Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Bitch

I was in chat with a man last night who said the President was cheating America. Despite the fact that we never talk politics in my chatroom and I was a bit offended, but I kept my mouth shut. Why?
1) it wasn’t the place
2) if I went off on his ass he’d never recover and that would be the end of our “friendship.”
Ooh, okay so there’s an up side to it, I might reconsider.

Last week my “friend” said he went on Social Security when he did so the government didn’t cheat him out of $33 thousand dollars. WTF? He’s been retired now for over ten years, I would estimate in that ten years he’s received over $132,000 dollars. When in the heck did he ever put $132,000 into SSI? At one time he saved for his retirement, I mean heck, this was a union man who worked for an international company that builds nuclear power plants. I’m sure he made pretty good money, had a nice retirement plan… and spent it on a piano for his wife. No, he doesn’t still have the piano nor the wife (she died, who knows about the piano) and he’s worried the government is ripping him off.

I’m not upset this man gets SSI, it’s what our government has been doing since 1940 (three years after being signed into law by Roosevelt.) What I resent is his outlook, it’s owed to him and he’s going to get every penny from that thieving government. It’s his poor is me entitlement – idiot you’re the one who didn’t save for a rainy day. I don’t expect SSI to be around when I retire, that is why I bought a house, that is why I save money and that is why I have a retirement account. I need to depend on me. My mother continually beat that lesson into our heads as we were growing up, “Social Security will go bankrupt and possibly not be around when you get that old, take care of yourself now.” (paraphrased but you get the idea.) I don’t have a big house, I don’t have a big savings, but my retirement account is growing and if I have to buy a small trailer and live in it darmit I will – but I doubt it will come to that.

At least once a week he sends me an email with a prayer chain letter. Drives me friggin’ crazy. I’m fairly certain that God has more important things to do than read regurgitated, stale chain prayers – that have been forwarded ad nauseam with the cascading rows of
>
>>
>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
Really if you believe in the power of a chain prayer to God wouldn’t you at least be conscientious enough through your faith to want to make the presentation as beautiful as possible and clean up the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>?
You would think.

I’ve said this here before, I now reply to all of his ill-informed, ill-advised, mal-intended propaganda emails rebuking the President or pointing out erroneous errors of the President with a massive post to all who received his message in the first place. I love reply all – sometimes. In the past I’ve kept his name out of it, not anymore, for now on I will send out a header something like this…

Sad friend of Ignorant Midwest Poor Is Me Retiree,

I’m sorry to inform you that IMPISR has tried (likely again) to lead you astray (or assaulted your sensibilities and intelligence) with his mass forwarding of a hoax email that he believes hook, line and sinker. Because he was too lazy too check out Fact Check or Snopes on the internet (and yes I have sent him the links each and every freakin’ time) I am sending them (the links) to you so you can read and judge for yourself the severity of his trespassing (I know he understands that word because he knows the Lord’s Prayer) on your intelligence.

Please if he has not responded to your demands to cease and desist it is because he is probably down at the Indian Casino Bingo Parlour (really) spending his hard earned SSI. Later this afternoon you’ll find him picking up his food box at the church pantry.

Sincerely,
The Frustrated Bitch in Oregon

2 comments:

Jen said...

I have a Policy about forwarding chain emails. The Policy is simple: I Do Not Forward Chain Emails. (Now, by Chain I mean the ones that say, "You must send this to 10 friends in the next five minutes or some doom will inevitably befall you." I have a different Policy for emails that spread misinformation, but that's for another day.) If I'm feeling charitable, I'll respond with a one line email that just says, "I do not forward chain emails." If said person is offended, oh well. If said person really wants to know, I will explain my Policy. Usually they aren't that curious, and it does seem to cure at least some of the repeat offenders. I think these people thrive on feedback.

Cele said...

I use to just delete them, but then I found I was deleting deleting deleting. I got really fed up, so I started replying to just the person who emailed me. That didn't help, so I decided to email enmass in an effort to show at least a second of three or four sides of an issue. I actually had one person reply - at first offended because they thought I'd believed they'd sent it. Not. So be began corresponding because she was to the same point with the same person and went as far as to send out a mass email blessing my efforts. Which of course I found hysterical. Now I am in for truth and humiliation. Of course the intended humiliatee needs a brain first... and there I faulter in my efforts.