Retirees are not faring well under the Republican leaders.

  1. Many retirees are not able to stand for long periods of time. There are three changes in the voting laws passed by the Republican leaders that are likely to produce longer lines and force voters to stand in lines for a longer period of time. First, the early voting period has been reduced from 17 days to 10 days, and Sunday voting on the last Sunday of the early voting period has been eliminated. This reduction in the number of early voting days will crowd voters into fewer voting days, and will produce longer lines. Secondly, straight ticket voting has been eliminated, which means that voters will spend more time casting their ballots. This change will also contribute to longer lines. Finally, the new laws allow for more challenges to voters attempting to vote; resolving these challenges will take time, and even longer lines will result. Some retirees may get tired, give up and not vote. This action is the desired outcome by the Republican leaders, since many retirees vote Democratic.
  2. At the national level, budget cuts have forced the Social Security Administration to close dozens of field offices, making it more difficult for seniors to apply for benefits. Since 2010, 64 field offices have been closed, 533 temporary mobile offices (which often serve rural areas) have been closed, and hours have been reduced at the offices that remain open. The agency has been swamped with new applications as millions of baby boomers approach retirement, and persons seeking assistance face increasingly long waits. More online services have been provided, but many seniors and disabled workers are not accustomed to performing online operations.
  3. Republican led budget cuts have also been blamed for delays in Social Security disability hearings. The average time for a hearing was less than a year in 2012, but it has increased to over 400 days this year.
  4. There are several changes in the North Carolina tax laws that will result in many retirees paying more in taxes.
    • Personal exemptions are eliminated;
    • the additional deduction for those 65 or older is eliminated;
    • retirees can no longer exclude the first $2,000 of income from private retirement plans and the first $4,000 of income from government retirement plans;
    • the credit for charitable contributions for those who do not itemize their deductions is eliminated;
    • Sales taxes are now imposed on newspaper subscriptions, concerts and movies, and service contracts.

These tax changes need to be publicized so that retirees and their families understand that their impact is to increase the taxes paid by retirees. Of course the Republican leaders hope that the public will not notice what has happened until taxes are filed in 2015. Of course by then it will be after the November 2014 election, and it will be too late to vote the Republican leaders out of office. But many voters have noticed, and it is time to elect representatives who in tune with the financial needs of our retirees.   The “Tillis-Burger Middle Income Tax Hike” must be reversed. VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!

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