The Early Bird of Retirement Doesn't Get the Worm

Thinking about retiring earlier since you turned 62, the age when you are eligible for early retirement and can collect social security? Well, you better take a hard look at the drawbacks of early retirement.


I visited the Van Nuys Social Security Administration office a few weeks ago. I appeared to be the only U.S. citizen in the room or at least, I thought so. I grumbled a lot about illegals coming to the US and going on Social Security and then asked the security guard whether all the people in the waiting room are Americans. She told me that as long as you can establish legal residence and have a Green Card, you are eligible for SS. I wasn't too happy to hear that. Of course, a person must pay into the system and put in a certain amount of money to qualify, but why should non-U.S. citizens benefit from a retirement package if they did not go through the process of becoming part of the red, white and blue? Even if they put money into the system, if they are illegal, how about the money they aren't paying in taxes and getting paid under the table?

When I was able to see my representative, I asked him the same question about illegals receiving Social Security Benefits. He asked me, "What do you want us to do, throw these people out on the streets?" I replied, "Yes, and then maybe they will either return to their country of origin or become U.S. citizens like my grandparents did when they came here over seventy years ago."

So if you're 20 to 40 years old and you are worried about receiving Social Security benefits, you should be deeply concerned. Youre paying for the retirement of people who are not citizens and no one knows how long they've even been in the U.S. They could have falsified Social Security cards and IDs. But no one in the federal or state governments wants to touch the sacred cow of illegal aliens. Therefore, the younger U.S. citizens will suffer. I won't. Why? Because I've been paying Social Security taxes since I was 16 years old. I've put into the system and when I am ready, I am taking my money out.

So what did I find out about early retirement? Well, you can retire at 62 years of age. I think my benefits are close to $1600 a month. However, once I make over $11,000 in any given year, my benefits are suspended for that year. I would have to wait until the next year, assuming I am not working or making over $11,000 to reapply for my early retirement benefits. I concluded early retirement is for people who can live for under $30,000 a year or maybe have some other money hidden away.

As for me I want to work as long as I can and if I can, I want to make more than $30,000 a year. If I wait until I am 66, I will make an additional $500 a month on my Social Security benefits and at that age I can work all I want without having my SS benefits suspended. Not bad. So I am waiting. Not that I'm looking forward to becoming 66. I dread it. But the supplemental pay is decent.

One more item i discovered is that if you take an early retirement, you are locked into that lower amount for the rest of your life just because you took out your money early. So if I took my $1600 a month, I would make that amount from SS until I'm deceased. No thanks. I'll always go for the higher amount because I worked for over 40 years and I want my full benefits.

A lot of people I've spoken to have taken early retirement and did not know this information and are kicking themselves for making a bad, misinformed decision.

On the other hand, we need a major Social Security overhaul to make sure illegals are prevented from tapping into the system. Friends have told me that they have gone down to the SS Administration office in their town and applied for SS and were never asked for ID. Once again, the illegals have found another way to rip off America-the country with it's hand out to anyone crafty enough to abuse the system and get away with it.

Harvey Milk Day Should Go Sour

Harvey Milk Day Should Go Sour

Still An East Coast Guy in LA

Still An East Coast Guy in LA

Guest Blog:Hear The Evil; See The Evil; Feel No Evil - Where's the Outrage Over Deadly Church Bombings? By Rabbi Abraham Cooper

Stunned survivors of terrorist bombings often speak of an initial eerie silence -- followed by the inevitable wailing and moaning of innocent people whose lives are forever shattered for the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Last weekend's deadly serial bombings of Christian Houses of Worship in Iraq -- Six Churches -- with four killed and 21 injured in one of the last bombings alone, is proof that when it comes to the media, governments and NGOs, the reverse is generally the case.

We can expect a loud CNN bulletin, a dramatic FACEBOOK, YouTube or Twitter message capturing the moment; sometimes even followed by official statements of concern or condolences. And then... Silence

This is bad news for Iraq's historic Christian communities -- including Catholics, Assyrians, and others -- who have been under siege by Islamic extremists for years. Neither President George W. Bush's 'gift' of democracy or President Obama's overture to Muslims in Cairo have brought any relief or hope of change for faithful Churchgoers who once numbered a million-strong. Most have fled or are looking to get out.

And it is the collective silence and failure to act on the part of governments, Interfaith leaders and NGOs that have been taken as a green light by extremists to eradicate religious minorities in Iraq. That goal -- if achieved -- will make a mockery of the vision of a future, viable, democratic Iraq.

But before anyone in Iraq rejoices at the brutal cleansing of Christendom from their midst, a cautionary note: such effective tactics can and will come back to bite you.

Evidence the history of Suicide Bombing. Between 1981 and June 2008, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point reports, there were 1,994 suicide attacks worldwide. Before Israel constructed its security fence, it suffered -- to the glee of many of its Arab and Muslim enemies -- 162 such attacks.

It was that attitude that doomed The Simon Wiesenthal Center's initiative to have the International community declare all suicide bombings, crimes against humanity (despite endorsements from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the late Pope John Paul II and even the Foreign Minister of Turkey).

But current statistics are staggering. In the year ending June 2008, 58.2% of suicide attacks took place in Iraq and 36.6% in Afghanistan and Pakistan. By the beginning of 2009, 12,000 Iraqis have been killed by 1,100 terrorists who blew themselves up...

The Internet guarantees we will all hear the Evil, see the Evil, but it cannot make us care about Evil. And as recent events in Iran proved -- Technology cannot defeat Evil -- only people can.

Please read Rabbi Cooper's original post by
clicking here.

Out of A Job But Not Out of a Purpose

After two years of working with John Tesh Media Group, the company needed to downsize and I was let go this week. It's been a great two years learning more than I would ever imagine about the Internet, the usefulness of social networking websites and the music business. John gave me a lifetime of learning opportunities so I feel confident in being able to obtain another job-even in this rough economy.


Today I attended a job fair at the Woodland Hills Marriot Hotel. I wanted to check out the available opportunities that were on display. Only one of them even caught my eye-Salem Communications-the umbrella organization that oversees many different Christian and conservative talk radio all over the U.S. They were only offering sales jobs selling air time to advertisers. Several other companies accosted me at the fair all with the same job opportunity-selling stocks on commission or offering money management services to potential customers . . . and then hit them up to buy insurance. I would rather eat a live snail crawling on the sidewalk than sell insurance. Just being honest.

Yes, I need a job to support myself and to fulfill my many financial responsibilities and obligations. However, there is something even more important than making a living and that's finding your purpose. In other words, "Life is really all about answering one question, 'Am I doing what God wants me to do?'" He put me on this earth for a reason. If my purpose here is to be sell insurance, then I better be the best insurance salesperson I can be in order to fulfill my godly calling.

I am at a time in my life when it is not safe to try to fulfill your dreams. The economy is tanking. I've got debts to pay off. Who in the world in his right mind has the freedom to think about fulfilling his or her dreams. Many people believe this kind of thinking is for kids. When I was younger I wanted to be an FBI agent, a detective, a Navy frogman or anything that smells of danger.

Now that I am grown, most people would tell me to stop dreaming. Settle down. Get a real job. Yet here I am with all these new media oriented skills and I am excited about what I've learned. But I still have to answer the question why am I here on this earth? And I know the answer-to serve God and to impact the lives of other people. Regardless of I did sell stocks, raised snails or found creative ways to use my Internet skills, I must use what I am best at doing and serve others.

It is God who has given me my past, my experiences, my skills and my passions. It's now up to me to take what He has given to me and use them wisely. How am I using my life to serve Him? So as I seek work, not only am I looking for a decent wage (I'm not that stupid), but I'm also looking for an opportunity to be the person God created me to be. I am seeking a place where I can take all that God has given me and put them to good use for His glory.

I haven't lost my purpose or drive to serve the Lord. I am now looking for where that special place is supposed to be. You are not any different. If you're out of work, perhaps this is your time to finally be in the place where God has always wanted you to be.

My name is Louis Not Luis

I've had it. And it all started with my birth certificate. I actually possess two proofs of my entrance into this world. One says "Baby Boy Lapides" and it includes my foot prints, someone's thumb print (probably my mother's) and a photo of Newark, New Jersey's Beth Israel hospital where I was born.


The other birth certificate identifies me as Louis Sherwin Lapides. I was never wild about my middle name and complained to my mother that she named me after a paint company, " Why not Dunn-Edwards, Mom?" But notice the spelling of my name L-o-u-i-s. Of course growing up, my name went through a few variations depending on what neighborhood my friends were from. The Italians called me Luigi. After the song "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen dropped in the 60s, I was Louie. My name actually became
cool for a few years. My brother would call me "Lou" and other friends would follow suit. When I broke 21 windows on mischief night, my name was "LOUIS" to my Dad after he got off the phone with several irate neighbors.

In the U.S. Army I was called "Louis" and "Jew-boy" and "Lou." When I heard Jew-boy then an equally harsh racial slur would be my response. Use your imagination.

Lately, a new phenomenon has taken place. It all started with Starbuck or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I would place my order and the clerk would ask my name. I would respond with "Louis. L-o-u-i-s.' Even if a mistake was made and my name was spelled Lewis, I would not complain. No big deal.

Today . . . forget about it. A transformation has taken place. This young man once born in a Jewish hospital in NJ, bar-mitzvahed at age 13 and a strong pro-Zionist has now taken on the name "Luis." All of a sudden I am a Hispanic person. It would be okay if I was Hispanic. But I am not. I once visited Tijuana for an hour and left because it reminder me of some scummy village in Vietnam. I love Mexican food. But my name is not Luis.

Our culture has become Hispanisized. When I call a business, I am told to press #1 for English. No, the Hispanic person should press #1 for Spanish. This is America-an English speaking country. I never took one class in Spanish though I have studied at least 7-8 different dialects-mostly ancient Semitic offshoots.

But I am not Luis. I don't look Hispanic-despite my olive complexion. I don't speak Spanish and I am at a point where I resent the name "Luis" written on my coffee cup. What am I going to do about it? Probably make the cashier cross out "Luis" and replace it with the name on my birth certificate.

BTW-my Hebrew name is Lechem. But I don't go around telling people to start calling me by my Hebrew name. I am in America, an English speaking country, surrounded by English speaking people and I will not allow any one culture-many of whom are illegals-to start rearranging the English language, Maybe my name is the rallying point . . . the much needed lightning rod that can bring about change to take back this country as an English speaking country.

Oddly enough, when I meet an Hispanic individual with an Hispanic name like Jorge, I would never think of calling him George. I would never speak of New York Yankees catch as George Posada. So don't change English names into Spanish names.

One bumper sticker said it all, "Welcome to America. Now speak English!" May I add . . . . and my name is Louis! Please!

Pro-Palestinian Supporters Enter French Supermarket And Remove Israeli Goods From Shelves.

Try this in America.