A very unscientific poll of elderly voters

Palm Beach County, Florida is the home of countless retired seniors from Boston, New York, and other northeastern enclaves. When time permits, I do volunteer work for elderly people including driving them to doctor's appointments, shopping for them and variety of other chores.

I've met many of their friends and neighbors and have spent time listening to members of a generation of human beings, mostly Democrats, who fear for the future of their grandchildren and great grandchildren. I find it amazing that so many of these people are actually paying attention to what's going on in the world. And many understand that something has gone horribly wrong.

They overwhelming believe that the Republican Party has gone totally insane. And they wonder why their Democratic Party isn't doing battle against them as they always did in the past. These are people who simply can't grasp the fact that the days of Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson are long gone and that today's Democratic Party merely holds the name "Democrat." A couple of the older of these people fought in WWII and Korea. Many others were deeply involved in the civil rights movement. A few went south and risked their lives to help end Jim Crow. And, most poignantly, a couple of the very oldest have tattoos on their arms from the concentration camps.

Palm Beach County is in no way representative of other areas of the country. Nonetheless, it seems to me that senior citizens who are not wealthy, can't help but be living in fear. Social Security is longer "off the table." Medicare is no longer "off the table." It seems that the only thing that is "on the table" for certain, is the exposed necks of seniors waiting for the axe to fall.

Seniors represent a high proportion of people who vote. And one question that I never fail to ask is, "Who are you going to vote for in the next presidential election?"

The answer I receive most often is, "I probably won't be alive for the next presidential election." And when I press it, the answer I consistently receive is "I don't know," accompanied by a look of helplessness.

Palm Beach County has traditionally been solid blue (even if it's the place where Bush and his thugs stole the election from Gore and his wusses.) But if my very unscientific, personal poll has any meaning at all, President Obama is in deep trouble in this one area of blue country. I wonder if there are other blue regions where this is so.

Fist Obama cuts Medicare 500 Billion, then the pugs run and say they will protect it, then the pugs vote actually vote to get rid of it. So after Kathy Hochul shows the way to win in pug district in NY, Obama bails out the pugs and all that comes out of his mouth is cut "entitlements". Never defense.

Medicare Advantage Part D Plan, which is NOT Medicare! It closes the "donut hole." Medicare Advantage is a *PRIVATE* program, NOT Medicare!!!!!

You should be ashamed of yourself for pushing this disinformation, and for falling for a Republican LIE that has been repeated over and over again!!!

all this about Medicare, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage. To us it is all one. Many seniors are just barely able to handle their own lives let alone understand all this junk. Whenever I read the conflicting information I think of the seniors who are having a harder time than I am. That is one of the problems with the HCR bill - for seniors making these decisions is often almost impossible.

Not that many of our elected 'Leaders' are.

referring to the entire Democratic Party, President Obama included.

I guess that the millions being poured into Obama's reelection campaign by the powers that be, are more important than the nickles and dimes we peasants drop into his treasure chest.

Perhaps I am a total idiot to believe that the world is about more than just money. When Obama won the Presidency, I was in ecstasy and really believed that the world had changed in some fundamental way. Yet, during each and every day of Obama's reign, I have been filled with a greater sadness and cynicism than existed in me the day before.

The truth is that we are not becoming "MORE Democratic." It seems we are merely joining the Republicans in the cesspool in which they dwell.

For the first time since FDR a Democrat has threatened these programs. Who do we vote for? I don't know has become an option now.