04-12-2018 Letters and Commentary

Bob’s Hobby Shop building troubles  continue

Dear Editor, Once again I went to court over my empty building and almost wasted a whole day. And, once again, Chemical Bank would not get me the letter that they promised several times to me. So I had to go before the judge and was given two choices: Plea guilty and pay a $500 fine or have a trial before a jury. I decided to have a trial knowing that 12 people with common sense would do the right thing, even though my troubles started with the people running the city who have no sense… at least in my opinion. It is kind of comical. I believe Al Capone only went to court once but luckily for him, he didn’t have an empty building in Watervliet. Bob Taylor

Facts you should know about enrolling in Medicare Part A & B

Understanding Medicare isn’t as difficult as you might think. It’s a benefit most working Americans can count on. Here are some facts you might not know about the program. Can I still get Medicare at 65? Yes, you’re eligible for Medicare starting at 65, no matter what year you were born. If you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years, you’re eligible for Part A (hospital insurance) at age 65 for free. Part A helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility following a hospital stay. You’re also eligible for Part B (medical insurance) if you choose to get it and pay a monthly premium. Part B helps pay for services from doctors and other health care providers, outpatient care, home health care, durable medical equipment, and some preventative services. If you are receiving Social Security benefits already, you are automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B at age 65. Because you must pay a premium for Part B, you can choose to turn it down. However, if you don’t enroll in Part B when you’re first eligible for it, and choose to enroll later, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part B coverage. If you’re not receiving Social Security benefits, you have a seven-month period (your Initial Enrollment Period) to sign up for Part B. Generally, your initial enrollment period begins three months before your 65th birthday, includes the month you turn age 65, and ends three months after your birth month. If you are covered under an employer group health plan, you may have a special enrollment period for Part B. If you are 65 or older and covered under a group health plan, either from your own or your spouse’s current employment, you may have a special enrollment period during which you can sign up for Medicare Part B. This means that you may delay enrolling in Part B without having to wait for a general enrollment period and without paying the lifetime penalty for late enrollment. Additional rules and limits apply. To avoid a tax penalty, you should stop contributing to your Health Savings Account (HSA) at least six months before you apply for Medicare. If you have an HSA when you sign up for Medicare, you can’t contribute to your HSA after your Medicare coverage begins or you may have to pay a tax penalty. Premium-free Part A coverage begins six months before the date you apply for Medicare, but no earlier than the first month you were eligible for Medicare. To avoid an unwanted tax penalty, you should stop contributing to your HSA six months before you apply for Medicare. You can withdraw money from your HSA after you enroll in Medicare to help pay for medical expenses like deductibles, premiums, coinsurance, or copayments. If you’d like to continue contributing to your HSA, you shouldn’t apply for Medicare or Social Security benefits. How Much Does Part B Coverage Cost? You are responsible for the Part B premium each month. Most people will pay the standard premium amount, which is $134 in 2018 if you sign up for Part B when you’re first eligible. This amount can change every year. You can find up-to-date premium amounts on Medicare.gov. You can learn more about Social Security and Medicare at www.socialsecurity.gov/benefits/medicare. Vonda VanTil is the Public Affairs Specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at vonda.vantil@ssa.gov.

THE END IS NEAR? Hopefully we have seen the last of the snowflakes for this spring. Monday morning I had to brush off the windshield. Tuesday there was just a hint of the white stuff, mostly as heavy frost. Thursday’s forecast of 60 degrees and partly sunny has me champing at the bit to get on the water for some fishing. This long and cold spring has made the conditions of our roads much worse than usual at this time of the year. Friends at the Coloma City Hall reminded me there is a MDOT email link for reporting potholes on state roads. That link is “Send location info to MDOT for repair.” Call your county to report local road issues.

CASEY’S COMING… If local comments are any indication, folks are excited that Casey’s General Store opens for business this Friday. The popular brand opens its first store in Michigan, right here in the heart of the Tri-Cities. I’ve heard several more Casey’s are slated to be built in Michigan, but the largest (and first) is here in Watervliet. Watch for grand opening specials in next week’s Record. There will be a Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce Ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 20 to officially welcome Casey’s General Store to the Tri-City Area.

THERE MUST BE MONEY TO BE MADE IN SCAMMING… my friend and I agreed last week. Why else, with all the warnings and reminders to not give out any personal and financial information over the phone, is there still so many scams out there. At this time of the year, the big scam is a caller purporting to be a collection agent for the IRS and demanding money for unpaid taxes. Is there anybody out there that doesn’t know the IRS never collects taxes over the phone? I said the only thing I figure that keeps scammers going is that it must be a cheap investment for the return. That means the amount of money the criminal must spend is very little compared to the large amount of money the crook gets from people he cheats (steals from). I was blaming the plague of fraud on cheap phone services and remarked that crooks didn’t use the mail any longer because it was too expensive and risky. Not a couple days later I got a letter from a “financial advisor” in Spain. He wrote of a person killed in an earthquake with the surname of Bayer who had left an excess of $9 million in a safe deposit box. He suggested, in so many words, that he would assist me in claiming the money and splitting it 50-50. He claimed I did not have to be heir to the money and that no laws would be broken should I wish to claim the funds. He even supplied a mailing address, phone number and email to communicate my willingness to collect some $4.5 million. So, this financial advisor provided the answer to my question, why do scammers stay in business? The answer is greed. There are enough people out there willing to believe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, that there is a golden ticket with their name on it, that the next trip to the casino will bring a jackpot, that makes it worthwhile for the criminals, con artists and scammers to relieve you of your hard-earned money. For those with the last name Bayer (or who are considering a name change) and want to contact the financial advisor in Spain, I have his letter in the round file.

THERE IS NO PRIVACY… As my comments above attest, there is no privacy on the World Wide Web for anyone who has accessed it. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Senators this week in the wake of revelations his monolithic corporation shared personal private information of his millions of users (us) with other information gatherers (them). Get used to it folks, the toothpaste is out of the tube. There is no retrieving or removing the billion bits of information swirling around the planet and there is no protection that your personal information will not be abused. Any place your information is stored, from the national capital on down to the village hall in your hometown, your privacy is only as good as the integrity of those that protect it. As we have replaced file cabinets of information stored in a closet with folders of digital information stored on computers that are connected to every other computer on the planet, that information is as unprotected as a bulging wallet left on a bench on Main Street. No doubt the Congressional committee will meet to investigate this “egregious” security breach of our precious private information. Then the conclusions, if any, will be filed with all the other congressional findings on homeland security, gun control, health care, and etcetera on a giant computer in the basement of the White House… Accessible to everyone with a cell phone and a social media account.

Watervliet Post Office delivers message about dog bites Offers tips on

how to avoid being bitten and be  a responsible dog owner

During National Dog Bite Prevention Week, April 8-14, Watervliet letter carriers want to deliver a special message to the community about working together to avoid the cost and pain of dog bites. Last year, 6,244 postal employees were victimized by dogs. But that number pales in comparison to the more than 2 million children who received dog bite injuries in a single year. “That’s why we’re delivering this important message to the community,” said Watervliet Postmaster Wendy Fisher. “Several of our letter carriers know first-hand about both the prevention and the pain of animal attacks, and we want to do whatever we can to help educate the community — especially parents and pet owners.” More than 4.5 million people are bitten annually by dogs. At the Watervliet Post Office, there have been more than 10 dog incidents within the last year. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report that small children, the elderly, and letter carriers, in that order, are the most frequent victims of dog bites. Children are the majority of victims and are 900 times more likely to be bitten than letter carriers. “Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States,” adds Fisher. “Dog bite victims account for up to 5 percent of emergency room visits.” The following tips will help people avoid being bitten by a dog and offer advice on how to be a responsible dog owner. How to avoid being bitten: Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch you. If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, and then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight. Don’t approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined. While letter carriers are discouraged from petting animals, people who choose to pet dogs should always let a dog see and sniff them before petting the animal. If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle. How to be a responsible dog owner: Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dog in any situation. When the letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room, or on a leash. Dogs can be protective of their territory and may interpret the actions of letter carriers as a threat. Please take precautions when accepting mail in the presence of your pet. Spay or neuter your dog. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite. Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) statistics reflect that dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are up to three times more likely to be involved in a biting incident than neutered or spayed dogs. Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Give blood with the Red Cross during National Volunteer Month

The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood during National Volunteer Month this April. Donating blood is a simple way for those who are short on time to make a life-changing difference. Volunteer donors are the only source of blood products for those in need of transfusions. Donors of all blood types are needed to help meet patient needs this spring. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). All those who donate from April 9 to May 13, 2018, will be entered to win one of three $1,000 gift cards to a national home improvement retailer, courtesy of Suburban Propane. (Restrictions apply; more details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Lets-Do-More.) Upcoming blood donation opportunities April 16-30: Berrien County – Tuesday, Apr. 17, 9 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Lake Michigan Catholic High School, 915 Pleasant, St. Joseph and Wednesday, Apr. 25, 10 a.m. – 3:45 p.m., Lake Michigan College, 2755 Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor; Van Buren County – Friday, Apr. 27, 9:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Lawrence High School, 650 W. St. Joseph Street.