WHAT "huge COLA increase in January 2009"??

OK...I may be old and funny, but I'm not quite as gaga as to have missed any huge cost-of-living jump in my Social Security payment in January, 2009. As I remember, we got the news last winter--rather shortly after the Inaugural, in fact--that there would be NO COLA increases for TWO YEARS: 2009 and 2010. This is not what I would call a COLA increase. COLA increases show up in your SS payment. Mine has held rock steady in 2009. The last increase of any kind in Social Security I got was in 2008. Quibble all you want, but we got zip in January of 2009, contrary to what I've read twice now in different news outlets. These articles are straight from the word processors of people who are either very young and don't know anything much or liars.

I read this morning that the President wants to give each and every one of us old crocks a one-time bonus of $250. Isn't that nice? I don't know how they're timing this, but it seems the bonus will appear in 2010. And the teabaggers have gone ballistic wondering just how "we" can afford this "socialistic" nonsense. The cause of their total astonishment is the apparent fact that to cut a $250 check for each of our country's aged, sick, and permanently incapacitated will cost $13 billion dollars! Mercy! It cost "us" several hundreds of billion dollars to ease the pain of bankers, white-collar employees on Wall Street, and Big US carmakers, not that Jessica or Joe the Line Worker in Detroit/Hamtramck will see a dime of it. Even there, the big payouts go to the executive suite.

But what's my problem? $250 is, as my dear, witty father-in-law used to say, "better than a poke in the eye." Of course, that will be $250 MINUS TAXES, don't forget. That's one thing us poor old folks are good at--paying taxes on every freaking penny so that the rich folks can avoid paying any taxes at all.

So, hmmm...what will $250 do RIGHT NOW, before they raise the prices of everything? (And aren't you just flabbergasted to learn that there was NO INFLATION this past year? Where are they talking about, do you know?) But I digress.

Go ahead, seniors! Take that 250 smackers (minus taxes) and FILL THOSE PRESCRIPTIONS! Get your teeth cleaned! Buy a used bicycle and use it for a walker! Take a trip to Florida on the Greyhound bus. There's talk of another payment for next year (2011 or 2012), when you can buy a return ticket!!