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j enkinscountytimes .com
The Jenkins County Times
Wednesday, December 25, 2024 - Page 5
Aged to Perfection
Jenkins County
Senior Center
-Lee Wilson
One of our seniors shared the following story with us at the Center and we wanted to
share it, also.
‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house.
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care.
In hopes that Jesus would never come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap.
Was watching The Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wandering eyes should appear.
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be the Day!
The light of His face made me cover my head.
It was Jesus! Returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth.
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which he held in his Hand.
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name.
When He said, “It’s not here.” I hung my head in shame!
The people whose names had been written with love.
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready. He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late.
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried, as they rose out of sight.
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear.
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call.
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all.
PUBLIC NOTICE
City of Millen Holiday Garbage Collection Schedule
For both Christmas and New Years the garbage
pickup will be as follows:
Thursday's route will be picked up on Friday.
Friday's Route will be pickup on Saturday.
Make sure your polycart is out the night before
your scheduled pickup.
Happy Holidays from the City of Millen
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THE COTTON GIN
478.982.2153
717 Cotton Ave.
Millen, GA
"Milieu’s Florist"
Since 1987
| JNews Across Georgia]
DeKalb teacher off the iob. accused of crashing into narked cars while driving drunk
Minnie Yvette Turner, 60, a science teacher at Tucker High School, was arrested and
charged with DUI Monday morning. According to jail officials, she was released from
jail on bond shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Students told Channel 2 News that
the incident happened during first period while Turner was driving back from picking up
food. “She hit another driver and kept on going and the driver followed her back into the
school parking lot where she hit more cars,” a student told Seiden. Turner is off the job as
investigation develops.
Thomas Countv Sheriff’s Office working to identify skeletal remains
The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office is working to identify skeletal remains found around
Sept. 9. According to the sheriff’s office, the remains were found on Hansell Chastain
Road. The GBI Forensic Artistry Section has provided a sketch of the person. If anyone
has any information about this person, please contact the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office/
Investigations Division at (229) 225-3315.
South Ga. horse diagnosed with mosauito-borne disease, how to keen vour animals
and family safe
South Georgia residents are no strangers to mosquitoes. And if the wrong mosquito bites
you, or your animals, the consequences could be fatal. One Cook County horse was
recently diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-bome illness.
While it’s not transmissible from horse to human, humans can still be infected by a
mosquito bite. If you can’t afford to have someone, come out and spray, here are some
more affordable ways to protect your animals: Use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and
pants when weather permits, have secure intact screens on windows and doors to keep
mosquitoes out, eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water.
Roller coaster riders stuck after ride stalls at Ga. theme nark
Riders at the Wild Adventures theme park in Georgia experienced a scare when a roller
coaster stopped unexpectedly. A roller coaster called The Boomerang got stuck mid-ride
Monday, going forward along the track then backward before stopping, according to a
patron of the park. A statement released by Wild Adventures said the stop was “triggered
by a safety feature activation.” Riders were safely returned to the loading station within
about 10 minutes.
Moultrie-Colquitt Co. Chamber of Commerce hosts Coffee & Commerce event
Moultrie-Colauitt Co. Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Coffee and Commerce
event. The chamber invited the community to warm-up with a cup of coffee - or cocoa -
during a festive, holiday-themed networking event. As a part of their efforts to give back
to the community, the chamber hosted special giveaways during the event - a tradition
they continue at many of their events throughout the year, these in bringing together
businesses and individuals from diverse backgrounds to connect and collaborate.
Georgia teacher tosses bov. 11. across classroom after making crude remarks
about kid’s mom
A Georgia middle school teacher resigned after he tossed an 11 -year-old student
across the classroom and allegedly made sexual remarks about the child’s mother.
TJ and Elder, who is also the school’s football coach, exchanged words before
the educator grabbed the 11-year-old’s chest, footage of the altercation showed.
Elder lifted the student off the floor and effortlessly flung him into a desk near
other students. As TJ attempted to get off the floor, Elder stood directly over him.
Russell, who doesn’t know Elder, says the school system failed her as the violent
throw has caused her to have a lack of trust in the school. TJ suffered a concussion
and multiple bruises and was taken to the emergency room after school Friday,
the outlet reported. Elder submitted his resignation to the school district over the
weekend.
Georgia Gwinnett College student makes school history with 3 bachelor’s
degrees
When one of Georgia Gwinnett College’s new graduates walks across the stage
this weekend, she’ll make history for the school with her academic achievement.
KimLinh Ngo will be the school’s first student to graduate with three bachelor’s
degrees - all on the same day. Ngo said her parents’ sacrifices helped inspire her
to push to make the most of her formal education. They emigrated from Vietnam
to the United States in the early 1990s, eventually settling in Duluth, Georgia.
After graduating, Ngo hopes to find a position in either data analysis or software
engineering.
Donald Trump’s Social Security Proposal Comes With Consequences
-Sean Williams,
Special Contributor
For an overwhelming
majority of retirees,
Social Security
represents more than
just a monthly check.
It serves as a financial
foundation for those
who can no longer
provide for themselves.
For more than two
decades, Gallup has
been conducting
an annual poll that
questions retirees
regarding their reliance
on Social Security.
Between 80% and
90% of respondents
-- including 88% in
April 2024 — have
noted that their Social
Security benefit is a
"major" or "minor"
source of income. In
other words, close to 9
out of 10 seniors would
financially struggle if
this program didn't exist.
But despite being vital
to the financial well
being of our nation's
aging workforce, this
nearly 90-year-old
program is in trouble.
Fixing it will require
a plan of action from
lawmakers -- and this
includes President-elect
Donald Trump.
Every year since the
first retired-worker
benefit check was
mailed in January 1940,
the Social Security
Board of Trustees has
issued a report that
examines the current
financial health of
America's leading
retirement program.
More importantly, it
considers changing
demographic factors,
as well as shifts in
fiscal and monetary
policy, to predict how
financially sound Social
Security will be over
the long term, which
encompasses the 75
years following the
release of a report.
In the 2024 Trustees
Report, it was estimated
that Social Security is
facing a $23.2 trillion
funding obligation
shortfall through 2098.
This was up $800 billion
from the estimated long
term funding deficit in
the 2023 report, and
it's a figure that's been
climbing steadily since
the mid-1980s.
To make one thing
clear, Social Security
is in absolutely no
danger of disappearing
or becoming insolvent.
The lion's share of the
income that funds this
program comes from the
12.4% payroll tax on
earned income (wages
and salary, but not
investment income). If
people continue to work
and pay their taxes,
there will always be
money to disburse to
eligible beneficiaries.
But what is at stake
is the current payout
schedule, including cost-
of-living adjustments
(COLAs), if these
funding obligation
shortfalls persist.
According to the latest
Trustees Report, the
Old-Age and Survivor's
Insurance Trust Fund
(OASI) is projected to
exhaust its asset reserves
— the excess cash built
up since inception that's
invested, by law, into
ultra-safe, interest-
bearing government
bonds — by 2033. If the
OASI's asset reserves
deplete in nine years,
as forecast, sweeping
benefit cuts of up to
21 % may be necessary
for retired workers and
survivor beneficiaries.
While incoming
President Donald Trump
has largely avoided
proposals to change
Social Security, he
did announce a plan
on the campaign trial
that would, on paper,
be overwhelmingly
supported by current
and future generations
of retirees. The
only problem is that
what's popular isn't
always what's best
for America's leading
retirement program.
In late July, while
posting on his social
media platform, Truth
Social, Trump wrote,
"Seniors should not pay
tax on Social Security."
In 1983, Social
Security's asset reserves
were rapidly headed
for exhaustion, which
would have necessitated
benefit cuts. The Social
Security Amendments
of 1983, which represent
the last major bipartisan
overhaul of the program,
thwarted the need to cut
benefits. It gradually
raised the payroll tax
on working Americans,
as well as increased the
full retirement age. Most
important, it introduced
the taxation of Social
Security benefits.
Starting in 1984,
up to 50% of benefits
could be exposed to
the federal tax rate if
provisional income
(adjusted gross income
+ tax-free interest +
one-half of benefits)
topped $25,000 for a
single filer or $32,000
for a couple filing
jointly. In 1993, the
Clinton administration
included a second tax
tier that exposed up
85% of benefits to
federal taxation when
provisional income
surpassed $34,000 for
single filers and $44,000
for couples filing jointly.
What makes this
one of America's most
hated taxes is that these
income thresholds have
never been adjusted
for inflation. With
COLAs increasing
nominal benefits over
time, we've witnessed
a growing number of
senior households be
exposed to some form
of federal tax on their
benefits.
Trump's proposal,
plain and simple, is to
end this tax on benefits
and allow retirees to
hang onto more of their
income.
While the intention
here is to lift benefits
for a group of people
who've been hit hard by
inflation — the buying
power of a Social
Security dollar has
plummeted since this
century began — ending
the taxation of benefits
would remove one of
the program's three
sources of income.
Over time, the
taxation of benefits is
expected to grow in
importance, in terms
of supplying Social
Security with income
to disburse to eligible
beneficiaries. Between
2024 and 2033, it's
expected to generate
just shy of $944 billion
in income, based on
estimates from the
Trustees Report. With
Social Security already
contending with a
$23.2 trillion long-term
shortfall, removing a
key source of income
would further weaken
its foundation.
However, the potential
damage to Social
Security extends far
beyond the president
elect's plan to end the
taxation of benefits.
Based on a recent
analysis by the nonprofit
and nonpartisan
Committee for a
Responsible Federal
Budget (CRFB),
multiple proposals
made by Trump while
on the campaign trail
would have unintended
consequences for Social
Security.
As expected,
eliminating the
overwhelmingly disliked
taxation of benefits
would deprive Social
Security of valuable
income through 2035.
But there are three
additional proposals
that would be expected
to reduce the program's
asset reserves and/
or lower collectable
income.
The begin with,
ending taxation on tips
and overtime would
reduce payroll tax
income by an estimated
$900 billion from
fiscal 2026 through
fiscal 2035 (the federal
government's fiscal year
ends on Sept. 30).
Additionally, Trump
wants to impose tariffs
on goods imported
into the U.S. The idea
being that tariffs would
promote domestic
manufacturing and
make American goods
more cost-competitive
with overseas imports.
However, tariffs run
the risk of ramping up
inflation, which can lead
to higher COLAs that
are detrimental to Social
Security's asset reserves.
The final change that
might have unintended
consequences for Social
Security is immigration
restrictions. The
proposed deportation
of undocumented
migrants, coupled
with the possibility of
more stringent legal
migration, would be
expected to lower
payroll tax income.
Collectively, ending
the taxation of benefits,
stopping the tax on tips
and overtime, imposing
tariffs, and revamping
immigration policy is
estimated by CRFB
to increase Social
Security's cash deficit
by $2.25 trillion over 10
years.
