Republicans want to cut or privatize Social Security. Privatizing means handing your Social Security funds to investment companies – Wall Street salesmen and big banks – to be managed the same way as 401k funds. That means that you would have to choose which funds to invest in. Their sales people will get bonuses for selling you funds that benefit their company, not you. Although sometimes funds will outperform Social Security, sometimes these funds lose money.
Wall Street does not have your best interests in mind. They want their hands on your money so they can gamble in things like derivatives and mortgages. Administrative costs for such businesses range from 20 percent to over 30 percent. Social Security spends less than 1 percent for administration. Dividends are paid to shareholders. Big bonuses are paid to salespeople and executives. That money gets taken out of your funds. There will be tons of paperwork designed to confuse you. If they gamble wrong and get in trouble, they will demand that the federal government bail them out – with your tax money.
Don’t vote for Republicans who will cut your Social Security or let Wall Street gamble with it.
Dave Miller
Palmyra
Time to dump Trump
Let’s get real for a moment when considering candidate Donald Trump and look at some specifics. His contempt and prejudice toward minorities and women is well known. His foreign policy experience is nonexistent. His business acumen has made him an expert on multiple bankruptcies and shortchanging immigrant workers. In fact, Trump was known as the “king of debt” during his early business dealings. His platitudes, narcissism, outright lies, contradictions and insults would normally disqualify Trump to be elected dogcatcher. Trump has succeeded, however, in exploiting the last six years of stonewalling by a Republican-led Senate and House of Representatives and the economic hardships and frustrations this has caused.
Hopefully by November the vast majority of Americans will reject Trump in favor of the common decency and experience of Hillary Clinton.
Julius Neelley
Lake Monticello
Operation Warm
The Rose Deborah Altschull Endowment for Youth will complete its seventh annual “Operation Warm” program on Oct. 13. Sixty-six coats will be delivered to less fortunate elementary school-age children in Fluvanna County. This program’s vision is that every child wearing a new coat is healthy, able to attend school regularly, has strong self-esteem and believes “I am of value.”
This is the last project of 2016 and concludes another very active year for the endowment that included four other major endeavors. “Revin Up For Reading” supplied $1,000 which provided all the reading materials to allow volunteer teachers to help 75 children improve their reading skills for six weeks at the end of the school year. In July six students were granted to attend the 4H Summer Camp at Holiday Lake Educational Center in Appomattox. “Bright Start for Kids” provided 60 second grade students new backpacks filled with all the items necessary to start the school year. In “Shoes for Success” 80 children along with their parents traveled to Walmart at Zion Crossroads where they were all treated to select a new pair of shoes that were paid for by the endowment.
The total cash outlay for this year’s projects will amount to $6,703.73 and the total amount expended over the eight and a half years since its inception is $45,472.15. Donations of any amount are welcome. For anyone who wants to make a specific donation for “Operation Warm,” each donation of $25 will cover the cost of one winter coat. Checks should be made out to the Rotary Foundation of Fluvanna County with a note in the memo section to direct the money to the Rose Deborah Altschull Endowment For Youth. The mailing address is Rotary Club of Fluvanna County, 265 Turkeysag Trail, Suite 102, Box 114, Palmyra, Virginia 22963. All donations are of course 100 percent tax deductible.
Cliff Altschull
Lake Monticello
