Tampa Bay Raves and Rants is a weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and nostalgia items from a very politically incorrect viewpoint. As always, beware - much of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

Social Security – good news, not so good news

By now you know, we elderly folks are going to get a handsome 5.9 per cent increase in our Social Security check come January. It begs the question; will that be enough to keep pace with inflation? Inflation is up 5.4 per cent from this time last year. Gas is up, the price of food is going up like a rocket ship, and we recently received notice of an 18 percent hike from our long time auto insurer (we switched carriers). But the larger question voiced by someone much smarter than us is, “How are we going to pay for this?” We’ve been told Social Security has a lifespan of another dozen years and that’s before this nearly six percent hike. So, Joe and Congress, what’s the plan?

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Atlanta Journal Constitution writer and former Congressional insider Patricia Murphy reports that 90 percent of American adults say they don’t know what’s in Joe Biden’s $3.5 billion social services package. She estimates the number may be closer to 99 percent – and we think the percentage of members of Congress who don’t grasp the package’s details is probably north of 50 percent.

Idle question – why is it necessary for the Seminole Tribe to run hundreds of ads telling us what a good deal Florida has with them running gambling operations?

We give a nod to the Clearwater City Council for punting on a very convoluted new election system. Last year’s election where only the Mayor received a majority vote was an outlier as compared to previous elections and not a compelling reason for change.

From a Facebook friend: “If more products were made in America, those backed up cargo ships wouldn’t matter.”

Breaking election news: Charlie Crist hops aboard the marijuana train joining his Democratic competitor Nikki Fried.

Sign of the times: Tesla wants to attempt to mitigate a safety-related software problem in their cars via the Internet. The National Highway Transportation Safety Board is telling the high-tech manufacturer “not so fast.”

Five Years Ago in TBR&R (October 16, 2016) - We need an ID to drive; to get insurance coverage; to use the gym; to check out a book at the library. Just what is so suppressive about us needing an ID to vote?

Sports, media and lighter stuff:

Immigration news from the ersatz 5:05 Newsletter: This week President Biden unveiled his new border policy. It will officially be known as, “No Juan Left Behind.”

A day after the Rays were eliminated from the playoffs, the Atlanta Braves advanced to the National League championship. Their starting pitcher was the guy the Rays should have not let get away – Charlie Morton.

So Jon Gruden is being removed from the Buc’s Ring of Honor. Does that also mean we take down all the banners from the Buc’s 2002 Super Bowl win?

In the immortal words of the late Lewis Grizzard: “How ‘bout them Dawgs!”

There’s a museum for virtually everything, so we suspect somewhere in the U.S. there is a building full of lava lamps from the ‘70s.

We’re just full of facts this week. America’s most popular mustard, by far, is French’s – made by the French’s Food Company of Springfield, MO, located at 4455 E. Mustard Way.

Buy early for Christmas, but ditch the gift cards

We are being told to buy early for Christmas this year because of potential shortages, transportation issues and the like. We offer a second piece of advice -avoid gift cards. They are easy, but they are impersonal. For a do-it-yourselfer or hobbyist, the cards do provide an opportunity for them to get something they truly want. However, in this age of advanced technology, they are subject to fraud – even while they are in your hands, either through crooks using illegal skimmers while the cards sit on racks in the store or, in some cases, through internal dishonesty in the store where you bought it. Sadly, some retailers, most notably Wal-Mart, take a buyer beware stance even if you have been victimized through no fault of your own. Until stores institute much better security with gift cards and you absolutely don’t want to buy a physical gift, old fashioned checks or cash should be the gift of choice.

NEXT UP: More on Wal-Mart; Speeding up baseball; Halloween rant

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