Beachcombing

If you have not already done so, please read the letter to the editor below. “Special correspondent” Colvin’s comments are right on target:

The “Town Hall” invitations were sent to Garcia supporters only. The news media was not invited.

The audience was packed into the lower rows of the auditorium so that the camera did not show the dozens of empty seats. Garcia staff lied about the event being full, denying non-supporters.

Garcia ignored the elephant in the room by not mentioning the $136 trillion U.S. indebtedness as well as the current annual imbalance of $4 trillion in income and $6 trillion in expenditures.

Garcia repeated the hackneyed lines about Donald Trump and Elon Musk “stealing from the poor and giving to the rich.” According to Garcia, entitlements like Social Security will be gone.

Another Beachcomber “special correspondent” shared the following Social Security history lesson with us:

Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION was removed.

Franklin Roosevelt introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1) That participation in the program would be completely voluntary. It is no longer voluntary.

2) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the program; Now it is 7.65% on the first $90,000.

3) That the money the participants elected to put into the program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year. It is no longer tax deductible.

4) That the money the participants put in went to the Independent Trust Fund rather than into the General Operating Fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other government program. Under Johnson the money was moved to the General Fund and spent.

5) That the annuity payments to retirees would never be taxed as income. Under Clinton & Gore up to 85% of your Social Security can be taxed. Many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to “put away” on our behalf.

Under Jimmy Carter, immigrants who moved into this country began to receive Social Security payments at age 65, even though they never paid a dime into it.

April is National Social Security Month. As of December 31, 2024, nearly nine out of ten people aged 65 and older were receiving Social Security benefits.

By holding a fake Town Hall meeting, Garcia has denied your right to know his views on entitlements like Social Security, the budget imbalance, as well as a myriad of other important, national issues.

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has offered a resolution to censure Representative Garcia for his reckless and violent comments advocating for the use of “actual weapons” against Elon Musk, calling his words the lowest form of political thuggery.

Garcia needs to address his lack of honesty and integrity or find a new line of work, so that we can all be proud – not embarrassed – by our national representative.

publisher@beachcomber.news