The television announcer was now commenting about the Presidents desire to privatize our Social Security System, and Robert thought he was going to gag. –

 Our country already has three Social Security Systems.  Our political Jays found our plan not suited for their rare elevated state, and gave them-selves a lavish Warbler funded retirement plan.  When they retire, it allows them to draw the same pay until they die. 

This means they never have to pay into our plan, and those living average life spans will draw millions from our General-Fund.  Most of us can expect an average $1,000 per month.  That's if we can afford to retire by age seventy.

Bush and Mexico's President Fox created the Mexican / American Social Security Plan.  It rewards illegal immigrants for breaking our immigration laws.  They can receive full benefits after working 10 years in our country.

 It’s really nice that our President favors foreigners breaking our laws. I realize he may not be the brightest light that’s ever glimmered in our oval office, but I wonder if he ever realized those who wouldn't mind breaking our laws, wouldn’t also mind lying about their number of dependents to avoid paying taxes, lying about age to receive early benefits, and even changing their identity every ten years so they can double and triple dip our system.

When Bush and Congress are done giving our Social Security money to themselves and foreigners, we will be lucky if we have anything to retire on.  Our country is overdue for our Jays to live by the same standards they force down our gullets.  We really have to change the way our Lawmakers conduct business, and force them to protect the American public instead of big business, foreign special interests and themselves.

Robert pondered an idea –

Banks can borrow three dollars from the Federal Reserve for every dollar their customers have in savings. If employees selected a bank to receive their social security deposits, it would be good for the employees and the bank.

Banks are federally insured, and would gladly administer depositor’s funds before and after they retire.  The depositors would also have money they could pass on to their loved ones.  The concept would meet the real intent of social security when it was founded.

I doubt this is what Bush envisions. Remembering his Enron-ization mindset, he probably sees billions his hand picked Wall Street investment companies can earn from privatized accounts.

What’s worse is it would make us all think like Vultures and Cowbirds.  We would believe we are high rolling stock market investors.  We now own a piece of the American dream, so we shouldn’t care about corporate responsibilities to American employees, or creating wars of economic choice.

Our retirement accounts can’t be tied to any politician’s wealthy friends, or any Vulture scams making billions through political influence.

He said softly "Our democracy is already held hostage by a murder of Crows, a majority of Jays and a handful of Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, and Cowbirds. People who are manipulating us to increase there stock portfolios.  They’ve already divided our country, and have used propaganda to get us into a war for financial gain.  They have undermined our health, our livelihoods and now threaten our Social Security System. It's even reported the Bush administration is targeting journalists who criticize his actions, and an international watchdog group of reporters considers our freedom of press to be in fourty-third place between Bolivia and Macedonia."

Robert concluded “We better lose our ‘Let Razz do it’ attitude and get involved.  Our problems aren’t our political parties, but deceitful politicians being controlled by special interests applying mass media in ways that persuade many of us into believing lies supporting their financial ends.

We have to be the only country in the world that allows big business and foreign special interests to undermine their democratic process.  We’re being controlled out of our democracy, shame on us America!"

Robert realized he found the political tone in our country upsetting, turned-off the television and began to make a mental inventory of his class.

Carter, Lily, Nancy, and Tim, are looking for a quick science credit.  Ryan and Macky definitely needed to get away for the weekend.  Michael and Kim are serious birders, and Lynne and Janet seem to be looking for something.  They’re all fun to be with, and they do their best to help one another.  He then recalled the best part of birding was always the birders.

He wondered if he would find time for Janet, and the thought of having dinner with her made him smile -

Maybe I can finally get the nerve to talk to her over dinner and a glass of wine at “Nido-del-Uccello."