He didn't.
The Catholic God is also omnibenevolent.
So sitting out and
willfully letting the rapes continue
was also the right thing for Him to
do.
In essence, that's what
every Christian believes — liberal
moderates as well as conservative
fundamentalists. Though few like
to admit it.
Such is the human brain on religion.
Christianity is not only
ridiculous and repugnant. It is also
deeply dishonest. No reasonable
earthly father would allow his children
to be raped, if he could readily
intervene to stop it. No
reasonable person would praise an
earthly father who willfully let
such rapes occur.
But substitute "Heavenly Father"
for "earthly father," and now His
faithful supplicants shout, "Laus
Deo!"
Let's review. In order for Mother
Teresa to be declared a saint, the
church needed to recognize that
she'd performed not just one miracle
but two.
The first miracle was the purported
healing of Monica Beresa, who
claimed she'd been cured of a cancerous
tumor by a beam of light
emitted from Mother Teresa's picture
in a medallion placed on her
abdomen. But her doctor stated
that it was a cyst caused by turberculosis,
not a cancerous tumor, and
attributed her gradual recovery
thereafter to her months of medication.
Even her husband declared
the miracle a "hoax."
Curiously, a call to put the
medallion to the test to cure another
tumor goes unanswered, despite
the suffering it presumably
would save.
Pope Francis recognized the second
purported miracle last December,
after a Brazilian man
recovered from a brain infection
when his wife prayed fervently to
Mother Teresa to heal him.
This is superstition of the lowest
order. Don't understand something?
"God did it."
Seeking intellectual respect, Pope
Francis recently declared that God
is not "a magician, with a magic
wand." But as the pope's canonizing
Mother Teresa shows, he's
happy to promote God's magic
when it makes for good PR.
It's nice that Mother Teresa miraculously
healed two people, according
to her church. How
unfortunate, though, that she didn't
bother to heal the many others who
have died under the care of her
Missionaries of Charity, often in
squalid conditions with poor medical
treatment, despite the unaccounted-
for millions of dollars
raised in her name.
The reality is, when an outcome
truly would require a miracle, then
intercessory prayer to saints and
gods never works. Never.
Pray for rain, as Gov. Rick Perry of
Texas once enjoined his state to do,
and sure enough, it will rain —
somewhere, sooner or later. But,
notes Marshall Brain, pray for an
adult human amputee to regrow a
limb almost instantly, just as
Mother Teresa cured the Brazilian
man, and it doesn't ever happen.
Ever.Apparently, Mother Teresa
hates amputees. Either that, or God
does. He'll routinely regrow limbs
for salamanders. But for people?
Meh. Not so much.
Primitive superstitious beliefs are
not reason to rejoice. Mass selfdelusion
is not reason to rejoice.
Rejecting reality is not reason to
rejoice.
They are reason to mourn.
Mother Teresa was no saint. In
more ways than one.
Gregory A. Clark – is an associate
professor of bioengineering at the
University of Utah who accepts
and professionally tries to develop
treatment approaches that are
based on evidence.

For most of the twentieth
century, economic issues have been
the dominant driver for Presidential
elections. Commander-in-Chiefs presiding
over a vibrant and productive
period are rarely supplanted; their reelection
is virtually assured. Only
imminent national security issues
even remotely challenge money as
the prime motivator for those headed
into the election booths.
Though the aforementioned
national security issues exacerbated
by loose immigration enforcement
are looming large and for some will
be a deciding factor, what Americans
are feeling in their billfolds and
purses will once again make the decision
between Trump and Clinton.
It’s my guess it will be Trump.
We are at a fork in the roads;
a time when it has become necessary
to choose whether we will continue
down the long road to increasing socialism
or maintain our prominence
in the world as the foremost practitioner
of free market capitalism.
There are many who really
believe the government should provide
for their welfare but they are
still the majority; at least among
those who vote. If all the people living
in America were counted it
would probably go the other way –
more government paternalism, or in
the case of Clinton – maternalism!
. But fortunately for us at this
narrow juncture those who participate
at the ballot box still outnumber
those who do not. And those who
still maintain a good work ethic;
those who believe that working
harder and smarter than others deserve
greater rewards still predominate
but America is probably the
only Western nations left where this
is so with the single possible exception
of Australia.
Those that believe in greater
returns for greater effort are the most
productive element in our society.
They carry many who have
grown accustomed to hand-outs and
freebies whether it’s an Obama
phone, free food or subsidized health
insurance. And these same folks tend
to be better informed as well. And
because of this they understand and
see how the rest of the world has
fared with more socialism. Right
now, as you are reading this there are
places in the world that were prosperous
not too long ago but right
now are horrible places to live.
Venezuela is a prime example, but
there are others and many of them
are in Europe. If not for the wholesale
destruction of currency value
through printing and devaluation
they would already be in far worse
shape.
Here in the USA we have
been spared due to the Reserve Currency
status of the dollar. But the incessant
printing, now viewed by
most competent economists as far
overdone, is threatening to do us in.
All fiat currencies depend on the
faith of the people in the attributed
value of the denomination printed on
the paper. When that fails, the currency
fails. It has happened before
historically and it will happen again
the question is when.
If Trump is elected we will
likely face some contraction in our
presence on the world stage but because
of our treaties and the status of
reserve currency we are the ONLY
nation who can renegotiate trade
deals and other financial obligations
with some degree of immunity if not
outright impunity. Trump understands
the art of the deal because he
understands how to deal from a position
of strength. His entire life has
been based on this principle and it
hard to argue degrees of success with
a man whose name hovers over
many of our major cities and who
flies between them in a jet as good at
Airforce One. Remember… he does
it on his OWN NICKEL, not from a
handout.
The problem with handouts
is they always come with a price and
that price over the years has been to
turn over to the government many of
our hard earned civil liberties for
temporary financial help that is
never enough to let a person rise to
self-sufficiency. That can only come
from self-reliance earned by sweat,
determination, motivation and yes,
to some extent Lady Luck. And Lady
Luck is not a card often found under
Socialism where there is no fair
shuffle of the deck and al end results
prearranged and codified in the interests
of “fairness.”
Trump is going to win because
the people inherently understand
that with Clinton they will get
what they want to hear but not what
they need. Trump will restore free
market forces at least for a while.
I doubt anyone can forever
stem the inevitable redistribution of
resources and realignment of how
we govern ourselves. That will be
decided by the laws of supply. The
Earth now has more people than it
can indefinitely sustain given the finite
nature of our planet and its resources.
The day of reckoning
cannot be avoided given current
technology and know resources of
energy, biomass, water, etc. but
electing Trump will give Americans
a short reprieve by generating maximum
efficiency only obtained by
motivating the human spirit to excel
and so far in human history the best
means to that end has been free market
capitalism – the very basis of
American Exceptionalism.
Carl Conley, J.D.