National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
New River Valley Chapter 1134
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September 2012 Newsletter
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President’s Notes- Will McElfresh
Are you Happy? Don’t know how you came up in today’s life but on the road this past week, a radio announcer said he was as happy as a pocket on a shirt. That was new one for me. Bill Cosby says he didn’t ask to be born but he was glad he was. He thought he had a purpose and I guess that would be entertaining. Hope most of us still find a purpose. There is much to do and we, as oldsters, are the ones who have time to do it.
We do have a job to do. Lots of folks have the idea to cut budgets and a lot of it deals with federal funds. As federal employees, retirees or the spouses thereof, we tend to rest on “safe and secure” retirements. Many of those proposing cuts think all “feds” are inside the DC beltway. In reality most of the FEDS are our neighbors, They are the meat inspectors, weathermen, airport safety personnel, foresters, park rangers, harbor pilots, hurricane hunters, VA hospital workers, and thousands more of your neighbors.
The cuts suggested, requested and maybe to be enacted diminish many services for all of us here, not in DC. We know those in DC are “well protected.” Yes, we need to reduce costs and monitor items as are exposed in the “golden fleece” reports. We still need controls on what greed and run away over runs can do. Many cuts end up dealing with day to day safety, health and basic services. Watch what you wish for or support, for the effects aren’t in DC but with the neighbors and services around you.
Our NARFE is at work with 29 associated federal workers’ groups in a coalition to better understand the federal budget. The greatest budget part is defense at 34+%; followed by veteran affairs at 15%. Which of these to cut? Ag., postal, justice, homeland security, and transportation are another 25%. I’m sure we retirees felt our jobs were good; that we worked hard; and served the public well. We
add much to the workforce and fill many different needs.
With two daughters in the Hampton Roads area I see and hear the defense cuts as they impact. As each federal dollar drops out, local costs go up for policing, sanitation, social services, etc. However, our city, county and state governments are stressed and “no tax increase” is the theme. Somewhere we must work together to reach agreements and reduce costs but pay our own way. Even our federal workers will pay more. In the past we paid 2.3% toward retirement. Soon new employees may pay 4%.
Remember we are for self government, not “no government.” We have readily seen our need to fight fires, crime and for equal rights, but we must support services that community and churches can no longer provide. Don’t just set there, do something.
Mark Your Calendar with these Dates:
Sep 13 10:00 AM Member Meeting
Oct 11 10:00 AM Board Meeting
Nov 8 10:00 AM Member Meeting
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Splinters from the Board- Pam Austin, Secretary
There was no August Board meeting because there would not have been a quorum.
Treasurer’s Report- Ike Eller
Checkbook balance $ 424.46
CD 1,500.00
Total $1,924.46
Alzheimer’s Fund $ 665.00
Membership- George Hawkins & Janice Woodard, Co-Chairs
New Members:
Margaret W. Woolwine, Christiansburg
Legislative-- Darlene Allen, Chair
National.
Not much legislating going on at the moment and perhaps that’s just as well. Congress is on recess until after the Democratic Convention the 1st week in September. And then they will probably be off most of October running for re-election. That leaves us with a few short weeks after the election before the end of this term. Not a very productive one.
You may have noticed that Roanoke’s airwaves are among the five most active in the country. In the middle week of August, Roanoke was the leading market in the entire United States. The commercials keep coming. And they are getting nastier by the day.
Many of you received an email from Pam Austin as few weeks ago alerting you to a site where a fact a day is presented. Facethefactsusa.org. Someplace to go for the straight stuff rather than to accept what’s on all the ads. I know you don’t fall for all that stuff, but we still need to do some digging so that we have talking points for whichever side you favor and can defend our positions intelligently.
One fact that was presented on this site was whether or not the business tax in the U.S. is 35% or not. It is, but what they didn’t tell you (although several of the bloggers alluded to it) is that relatively few of the big corporations pay it. There was an article in the Huffington Post a week or so ago talking about the big corps that don’t pay the tax. Interesting list. (You can also find the same information elsewhere on the internet, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) reports, that state that some corporations actually have a negative tax liability.) CNBC also produced part of the list.
Exxon paid 2%, Apple paid 11%, G.E.-5%, IBM-1%, Chevron-4%, Conoco-Phillips-8%, Wells Fargo-14%, J.P. Morgan Chase-14%, Microsoft-11%, and WalMart paid 19%. I have trouble feeling sorry for WalMart considering how wealthy that company has made the Waltons, but guess their corporate lobbyists aren’t as good as those hired by some of the other corporations.
So when people talk about that terribly high business tax rate of 35%, take it with a grain of salt. Some small businesses get hit with it, but not the big guys.
One thing that our General Assembly passed this year (and the Governor signed it into law) is a requirement that may hit some of your grandchildren. Starting with 2013 incoming high school freshmen, one of the requirements for an advanced diploma will be that all students take one online course. The rationale is that we are living in the computer age and all students should be comfortable functioning in it. I looked up the legislation and can’t find where it talks about who is going to pay for this. As you all know, online classes and degrees are quite expensive. That’s why universities like DeVry and The University of Phoenix spend so much on commercials to attract students. They are for-profit and doing very well. There’s been much discussion this summer about these programs selling their programs to GIs. The veterans then have ended up using all their government credits and with a personal debt toboot.
If you do some digging, you will find that some very well-known politicians in this country have a personal financial interest in online education. It’s profitable and making a business out of education, rather than have the government provide it, fits into their personal philosophy. Get the government out of education and let businesses run it. The only problem is that, so far, these programs do a very poor job.
Let’s see if the state provides funding for this program next year or just forces the public schools to pay for it out of their every decreasing budgets.
The Republican convention is the last week in August and the Democratic one is the first week in September. Admittedly, they won’t be as engrossing as the Olympics, but it will be interesting to see if Ron Paul has anything exciting on his agenda. His supporters have taken over the Republican state committees in several states and who knows what they will do.
Be sure to vote, either absentee or in person on election day. Virginians don’t need a photo I.D. – yet. But you will need to bring some form of identification to the polls. Recently passed (and approved by the DOJ) legislation requires a valid driver's license, government-issued photo I.D., social security card, bank statement, utility bill or voter registration card. Everyone is supposed to receive a new voter card before
November, so watch for it.
Voter suppression is the catch phrase this year. Some states such as Pennsylvania are doing some really scary things. It’s nothing new. A new book out about the 1944 presidential election talks about one party which wanted to prevent soldiers from voting, as they were afraid they would vote for their commander-in-chief.
Much is said about the new voter identification laws being needed to prevent voter fraud. Contrary to what’s said, there is actually very little voter fraud in this country. What little is documented is associated with absentee balloting. Many states now require a government issued photo I.D. Getting a photo I.D. at the D.M.V. is not an easy task, so hold onto your driver’s license or passport even if you don’t plan to drive or go anywhere.
A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to hear a representative from Health and Human Services discuss the new health care policy. There aren’t many changes for people of our age group. Except if you have to deal with the donut hole, you can get through at half the cost. Your grandchildren can stay on their parent’s health care plan even if they don’t live at home or are married.
As long as there is Medicare, we don’t have to mess with the voucher program. It sounds like a good program, with the emphasis on preventative care. If you can treat a health issue before it gets to crisis stage, it will be cheaper and the person will be less likely to go on disability. It will cost more in the short run, but should help with costs over the long haul.
Too bad we can’t seem to do anything about our Medicare fraud problem. Just read that Medicare fraud cost the government 70 billion dollars in 2010. Is the government too small to do the necessary policing?
Officers for 2011
President: Will McElfresh540-552-4975,
1st VP: Eldridge Collins
540-552-9373
2nd VP: Frank Perrini 540-808-0206
Secretary: Pam Austin
540-980-1780
Treasurer: Ike Eller
540-951-2109
Past Pres: Bruce Anderson
540-552-5088
Committees
Program: Frank Perrini 540-808-0206Legislative: Darlene Allen 540-552-0279
Membership: George Hawkins 540-552-1656 ;
Janice Woodard 540-951-7375
Service: Bruce Anderson
Sunshine: Betty Montgomery 540-994-9175
Alzheimer’s: Eldridge Collins
Net Coordinator: Jim Bell 540-552-4884
Newsletter/PR: Jerry Jones 540-552-8296
Alzheimers- Eldridge Collins
Here are some recent facts from the Alzheimer’s Association:
Costs are growing because the number of people with the disease is growing – and fast.
• Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – 5.2 million aged 65 and over, and 200,000 under the age of 65. By 2050, up to 16 million will have the disease.
• Of Americans aged 65 and over, 1 in 8 has Alzheimer’s, and nearly half of people aged 85 and older have the disease.
• Another American develops Alzheimer’s disease every 68 seconds. In 2050, an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
The graying of America means the bankrupting of America – and Alzheimer’s is a major reason why.
• In 2012, the direct costs of caring for those with Alzheimer’s to American society will total an estimated $200 billion, including $140 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid.
• Average per person Medicare costs for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are three times higher than for those without these conditions. Medicaid spending is 19 times higher.
• Unless something is done, the costs of Alzheimer’s in 2050 are estimated to total $1.1 trillion (in today’s dollars). Costs to Medicare and Medicaid will increase nearly 500 percent.
Alzheimer’s makes treating other diseases more expensive – increasing costs across the health care system.
• Most people with Alzheimer’s have one or more other serious medical conditions. Dementia complicates management of these conditions.
• A senior with diabetes and Alzheimer’s costs Medicare 81 percent more than a senior who has diabetes but no Alzheimer’s.
• A senior who has cancer and Alzheimer’s costs Medicare 53 percent more than a senior with cancer but no Alzheimer’s.
If you have not contributed this year (or if you want to make an additional donation), please give your checks to Ike Eller.
From NARFE’s Weekly Newswatch
QUESTION: I am a NARFE member, age 66, who is thinking of retiring in 2014. I understand that NARFE advises retirees to keep their Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) in retirement, along with Medicare Parts A and B. Please explain the advantage of enrolling in Medicare Part B when I plan to carry the FEHBP into retirement.
ANSWER: As you might imagine, this is a question that NARFE members who are approaching retirement frequently ask the Association’s federal benefits specialists.
With regard to Medicare Part B, please read the document on the NARFE website that thoroughly explains the relationship between Medicare and the FEHBP. It is available to NARFE members at You must log in to the website as a NARFE member to access this document.
It is important to know how your particular plan in the FEHBP coordinates with Medicare Part B.
For example, if you had a Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BC/BS) plan along with Medicare Part A and Part B, you would have little, if any, out-of-pocket expenses. BC/BS would waive your calendar-year deductibles, your co-pays and your coinsurance amounts. You would have to continue paying your full BC/BS premiums and full Medicare Part B premiums, which are $99.90 per month in 2012. You will need to look at your medical expenses and see whether you will have more than $1,200 out-of-pocket expenses each year ($99.90 x 12 months). If you do, you probably would want to pick up Part B.
You are not required to enroll in Part B immediately – you may enroll during any General Enrollment Period, which is held January-March of each year. HOWEVER, if you don’t pick up Part B at your first enrollment opportunity, you will be charged a 10 percent penalty for each 12 months that you aren’t enrolled. It may make financial sense to wait a few years until you enroll. However, if you wait too many years, you might not be able to afford it.
Individuals who are still working at the age of 65 and are enrolled in the FEHBP have a special opportunity to enroll in Medicare Part B. Your initial opportunity to enroll in Part B will be eight months after your retirement date without penalty.
Fit over-fifties are lowering heart disease odds
Even a moderate increase in exercise when you are in your fifties can help your heart health according to a study published today by researchers from University College London Epidemiology and Public Health.
The study shows inflammation in the body – which is thought to contribute to heart disease – remains lower in people in the transition to retirement who embrace an active lifestyle, with at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate physical activity (enough to raise your heart rate), than in those who stay less active. This is great news for retirees, who often celebrate their new-found freedom with a whole range of activities, from gardening to DIY to countryside walks.
In the study, over 4,000 people from the Whitehall II cohort were quizzed on their exercise routines and had levels of inflammation measured to gauge their heart health over a ten year period. Dr Mark Hamer, UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, said: “Previous studies looking at how exercise protects the heart have only been carried out for short periods of time. Our ten year study reveals for the first time the long-term effects of leading an active lifestyle on inflammation and heart disease.“It’s great news that people who spring into retirement and become more active are actually making a big difference in helping their hearts grow old healthily.”British Heart Foundation Senior Cardiac Nurse Maureen Talbot said: “Donning your gardening gloves, or picking up a paint brush, can still go a long way to help look after your heart health, as exercise can have a big impact on how well your heart ages.This research highlights the positive impact changing your exercise habits can have on the future of your heart health – and that it’s never too late to re-energise your life. However it’s important not to wait until you retire to get off the couch, as being active for life is a great way to keep your heart healthy.”
Jack Oldman, aged 87, who plays table tennis through the BHF Hearty Lives Hull project, said: “I play at my club twice a week and still compete in my local league. If I couldn’t play sport I don’t know what I‘d do.“The worst thing you could do when you retire is to sit down and watch telly all day. I keep busy with sports and my vegetable patch and it seems to be keeping me going well - doctors have told me I’ve got a great heart for my age.”
NARFE Websites:
NRV Chapter 1134
NARFE
Virginia Federation of Chapters
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