"Social Security is 73 - Will McCain Let it Reach 74?"

That's the subject line of an email you might want to encourage your grandparents to use to help protect their future.  Especially if they've retired to Florida. By helping create a viral email campaign, as part of the 73rd Social Security birthday protests being organized to fight John McCain's attacks.

My 78 year-old-mother and her pals love to gang forward endless emails. Perhaps yours do too? Here's something I wrote for my mom. Use it to create your own, tailor it to your seniors' interests.

This week I attended the funeral of an elderly woman who died in a tragic accident in her home, an accident that could have easily been prevented. It was a situation that I would never have imagined could happen. I want to share her story as a warning to those of us who are caregivers for elderly or disabled parents and loved ones.

After the Fancy Farm picnic early next month, the political season in Western Kentucky will hit high gear. Heather Ryan offers hope for many different Western Kentuckians for many different reasons. Exxon Ed Whitfield is a Corporate schill that votes his own stock options. He does all he can to defeat Progress in this state and our country.

I would have liked to have been up close to see the shock on certain faces today in the Senate.

Why?  It's been diaried that Senator Kennedy returned to the floor of the Senate today just in time to cast his vote in favor of the Medicare legislation.  

And yes, Senator McCain missed the vote (again).

But, unless you were watching the proceedings on CSPAN you may not realize just how downright hilarious and perfect Senator Kennedy's timing was.

A bunch of Republican Senators look like idiots now (even moreso than usual - especially Senators Cornyn and Martinez).  

By Donna Smith, American SiCKO, communications specialist for CNA/NNOC

Well, well... It’s America’s birthday.  I love the 4th of July and the fireworks and the hot dogs and the summer sun.

And it is my hubby’s birthday on July 7, so this is a great time of the year for us.  But imagine my surprise and disgust when I opened an early birthday card he received just yesterday from, guess who?  Humana.  The health insurance giant that currently holds Larry’s Medicare "advantage" plan and is helping dismantle Medicare one private policy at a time.

The company wants Larry to have a happy and healthy birthday.  You bet they do.  And they send those pretty, glossy cards to one helluva lot of Medicare folks.
 

The New York Times reported in April 2008, "Two companies, UnitedHealth Group and Humana, have captured nearly half of the vast new market for prescription drug insurance under Medicare, according to new data issued Friday by the Bush administration."  That’s 2.4 million Humana held Medicare drug plans and another 792,500 in Humana-Medicare "advantage" policies.

This time, he’s absent not for America’s Post-9/11 Veterans, but for Seniors, the disabled and military families who will lose their access to health care.  

He failed to show up for the vote and was the only Senator other than the recovering Sen. Ted Kennedy, for this all-important vote that would extend Medicare provisions, improve access to preventive and mental health services, enhance low-income benefit programs, and maintain access to care in rural areas.

Follow below to learn more about McCain's absence, and the GOP’s "Corporate Welfare and Giveaway Program for Insurance Companies."

The baby boomer generation did not save enough money to retire.

We went to visit my grandfather yesterday, Father's Day.  Took the whole family, even my folks who've been divorced for 7 years.  My Pa-Paw, as he's called by everyone, is 91 years old, and he has Alzheimer's.  He's been in an assisted living facility for going on 3 years now, as it wasn't safe for him to continue living at home with my grandmother.

Pa-Paw has good days and bad days.  Sometimes we visit, and he can't remember anyone's name but my mom's.  Or he thinks I'm actually my mom.  (That's a little scary, but my mom's so cool, I consider it a compliment.)

My mom called me today.  She was fuming about all the viral smears against Obama that her neighbors keep sending her.  You know the drill crypto-Muslim, Rev. Wright, etc.  I promised her I'd dig up some counter-punch material for her.  Thought some folks at dKos could probably help me out with this task.

My mom lives in The Villages, FL.  For those of you not in the know, it's a retirement community, maybe the largest in the country.  It's in Florida.  She has a massive email list.  She loves technology and worked in computers when they still used punch cards.

A lot of McCain video is bluntly ageist.  This is a big gap in our messaging, especially in a state like Florida.  Even though it's trending red, we can't afford to write this state off, or the senior vote.  So please share your videos and I'll pass them along.

It seems Republicans are going with 3 key phrases to fight Obama:  terrorism, Rev. Wright & taxes.  

Democrats must FIGHT the tax charge with vigor.  Why?  Because nothing is more of a tax-in-waiting than continuing to spend $12 Billion A MONTH in Iraq.

Juan Williams, 21st Century Uncle Tom some say, he’s more a paid shill for all that’s, wrong with black Punditry, I say this because, Uncle Tom is to far above his intellect and fox fixed news pay grade, with NPR on the side

Would Kossacks accept stereotyped cracks about a Black president?  From Democrats, Republicans, anyone?  

So why are so many eager to jump on John McCain's age with stupid and insensitive jokes about the elderly?

One of my PBS stations is fundraising with an infomercial about brain plasticity and "brain exercise" software, and there was a story in yesterday's New York Times, Exercise Your Brain, or Else You’ll ... Uh ...   Do these programs really work, or are they just another fad drummed up to sell more panaceas that will go unused after a few tries?

I run a member-supported casual game community. The median age of my members is around 68, and the oldest whose age I know is 96. I was dragged by circumstances into doing this, but I've learned wonderful things about the value of play for the ageing mind. I'll tell you more below the fold, but first I want to let you know ...

4th Birthday Party & Open House
Sunday & Monday, May 4 & 5 -- All games are open for play, and everyone is invited!
Come check out TRAIN - everyone's favorite game

Many of us watched the interview. Prior to it, some voiced a wish for Rev. Wright to become more invisible. But he presented himself, nevertheless.
And his voice was reasoned. Calm. Moyers, as usual,  rounded the story with background and deeper exploration of the problems Wright unintentionally caused for Obama.

Though cable news broadcasted the upcoming Moyers program, the weekend cycle doesn't seem to be reviewing the event. There may be small mention. But as some have posted, cable news has been disparaging and lazily superficial. Besides writing to the new organizations with pleas for more decent coverage, what to do?  

The real question is:  how badly does Obama want it?  Obama needs to take his game up a notch.  These are my suggestions for an Obaman new approach.

John McCain is old.  Really old.  In fact, if he were to be elected, he'd be the oldest President ever to be elected.

But it's not just his age that should concern voters.  It's his mental instability.  

Are you prepared to defend our social safety net from being cut as a large group (the boomers) are entering retirement age?  Would the thought of all those people being unable to meet their bills for food, medicine, and housing make you angry?  Well, there’s a sinister plot afoot that isn’t just proposing benefit freezes or cuts in Congress where you can fight them.  It is quietly cutting them as we speak (and has been for some time).  And Congress isn’t doing a thing about it.

Today I learned the news. The world already has a food crisis, an enormous problem, possible social upheavals, perhaps even  a "perfect storm." Add that to your gas tank!

I'd heard bits about grain prices for a while, been shocked at prices of bread, eggs, flour and cheese--even soup! Silly me, I thought I could stock upon a few items and make do. Just about everything is going up and not just a little. I try not to panic but it's not easy living on a small fixed income since I rather like to eat.

Frightening implications abound for the poorest of the poor the world over as a new UN Report makes clear. There's a lot happening that we do not hear about from our pathetic media. Just as one woman says she knew she was poor, but "this is worse than poverty," a UN official says watch for the "new face of hunger." Follow below for a little tour, a tiny glimpse of what's going on, if you dare, if you care.