ISSUE: Snowblower pushes snow (forward) rather than throwing snow out of the chute
My Craftsman 3/21 single-stage, 2-stoke snow-blower now works perfectly and discharges snow from chute as expected/desired.  Thanks to everyone that helped me solve this HI/DIY problem!!!

Corrective steps toward problem-resolution:


Replaced drive-belt (specification was 35"; my old one had stretched out by over an inch)
Replaced auger-blades (hard rubber) with new ones.  The old ones were worn-out and were not (almost) sweeping past the backboard near the chute.  The recommended gap is less than 1/4 inch.  My old blade had a gap of almost 3/4 inch
Sprayed snow/ice repellent near the neck of the chute to prevent ice build-up when dealing with wet-snow (as was the case today in Chicago).


BTW, I took this DIY opportunity to replace all screws &amp; aluminum rivets with appropriate stainless steel nuts/bolts/washers.  It costed me an additional $6; however, I thought that it will save me a lot of time when it comes time to do maintenance on my snowblower some time in the future ... especially since the screws get rusted quickly as snowblowers are mostly/often used in wet conditions and we (at least I) often do not take the time/trouble of wiping the snow-blower after using it (since it is too cold outside).