Neal E. Boyd
Sikeston, Missouri
"You've come a long way for a colored boy!"
It was hard to take offense because it was actually a genuine compliment from an eighty something year old Caucasian man who obviously meant no harm.
Still it got me thinking of the generational divide we deal with in our everyday lives. It made me think of the expectations we set for ourselves and others, and President George W. Bush’s line about, “The soft bigotry of lowered expectations.”
In my opinion, Bush’s line had nothing to do with Race, but it was more of a statement on class and our perceptions of each other based on socio-economic factors, and pure old-fashioned motivation and apathy regardless of the color of your skin or the content of character.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Petri dish known as the world of higher education. I always thought of college as a great battle where rich and poor competed for the Middleclass…where only the motivated survived, but the truth is we do not know who is motivated by what or who will go on to achieve great things!
I was not given a choice in my house when it came to education. I was told that I would go to college and get a degree. Mom always knew best! But there were friends around me who were told they could never go to college due to financial circumstances, or those friends who were pushed by some educators toward vocational trades and told they could never make it at a four year college.
Sometimes people of all nationalities and creeds are motivated by the desire just to simply make a better life for themselves and their families…to simply live for the more and more seemingly unattainable American Dream. But who are we to judge who has the right “credentials” or “will” to succeed.
We the People limit ourselves so readily and willingly for a variety of reasons…the main reason being the Fear of Failure. Well, we are all destined to fail when we listen to those voices of doub…or of ridicule…or of just plain soft bigotry. We are destined to fail when we heed those voices that tell us that failure is eminent, and that our dreams are foolish.
Truth is, I HAVE come a long way for a colored boy...and I am proud of it!
Submitted Article to
news@showmetimes.com
Age Spots – By Ruth Dockins
One – Two – Three – Four
As I started this article it just seemed to keep growing, thus the name of the article had to keep changing. Finally I just got frustrated with myself and decided to give it a simple name.
#1:
Medicare Prescription Drugs (MED D) open enrollment started Oct. 15 and will run through Dec. 7. This is the time for those of you who have a MED D plan to check to see if there is a better one out there for you. Every year most of the plans change their premium cost, deductible and/or the drugs they cover. Some Medicare Advantage plans change the counties in which they choose to offer plans. We have heard from several people who tell us their Advantage plan is leaving their area and they need to find a different plan.
Each person who has a MED D plan should have received a notice from their plan in late September stating what the new premium will be as well as the deductible and list of drugs covered. If you don’t remember receiving this notice please check with your plan to learn if there will be any changes. My husband has had a plan ever since the plans began and has had to change plans every year. The least expensive MED D monthly plan premium for 2014 is $12.60 and the most expensive is $137.90, so as you can see there is a wide variety of plans from which to choose.
#2:
Something that will not change for 2014 however is the Medicare Part B monthly premium,
It will be $104.90 in 2014, the same as it was in 2013. The premium has either been less than projected or remained the same, for the past three years. The Medicare Part B deductible will also remain unchanged at $147.
“We continue to work hard to keep Medicare beneficiaries’ costs low by rewarding providers for producing better value for their patients and fighting fraud and abuse. As a result, the Medicare Part B premium will not increase for 2014, which is good news for Medicare beneficiaries and for American taxpayers,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.
#3:
We, at Aging Matters, (formerly known as SEMO Area Agency on Aging) are always looking for people interested in helping others by becoming SMP volunteers. These are the people who help fight Medicare fraud and abuse simply by providing information to Medicare beneficiaries. This is a very rewarding volunteer job because SMP volunteers have played a big part in the recovery of millions of dollars that were returned to the Medicare system. Makes you wonder if part of that money returned is why the Medicare Part B premium and the deductible have not gone up for next year. The SMP volunteers are helping the entire country!
#4:
People with Medicare do not have to sign up for the new Health Insurance Marketplace. The Health Insurance Marketplace is for people who are uninsured or under-insured, so if you are on Medicare just relax and don’t worry about all the problems that you are hearing about on TV it doesn’t affect you!
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Congressman Jason Smith Capitol Report
8th Congressional District, Missouri - Soon senior citizens across our congressional district will be receiving information about Medicare Open Enrollment. During this two month enrollment period, current Medicare beneficiaries can alter their coverage plans and new beneficiaries can sign up for a Medicare plan for the first time. Medicare Open Enrollment begins October 15th and closes December 7th. During Open Enrollment, beneficiaries will have the opportunity to:
· Change to a Medicare Advantage Plan or select a different plan that better meets your needs;
· Join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan;
· Change your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
Open Enrollment is an important time for seniors to make sure they have the Medicare plan that best suits their individual needs. Navigating any federal program can be daunting, and my staff and I are here to assist with this process. By visiting www.medicare.gov or calling 1-800-MEDICARE, you learn about the various plans Medicare offers. Should you encounter difficulties in this process, I encourage you to contact one of my district offices.
You may call my Cape Girardeau office at 573-335-0101, Farmington at 573-756-9755, Rolla at 573-364-2455, or West Plains at 417-255-1515.
Our Eighth Congressional District is home to many senior citizens who rely on Medicare for medical and prescription needs. I understand the importance of Medicare in seniors’ daily lives, as both of my parents are Medicare recipients. Since my election to Congress, I have worked to keep the promise of Medicare to our seniors. Moving forward, I will continue efforts to improve seniors’ access to Medicare and fight any actions to deny care or change benefits for our Greatest Generation. Seniors who have worked hard their entire lives and paid into Medicare and Social Security deserve the best options possible. Please know that my staff and I are here to help you and we hope you will contact us if we may be of assistance.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Charleston, Missouri - Congratulations to the DHS and DMS Marching Bearcats for their victories this weekend at the Southeast Missouri Band Directors Association Marching Competition.
It's been an annual tradition for the Charleston R-1 School District to host the Marching Contest. Since the 1980's when the marching Bluejays needed new uniforms and decided to host a fundraising event they have invited area bands to compete on the street and on the field to raise money for the band.
In the parade competition they received: Outstanding Music, Outstanding Field Command, Outstanding Marching, and Outstanding Flags. 1st Place in their Division and Highest score of 20 high school bands in competition.
On the field, they received 2nd place in the 3rd division beating Park Hills and New Madrid County Central, and received the 4th highest score of the 14 bands in competition on the field! "We were even victorious over a band we’ve never beaten before," commented Scott Rybolt, DHS Band Director.
Bands performing included North County, Sikeston, Ste. Genevieve, Perryville, Jackson, Northwest, Puxico, East Prairie, Woodland, and Charleston.
Congratulations to the Dexter High School Band on their awards and performances Saturday. Mr. Jim Wade and his middle school students also competed well.
T.S. Hill Middle School finished in 1st Place in the parade portion of the marching contest. They scored a 72.25 beating Advance, South Pemiscot, Charleston, Caruthersville, and Richland. Of the 9 years under Mr. Wade's direction, the middle school has taken first place 8 times. Quite the record!
T.S. Hill Marching Bearcats also earned Outstanding Music, Outstanding Marching, Outstanding Percussion, and Outstanding Flags in the parade contest.
Not only did they receive 1st Place in their Division BUT they had the 4th highest score overall for the day. This included all the middle school and high school bands who performed, 26 total band for the day. Only three bands scored higher, one of which was the Dexter High School Band. Way to go Middle School!!
The Dexter community is extremely proud of each band student and for all that you do on and off the field. We appreciate your talents as well as your entertainment during pre-game and half-time shows.
Band directors Jim Wade and Scott Rybolt are very proud of their students regarding their effort and achievements at Charleston, and are also very thankful to the parents and community for their help and support.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Columbia, Missouri - The University of Missouri School of Law is opening a new clinic that will help veterans and give law students real world experience. The new Veterans Clinic at the MU School of Law will help veterans and their families secure disability benefits.
MU law students will be supervised by experienced attorneys throughout the process and will have the opportunity to work in a law firm atmosphere within the law school serving real client needs. Law students interested in personal injury, civil litigation or administrative law will benefit from the skills taught at the clinic.
The clinic will include a weekly lecture for students on substantive law relating to veterans’ benefits, followed by work with actual veteran files.
In addition, students will:
Interview clients, witnesses and medical personnel.
Research and develop the law and facts of the case, draft pleadings, and prepare briefs.
Interact with other practitioners in the area of federal veterans law, thereby encouraging networking developments.
Be encouraged to become members of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates (NOVA) and to attend one of the NOVA conferences, which are held twice annually.
Speakers at the opening ceremony include Gary Myers, dean of the MU School of Law , David Myers, Deputy Director for Case Evaluation Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
The opening ceremony will be at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3rd, Courtroom, Hulston Hall on the campus of the University of Missouri.
