did you forget the code for the 10% discount, but that you gave the wrong expiration date for your credit card.

Some of us shouldn't be allowed near computers when tired, even if it is Cyber Monday!

before singing? I'm not a professional, just part of a church choir. Lately my Sjogren's means I always need to clear my throat before singing, but I don't want to damage my vocal cords. I've thought about using guaifenesin ahead of time, what do you think?

I have to know if the weather is going to screw up my travel plans.

I had my hair cut yesterday by a woman who has run her own shop for 30 years. She has diabetes and is also on Social Security. Her husband drove a truck for a living, but had his license revoked over heart problems. He's approved for Social Security Disability, but won't get the first check until mid-January.

They're using food stamps and local pantries to get by. He hates the idea of being on any form of welfare after working all his life.

Their home was robbed last January by a pair of heroin addicts. The factory jobs have left our small town over the last 30 years, and so have most of the young people. The woman's customer base is aging out, with many in their 80's. They aren't coming in to get their hair styled as often because they are all on Social Security as well.

So, the Challenge:

Without mentioning or even hinting at any other candidate, tell us what your candidate could do for these people.

Martin O'Malley

on Social Security:
Increase Social Security benefits for all retirees—both today’s and tomorrow’s. Governor O’Malley supports immediately boosting monthly benefits in a progressive manner for all Social Security was intended as a supplement to individual savings and pensions, but today, one in five married couples, and nearly half of unmarried individuals, rely almost exclusively on Social Security checks to survive. More than two-thirds of Americans near retirement will not have enough savings to maintain their current standard of living.
Strengthen Social Security’s long-term fiscal outlook. The solvency of Social Security is not in crisis: Social Security has adequate funds to pay full benefits through 2034. But to pay for expanded benefits, Governor O’Malley supports lifting the cap on the payroll tax for workers earning more than $250,000.In addition, Congress should implement policies to lift the wages of all workers, which will make meaningful contributions to Social Security’s long-term balance sheet. This includes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and enacting comprehensive immigration reform.
Ensure Social Security benefits are sufficient to keep retirees out of poverty. The immediate future is dire for many Americans nearing retirement: one in five Americans has no retirement savings at all. To keep seniors out of poverty, Governor O’Malley supports increasing the special minimum social security benefit to 125 percent of the poverty line for Americans who have worked at least 30 years.

https://martinomalley.com/policy/expanding-social-security/

on drug addiction:

As Mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley brought all resources to bear to stop the epidemic of drug addiction and overdose. In Baltimore, Martin O’Malley expanded access to drug treatment to thousands of people while more than doubling funding for the city’s treatment system. His innovative efforts drove a 60 percent reduction in overdose deaths from heroin over 10 years—a program still cited as a successful national model.

In Maryland, Governor O’Malley supported innovative services for individuals in recovery to help them gain employment, as well as contribute to their families and their communities. As president, O’Malley would:

Implement a Public Health Response to Addiction. Incarceration is an inadequate—and in most cases inappropriate—response for people in need of treatment for substance use disorders. O’Malley will provide individuals with the care and support they require outside of the justice system, as detailed in his criminal justice reform plan. He will also establish federal guidelines for law enforcement on how to best serve people in crisis, support state Crisis Intervention Training for police officers, and ensure that people leaving prison or jail have the support they need—including substance use disorder treatment—to successfully reenter their communities.
Support Community Recovery Services. Recovery from addiction is holistic, involving not only clinical treatment but also resilience, support, and longer term care. O’Malley will provide a new level of support for community-based recovery for individuals suffering from mental illness and addiction, making urgent new investments across the country in housing, supported employment, and outpatient treatment.

https://martinomalley.com/the-latest/addiction-treatment-and-prevention/

(my bolding)

WASHINGTON — An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project.

Mrs. Clinton helped enact legislation allowing the developer, Robert J. Congel, to use tax-exempt bonds to help finance the construction of the Destiny USA entertainment and shopping complex, an expansion of the Carousel Center in Syracuse.

.........

The Destiny USA project has attracted criticism. Stephanie Miner, a member of the Syracuse City Council, called it a “boondoggle” that won tax breaks with dubious economic and environmental promises.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/washington/04clinton.html

Lorenz's boss, Destiny owner Robert J. Congel, is a Republican who raised more than $200,000 for President Bush's reelection in 2004. He and his family have given $8,000 to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this year. Congel has given occasionally to Democrats, often to those in a position to help his business ventures.

Congel, his family and associates affiliated with his development have donated $40,000 to Clinton's state and national campaigns since she first ran for office in 1999.

In May, Congel co-hosted a Syracuse fundraiser for her, an event said to have raised an additional $50,000. Lobbying firms hired by Congel in connection with Destiny and other ventures also donated more than $200,000 to various Clinton campaign funds, records show.

.......

Clinton spokesman Reines said there was no connection between her earmarks and her campaign contributions. "One thing has nothing to do with the other," he said.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/10/nation/na-earmarks10/3

OK, get the fruit cake jokes out of your system..... I'll wait.

I make a fruit cake with dried fruit, not the candied strange stuff from the grocery store (has anyone ever actually seen a citron in the wild?)

I used chopped apricots, raisins, currants, walnuts and cherries. I happen to have a bundt pan that is a ring of Christmas trees.

So, if I use the bundt pan,

A. will I be able to get the cake out of it?

and B

Will the fancy pattern show?

I also have a bundt pan that is a curled up dragon.

I recall all kinds of stories about office workers helping each other escape, and about the office workers and first responders who didn't get out. It was an attack on the tallest building in the world, a symbol of Western achievement.

But - what hit did Wall Street take? And let's be clear here, by "Wall Street" we are not talking about a physical location in Manhattan but a collection of financial organizations with an inordinate influence on the world economy. A serious attack on Wall Street would most likely be a cyber attack, not something physical.