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4A – Daily News – Saturday, October 2, 2010 FEATURES Working widow waives washing Dear Annie: I am con- cerned about my mother, a 66-year-old widow of 15 years. When my father was alive, Mom worked full time, kept a reasonably clean house and raised two children by herself. (My father was an alcoholic who was not around much.) In the years since Dad died, however, the house has gone to ruin. Annie’s Mailbox The problem is, my sis- ter and extended family convinced me to let Mom move into one of my properties. My sister cleans it once every six months. Each time, they remove 10 huge bags of garbage. By the way, Mom works full time, and her supervisors are always talking about how pro- fessional and neat her work area is. They even use her as an example when training new employees. Now the property is infested with fleas. Mom says she doesn’t notice them. I cannot get rid of the fleas until the house is cleaned. I work full time and have two children, one with severe special needs. I do not have the time or energy to take care of my mother, too. I know Mom is depressed, but I cannot convince her to get help. My sister has also tried to talk with her. I want to evict her, but my family is against it. After all, she is my moth- er. But I cannot afford to have her ruin my property. I am struggling to get by on what little I have. My uncle will be visiting soon, Hunting for that perfect phone. Come to NorCal Wireless by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar and he’s one of the few peo- ple my mother respects. I was thinking of discussing this with him and having him invite himself to her house so he can see for him- self. Maybe it would be a wakeup call. What do you say? — At a Loss Dear Loss: We think anyone who can get through to your mother is worth talk- ing to. Evicting her will make you the pariah of the family and will not solve the problem. It’s possible Mom has some depression or early dementia. Right now, the best solution would be for the relatives to contribute to a fund in order to hire someone to clean her place every month (or more). Then make an appointment for her to see her doctor for an eval- uation. You also can contact the International OCD Foundation (ocfoundation.org) for support and suggestions. Dear Annie: While moving things out of my son’s room this summer, we came across a box of thank-you notes and addressed envelopes that were apparently never sent for an event that hap- pened two years ago. Which is worse: sending the thank-you notes two years late or not at all? — Struggling with Two Bad Options Dear Struggling: They should be sent, along with a note of expla- nation and an expression of regret for not having mailed them in a more timely fashion. Ideally, your son should be the one to do this. If that is not possible, please do it on his behalf. Those who sent a gift deserve to know it arrived and was appreciated. Dear Annie: This is for ‘‘Wor- ried Mom’’ with the underachieving son. Our son was diagnosed with ADHD and rarely finished assign- ments. High school was a disaster. Finally, his principal convinced us it was OK if he wasn’t ready to grad- uate, and once we accepted that, we were more at peace. Then our son decided to join the Marine Corps, and in order to enlist, he needed to graduate. So he did — barely. The Marines gave him self-con- fidence. Five years later, he entered community college and earned a 4.0. That, in turn, led to an Ivy League school, where he made the Dean’s list. After a year, he was awarded a full scholarship. Next spring, he will graduate a bright, confident young man of 28 with multiple job opportunities. My advice to ‘‘Mom’’ is to remove yourself from making it your problem. Show love and support, and recognize his education is ulti- mately up to him. He might just sur- prise you. Ours did. — Been There Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. Why do you work? It's not a silly question to ask. While some fortunate peo- ple will respond that they work because they love what they're doing, most will say they work to make money to support them- selves and their family. It's worth thinking about why we work on this Labor Day holiday. No one forces us to get up in the morning, travel on the crowded roads or trains to get to our jobs. Yet we do it, and we are mostly grateful to be employed. In fact, as we look around to see the U.S. unemployment rate inching up to 9.6 percent, many people feel both uneasy at the prospect of unemploy- ment and perhaps willing to work even harder to show the boss we deserve our paycheck. It's the paycheck that matters. You look at the bot- tom line, measure the bills that must be paid out and then move on to the next week's work. But let's take a closer look at that "bottom line." As you've long ago learned, there's a big dif- ference between your salary and what you take home. For most work- ers, the largest deduction is for FICA. 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore Do you know what the initials FICA stand for? Federal Insurance Contribu- tions Act. That deduction out of your paycheck each week is a "contribution" -- a word that is typically syn- onymous with "voluntary." Except, of course, in the case of the FICA payroll tax. Limited time offer expires October 31, 2010. Other conditions and restrictions may apply. See store for full details. Offer valid only at NorCal AT&T Authorized Retailer stores. Rebate debit card offer. Price before mail-in rebate is $149.99. Must purchase BlackBerry Unlimited Plan and sign new 2 year service agreement ot qualify for discounted pricing and rebate. Retail price Blackberry Pearl 8110 is $399.99. FICA is the deduction for Social Security (old age, survivors and disability) and Medicare. It consumes the first 15.3 percent of your earnings. Half is taken out of your paycheck, and your employer pays the other half. But since the employer must pay, you know it is money that might otherwise have been available to increase your salary. So, in effect, you're paying the 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore The Electric Man For all your electrical needs • New Outlets / 220 • Fans / Fixtures • Pools / Spas • Code Corrections • Troubleshooting • Panel Upgrade • Telephone Wiring $10.00 Customer Discount FREE Estimates License# 826543 347-4441 Taxes go into a bottomless hole entire amount. In case you're interested, the FICA tax started in 1937, when Social Security was enacted. Here's how the tax grew between then and now, always divided in half between employ- ee and employer. Year/Rate percent percent cent I've skipped a 1937-1949/2 1950-1953/3 1963- 1965/7.25 percent 1972/10.4 per- Terry few steps, but you can see how the rate ratcheted up over the years, with the big jump coming in 1966, when the relative- ly small Medicare tax of 0.35 percent was first added. (If you want to see the entire chart go to Tax- Foundation.org and search for FICA rate history or www.taxfoundation.org/file s/soc_security_rates_1937- 2009-20090504.pdf.) But even the figure for 1972 seems nostalgi- cally low, when compared with the increases that took place when Social Security was "drastical- ly overhauled to make it solvent for baby boomers" in the late 1980s. Those were the words used to "sell" a rate increase to 15.3 percent on a tax base of $51,300 in 1990. In the next 20 years, the rate of 15.3 percent has remained the same, but the tax base had doubled to $106,800 by 2009. Yes, inflation has cut into the value of the dollar. But even so, you'd think Social Security would be flush with money given all the taxes working people have paid in over the years. The problem arose when the Social Security "Trust Fund" started accumulating cash to meet its future oblig- ations. Immediately after raising the tax rates in the late 1980s, the Treasury A Clean, Reliable, Trustworthy, Chimney Company... Possible? ”Their tarps are always clean and my home is always clean afterward. What I like best is their reliability and quality.” “I can trust them!” Dr. Evan Reasor Flue Season 527 3331 THE Chimney Professionals 645 Main St., Red Bluff • 529-2482 We’re now booking gourmet catering for your Holiday Parties Call us to get a quote, or book your party www.californiakitchencompany.com Savage The Savage Truth on Money Diabetes not always caused by excess weight If readers would like to contact Dr. Gott, they may write him directly to Dr. Gott c/o Unit- ed Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, NY 10016. How- ever, if readers want to request a newsletter, they should write to the Ohio address. Dr. Peter Gott DEAR DR. GOTT: Can you please discuss lifestyle risks for dia- betes other than weight? I have three friends who are thin and have all developed type 2 dia- betes. Although they are not overweight, they have terrible eating habits. I went to the supermarket with one of them and watched as she loaded her cart with pancake mix, syrup, diet soda and several boxes of processed frozen dinners that were advertised as healthy but contained huge amounts of sodium. Her concession to the decided it made no sense to have cash being "invested" in Treasury securities in one fund, while the government was running a budget deficit in its own annual account. So they merged the two funds. The grow- ing surpluses in the Social Secu- rity "trust fund" were merged with the growing deficits in the U.S. govern- ment's annual budget every year. And now, even with the surplus Social Security trust fund, we're going to run an annual deficit estimated at $1.5 trillion. So where did all that FICA money go? Down the drain of federal spending on everything. It's certainly not sitting in an account waiting to pay your retirement. FICA is the one tax that is paid by all workers. You might not pay any income taxes on your earnings. In fact, the Tax Foundation estimates that 41 percent of the working population pays zero in income taxes. But all workers do pay the FICA payroll taxes. How long will it take for today's workers, looking at that big chunk of money taken out of their weekly paycheck, to realize that they have little or no chance of getting any of it back in their old age? Even baby boomers, who contributed all their working lives, will see only a modest stipend from Social Security. Yet it's the biggest deduction on your paycheck every week, unless you're contributing a substantial amount to your employer's 40l(k) or 403(b) plan. Sure, the stock market is scary at times but has proven a win- ner over the long run. Com- pare that to the guaranteed loss of value in your FICA deduction. fact that she has diabetes was buying light syrup and some bananas. She did not have a single vegetable other than what was included in her frozen meals. She also leads a sedentary life. She is constantly complaining about her “bad genes.” When I suggested that her dia- betes might be due to her eating and exercise habits, she explained that she is not obese and therefore did not cause herself to become dia- betic. I don’t know what her doctor has told her regarding lifestyle, but in general it does seem to me that type 2 dia- betes is looked upon as your fault if you are heavy but beyond your control and the result of “bad genes” if you are thin. I think this is a dan- gerous mentality and also quite untrue. DEAR READER: Absolutely. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. It is commonly associated with being overweight, but this does not mean that simply being overweight will cause you to develop dia- betes. Rather, excess weight is simply a risk factor. Other risk factors include a family history, leading a sedentary life, age, ethnicity and more. Diabetes may be associ- ated with other health conditions, such as high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol lev- els. Type 2 diabetes is caused when cells become resistant to insulin and the pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to over- come the resistance. When this occurs, the cells no longer take in sugar, causing it to build up in the bloodstream. The exact reason why this happens is unknown. Symptoms can include increased thirst, extreme hunger, slow- healing sores, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, fre- quent infections and blurred vision. Complications can arise from untreated or poorly managed dia- betes. Short-term com- plications need to be addressed immediately because, if left untreat- ed, they can lead to seizures and/or coma. Short-term issues include hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and increased ketones (potentially toxic acids) in the urine. Long-term complications develop gradual- ly. If the diabetes is left untreated or poorly treated, these can become permanent or life-threatening. Long-term issues include cardio- vascular disease, bone and joint problems, skin and mouth conditions, and nerve, eye or kidney damage. Type 2 diabetes is often preventable if proper steps are taken to manage risk factors. It is important to maintain a healthful diet and exer- cise routine. Remember to include plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains while reducing your intake of animal products and sweets. Simply substitut- ing sugar-free products for normally sugar-laden treats is not helpful. Any excessive intake of sim- ple or complex sugars (carbohydrates) can result in high blood- sugar levels. A regis- tered dietician is an excellent resource in developing a meal plan. Exercise can lower blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance. For those with diabetes, aer- obic exercise is the most beneficial and should be included most days of the week for at least 30 minutes per day. In those who develop the condition regardless of lifestyle changes, treatment is available. These include medica- tion to stimulate the pan- creas to produce more insulin, inhibit the pro- duction and release of glucose causing cells to need less insulin to transport sugar, block the action of enzymes that break down carbo- hydrates, or make tissues more sensitive to insulin and insulin injections. As you can see, sim- ply being overweight isn’t enough to cause diabetes. While your friends may be thin, they likely have risk factors for developing diabetes and have, thus far, failed to make the necessary changes. They are accountable for their health, and blaming “bad genes” is just an excuse. They must change their lifestyles and not rely only on medication to solve this problem. People who are over- weight can benefit great- ly from losing weight, and in some cases, that may be all that is neces- sary to improve or even reverse type 2 diabetes (or high cholesterol or high blood pressure). Those with normal weights still need to be accountable and make changes. To provide related information, I am send- ing you a copy of my Health Report “Living with Diabetes.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to men- tion the title or print an order form off my web- site at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com.