Many of you complain to me about the “gummint” and all the things it has done wrong in your eyes over the years. I usually don’t pay much attention because when I tell you the cure for bad government is for good people like you to run for office, you say things like, “Ohhh, no you don’t, Sister! I don’t want any part of that legislature (or school board, or city council, or county commission.)”

Well, shoot no, because if you ran and happened to win, then all your buddies would be fussing and whining at YOU for the choices you made. And you would rather complain than actually choose a side and try to fix an issue and then take flack from the people who don’t agree with you. I have ragged on you before about that attitude of yours.

Today, however, I am jumping over that line in the sand. The “gummint” got me. Not a huge deal, but one that is going to irk me every single week for at least the next year and I am fuming! I am on your side this time … because, of course, it affects me.

Did you read or hear that Congress approved a cut in everyone’s Social Security contribution for this year? Just a small cut. I think that we all are supposed to get an additional $2 per paycheck, the government theory being that this will help stimulate the economy. If everyone pays just a tiny bit less to Social Security, most of us will think it is no kind of program cut at all. I have not heard much from Social Security recipients so perhaps most are happy with the plan.

Not me. My paycheck from the newspaper is $4 less per week than it was in 2011. Boy, it never fails. And I was so looking forward to that extra two bucks!

It seems that by giving me that teensy weensy increase workers in the whole country got, I was boosted into a higher tax bracket or something and now they have to take out more for federal withholding. Can you believe $2 would do that? Now I not only do not get the extra two bucks, but I have to send an additional $4 to Washington, D.C. So I am $6 short every week for 2011.

That doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but it is more than $300 a year. I could do a lot of economy stimulating with that. Really, I could!

At first I thought I should write someone, then I thought I should run for something, and then I thought I should fall down and go on disability or welfare. However, in truth I probably won’t do anything except hang around at Food Mart and toss my two cents worth of gripes out on the table with the Geezer Group. Of course, I might not have two cents and one of them will have to float me a loan.

Since they all were smart enough not to run for “gummint” office, none of this is their fault. Maybe they were on to something after all …

— Susan Marshall