Guest Commentary | Who should you vote for in the next election?
by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
I’m voting for the Presidential candidate who will promise to keep Social Security solvent. I’ve hit the age where I’m finally on the receiving end of some of this government money and I want to keep it going. Never fear, I’m still paying plenty of taxes. I’m still holding down a job so Uncle Sam takes a big slice of every paycheck. Seventy million Americans feel the same way I do when It comes to Social Security. For over 30 million Americans, Social Security is all they have and many do not even collect $2,000 a month. Many receive far less and so every month they have to juggle their money to survive. I do agree with the perspective that if we could have put our money into a 401k or stock from ages 18 to 62, we would have more than a million dollars. The monthly check from a million-dollar stock portfolio would be much more than what most are collecting form monthly Social Security. You would also have some money to leave your kids, maybe. However, keep in mind that Social Security is a safety net for millions of Americans who become disabled before retirement age. I know many who started collecting full benefits in their fifties. In these situations, the monthly income is greater than if their money had been placed into a stock fund, most likely. So overall, I’m still a fan of Social Security. I will further support the candidate who promises to keep Medicare going. I’m at the age now where I have doctor’s appointments. I have traditional Medicare, not “advantage.” I do have to pay for a supplement every month which is not cheap. However, I can walk into any doctor’s office in America and they are thrilled to see me when they find out I have traditional Medicare. I don’t enjoy going to doctors but knowing the bulk of the cost is covered relieves some of the pain. Next, are our military and Veterans. Our military is hurting. They are having trouble recruiting. Attracting young men and women has become a challenge. The military population has gotten older. Keeping military pay, benefits and adequate housing up to date is crucial in order keep a stable, strong military. Plus, take care of our Veterans who served. It breaks my heart when I meet a homeless Veteran. This should never be in America. We have to have border security. We do not have it now. Millions of illegal migrants have entered America. Thousands are still entering illegally each and every month. The list goes on. We need a strong positive emphasis on growing and supporting our police force and a broad approach to energy. Let’s use all of our resources, electricity, oil, gas and coal. Why can’t we have a balanced approach to our energy needs? We can and should. Manufacturing and farming are critical to America. We need to build and grow. Everything our government can do to encourage both of these should be welcomed and applauded. Of course, there is plenty more that’s very important and we’ll be talking about it in the months ahead.
Dr. Mollete was a senior minister for 39 years and served as President of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He is the author of 13 books including UncommSense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.
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