JUlrich

November drawings at three for $1 are:

“Kool Kit” $36 Value

Ice Pack & Biofreeze Spray

Winchester Chiropractic

1270 S. Winchester Blvd, S.J.

(Thanks to Barbara Robinson)

Red Robin (Free Dessert w/Purchase-$5 Value)

El Paseo de Saratoga

(Thanks to Angie Jaggars)

Campbell Express

Two Free Subscriptions 408-374-9700

(Thanks to Stephon Hansen)

Weekend Coffee Roasters

Bag of Fresh Coffee Locally Roasted

(Thanks to Rick Loek)

October winners were:

Half Hour Massage: Bonnie Wasenbaum

Denny’s: Richard Sarsfield

Campbell Express: Paul Waxenbaum and Betty Rhodes

Weekend Coffee Roasters: Rick Loek

Please bring small handheld games, lip balms, small packs of snacks or dried fruit. Thanks.

I have been adding up all of our volunteer hours that have accumulated so far. I know there are many of you who volunteer in interesting places but neglect to let us know about them. Please remember the purple envelope at the meeting! You can go all the way back to January — the information doesn’t need to be in any particular order.

To further entertain myself I am rooting around in old meeting minutes in order to write our chapter history. What memories this conjures up, and how things have changed over the years in so many different ways. We are a very adaptable bunch.

The last thing that sick, older Americans need right now is a tax hike — but that’s exactly what will happen unless Congress takes action.

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate, which would protect older Americans from a potential tax increase in 2017. Senators Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced the legislation midOctober designed to protect seniors with high health care costs from a “health tax” in 2017. The Seniors Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2017 (S. 1977) would allow for a two-year delay in the scheduled increase of the income threshold — to 10% from the current 7.5% — after which those age 65 and older can deduct medical expenses on their tax returns. AARP “supports this temporary delay as a necessary immediate step toward permanently restoring the tax threshold to 7.5% for older Americans with high out-of-pocket health care costs.”

Citing recent IRS data, AARP noted that:

• 56% of those taking the medical expense deduction were age 65 or older.

• Nearly 31% of taxpayers age 65+ that claimed the medical expense deduction had annual income under $50,000.

• Nearly 73% of people of all ages claiming the medical expense deduction had annual income under $75,000.

AARP is urging “Congress to follow the lead of Senators Brown and Portman by enacting measures such as this that will help protect older Americans from high health and long-term care costs.”

AARP also asks us to tweet, write or call our Senators to urge them to get on board with this bill. If it doesn’t pass soon, we are the ones paying, yet again. There is also an advocacy page at action.aarp.org. Just type in “Seniors Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2017” into the search bar and you will find a link to the action page.

November 21 meeting in Q80 at 10:00 a.m.

Social Time at 9:30 a.m.

Leave clean clothing and bedding and nonperishable food for Sacred Heart on the bench outside. Please do not bring garage sale type items for Sacred Heart. Please bring books to share. Place these items on the first table: donations for the troops; new and used greeting cards in the box; your volunteer hours in purple envelope.

Lunch after meeting: Aldo’s Ristorante & Bar 14109 Winchester Blvd, Los Gatos 408-384-1808 (at Knowles Drive)

Program: Ray Cosyn, Historian