To The Editor:
Just started checking about how many corporations that I deal with went up on their prices. If someone in my area got the same, let our editors know. First my AARP Healthcare Plan went up $12.75 per month or $153 a year. My Humana Drug Plan went up $3.80 per month or $45.60 a year. My Car Warranty went up $19 a month or $228 per year. ADT Alarm System went up $10.18 or $122.16 per year. I received a letter from Direct-TV of some price increase coming.
I was dealing with Carolina Gas in Hamlet, NC, but they sold out to Suburban Propane. I have been living at the same address for 36 years, and it is the first time I had to rent the tank and pay $131 for it and still pay top money for the gas. If you do not pay the $131, you probably will not get your gas. First, gas was the same price as the other company’s $3.99.90 per gallon. I received 63.2 gallons, and the costs were $240.10 for gas, $1.35 for transportation, $4.99 for Safety P&T Fee. The total cost was $246.44. The delivery was made January 2, 2014. The next delivery was on January 30, 2014 (same month). My bill was $417.03, up about $1.00 per gallon. I save all my bills, letters and check receipts (87.4 gallons at $4.6990 per gallon). I just watched the President of the United States Obama talking on TV (2-12-14). The subject was Give America a Raise. I remember the hard time we had to bring America up to $7.25 per hour. Large corporations and the Congress fought to keep the poor and the middle class workers’ pay down, yet they raised their pay three or four times. I have copies of all these letters and can produce them.
We need this raise to try to keep our nation on top and bring our citizens’ pay in line with the times, and keep salaries up with large corporation raises. President Obama executive order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and hope the Republican Party will support the raise.
It will start next year and with the new Federal Contractor. Obamacare in January had 1.2 million sign up and now 3.3 million total. Too few people control too much of America’s money and power. Last year, for the first time ever, the ten highest paid CEOs in America hauled in at least 100 million each, even as the great majority of work day families have lost income. This gaping and ever widening inequality is the greatest threat to our society’s cohesion.
Too few people now control an unconscionable and untenable share of America’s money and power, using it to grab more of both for themselves. They can build a $100 million wall, but it will not be high enough to hide their greed from the rest of us.
Heads we win, tails you lose.
Average American
John Nickoless
Bennettsville, SC